Alaska’s top attraction, Denali National Park and Preserve, is larger than the entire state of New Hampshire. Just one road penetrates its backcountry; this single route, accessible only by the park’s shuttle buses, crosses taiga, tundra, boggy lowlands, and mountain passes.
The combination of dry weather and a shallow layer of soil helped create the Interior’s broad band of taiga. Where permafrost is near the surface, the trees tend to be stunted. Treetops sometimes look as though they have been broken off or even burned as upward growth stopped when the roots hit ice and could grow no deeper. In summer, when the upper layer of permafrost can melt, the layer of surface soil will sometimes slump, tipping trees off at an angle. The effect is called a “drunken forest.”
Below are some tips to help you educate your clients about this popular attraction.
1. Denali: (Koyukon Athabaskan for The High One) – formerly known as Mount McKinley – is the highest mountain peak in North America. It is the world’s third highest peak after Mount Everest in Asia and Aconcagua in South America. Located in the Alaska Range, Denali is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve. Alaskans rely on context to distinguish between the park and the mountain.
2. Visitor’s Center: The park headquarters, near the main entrance at the eastern end of the park, is a necessary stop for all visitors. Roughly 400,000 travelers journey to Denali each year, primarily between late May and early September. The Visitor Center has an information desk, general store, restaurant, and bookshop. A mile away, the Wilderness Access Center handles shuttle bus tickets and campsite reservations, while next door, the Backcountry Information Center issues backcountry permits.
3. Tours: The park’s concessionaire runs a full schedule of guided tours in summer, the most popular of which is the Tundra Wilderness Tour. Choices range from short nature tours that go just beyond the Savage River to all-day round trips as far as the Toklat River, 53 miles each way. Tourists can go rafting, flightseeing, take an ATV tour, or visit the kennel of an Iditarod Musher.
4. Park Transportation: The concessionaire operates the park’s Visitor Transportation System (VTS). VTS shuttle buses leave the visitor center every 30 minutes for Wonder Lake, 85 miles into the park. Wonder Lake, near the end of the shuttle route, affords one of the finest sights of the mountain when Denali is clear. People use the hop-on, hop-off shuttle as a way to hike the park on their own. A later shuttle picks them up for the return trip.
Whether on a tour or a shuttle bus, travelers can expect to see wildlife; however, they might not see Denali itself. A clear view of the mountain is possible only about 20 percent of the time during the summer due to clouds. It is visible more often during the winter. Flightseeing trips offer increased opportunities to see The Great One up close.
5. Accommodations: Most visitors choose a hotel near the park entrance where there is quite a selection. Others prefer a wilderness lodge in the park’s interior. The lodges tend to be more expensive although their all-inclusive prices include transportation, lodging, meals, and activities. Some lodges require a two- to four-night stay. Those staying at private lodges within the park can fly in or book shuttles provided by the lodge proprietors.
Most visitors stay outside the park. Cruise lines and tour operators have built a wide variety of hotels, motels, and RV parks—as well as restaurants and gas stations. Accommodations are available at Carlo Creek, 13 miles south, and Healy, 10 miles north of the park.
For more in-depth information about Alaska, enroll in The Travel Institute’s online Destination Specialist Alaska course for only $54 (course and test). CTA, CTC, and CTIE graduates who take the Specialist course will earn their required 10 CEUs.
