Current Conditions

Alerts

 

On This Page:

• Summer 2024
• Winter 2024–2025
• Park Road Conditions

Some park operations are currently altered due to the Pretty Rocks Landslide. The closure of the Denali Park Road at Mile 43 is expected to remain in place through summer 2026, while the Polychrome Area Plan is implemented.

The details below supersede all other trip-planning information. If you encounter discrepancies between other parts of our website and this information, go with what you see below.

 

Summer 2024

The summer season begins on May 15 each year. Summer operations are affected by the ongoing Pretty Rocks Landslide and the associated closure of the Denali Park Road at Mile 43. To learn more about plans to address the landslide, see the Polychrome Area Plan.

Changes to summer operations due to the landslide are listed below. Other visitor center facilities and services in the park will be operating as normal.

• Transit buses and tour buses will travel no further than the East Fork Bridge (Mile 43 of the Denali Park Road).
• Eielson Visitor Center is closed.
• Wonder Lake Campground is closed. All other campgrounds will be open.
• Pretty Rocks expanded blasting closure: For public safety, an expanded closure is in place 1500 feet around the blasting work area at the Pretty Rocks construction site as of April 8, 2024 (see map at the bottom of this page). The closure prohibits travel around the slide using the detour route on the river bar below the road, making backcountry travel through unit 8 more challenging. If you plan to travel near this area, talk to a ranger at the Denali Visitor Center or Backcountry Information Center for more information. The closure is expected to remain in place through mid-July.

Other things to know as you plan a summer trip:

• Make bus and campground reservations online. Reservations for summer 2024 opened on December 1, 2023.
• Sanctuary Campground is now accepting advance registrations. Igloo Campground is walk-in registration only, no reservations accepted.
• The Denali Visitor Center is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm.
• The Sled Dog Kennels are open daily from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.
• Backcountry permits are issued at the Backcountry Information Center, next to the Denali Bus Depot. Open daily 9 am to 6 pm.
• Ranger programs are offered daily in summer. Check the calendar or ask a ranger at the visitor center to learn about other special events.

Entrance Fees and Passes

Entrance fees to Denali are required. You may pay your park entrance fees online or in person upon arrival to the entrance area of the park (credit cards only, no cash). You must be able to show a park pass or proof of online purchase (on a mobile device or printed receipt) if asked by a park ranger. Discounted or free annual and lifetime passes are also available to select groups; learn more about fees and passes in Denali.

 

Winter 2024–2025

The "winter" season will begin in late fall on September 13, 2024, when summer bus trips stop running. The season continues through spring to mid-May, when summer operations resume.

Facilities and services in the park are limited during the winter season (mid-September to mid-May). Winter operations are not affected by the Pretty Rocks Landslide or the associated road closure, as the park road is closed at Park Headquarters (Mile 3) for most of the winter anyway. In spring and fall, the road may be open to Mountain Vista (Mile 13) or Teklanika (Mile 30).

Check back in the fall for more details on the facilities and services that will be offered next winter.

 

Conditions on the Denali Park Road

The map below illustrates which parts of the park road are open to private vehicles (thick green line), open to bus traffic (thin black line, summer only), or closed (thin red line). Icons also indicate which park campgrounds are open.

Other red areas on the map show wildlife closures, which are closed to all entry due to nesting or denning activity or sites where a bear or wolf is feeding on a carcass. Temporary wildlife closures (lasting less than 24 hours) may also be in place and not appear on the map; always check at the visitor center upon arrival for the latest information before hiking.