Explore This Park

• Plan Your Visit
  • Things To Do
    • Ranger Programs, Science Talks and Field Seminars
      • Guided Walks and Hikes

Walks and Hikes

A variety of ranger-led walks and hikes are offered throughout the park. Joining a ranger is an excellent way to learn more about Denali.

While on a guided walk, you will experience the park with all your senses. You may or may not see wildlife, but you will certainly see signs of their passing. You will also see the indelible traces of winter, the dominant season that shapes all life in the subarctic.

Ranger-led hikes are offered from mid-May to mid-September each year. Check our event calendar for specific dates (updated each spring for the coming summer). Trail descriptions are below; you may also want to check out a map of hiking trails in the park.

American Sign Language

Our goal is to provide American Sign Language interpretation, when requested, for all ranger programs. Denali is very remote, however, so please request ASL interpretation as early as you can to ensure that we can accommodate your request!

 

Morning & Afternoon Nature Walk

Join a ranger for a walk on one of trails that originate at the Denali Visitor Center, mile 1.5 on the Park Road. Parking is available at the center. No sign-up is required - simply arrive at the center a few minutes before the walk begins. The trail route varies depending on the season and conditions.

The walk is an easy pace, though trail slope does change from easy to moderate at various points. In wet weather, the trails can be muddy in some areas.

• Times: Twice daily: 10 am and 1:30 pm
• Dates offered: Late May—mid-September
• Duration: Varies, but generally around two hours.
• Difficulty: Easy to moderate
• Distance: Varies; up to 3 miles round-trip
• Highlights: Explore the taiga ecosystem; this habitat is home to the red squirrel, moose, spruce grouse and a wide variety of flowers or berries depending on the season.
• Elevation change: Varies, up to ~250 feet
• Grade: Generally from 0% to 8%, potential for 25% in a limited section
• Width: 60 - 72 inches
• Surface: Well compacted gravel for much of the hike, some sections of native soils with roots and rocks

 

Eielson Stroll

The Eielson Stroll is offered at Eielson Visitor Center. The center is located at Mile 66 on the Park Road, and is accessible by any Kantishna, Wonder Lake or Eielson shuttle bus. Choose a shuttle bus that arrives at Eielson Visitor Center well in advance. The stroll is at a leisurely pace. Expect to spend forty-five minutes to an hour exploring the trail with a ranger.

• Start time: 1 pm, daily. Use the shuttle bus schedule to identify which buses will reach the center in time for the hike.
• Dates offered: June 1—mid-September
• Difficulty: Easy
• Distance: 0.5 miles
• Highlights: High-alpine tundra, tremendous views of Denali on clear days, and chances to see large mammals such as grizzly bears and caribou
• Elevation change: Negligible
• Surface: Well-compacted gravel

 

Eielson Alpine Hike

The Eielson Alpine Hike is offered at Eielson Visitor Center. Choose a bus that arrives at Eielson Visitor Center well in advance. The hike is strenuous. Expect to spend two to two and a half hours hiking up and down Thorofare Ridge with a ranger. Hikes are limited to the first 11 visitors who sign up at the center that day, so arrive early to ensure a spot on this strenuous but memorable hike.

• Start time: Noon, daily. Use the shuttle bus schedule to identify which buses will reach the center in time for the hike.
• Dates offered: June 1—mid-September
• Difficulty: Difficult
• Distance: ~2 miles
• Highlights: High-alpine tundra, tremendous views of Denali on clear days, and chances to see large mammals such as grizzly bears and caribou
• Elevation change: 1,000' gain and loss
• Surface: Native rocks, some gravel