Denali National Park is named after the tallest mountain in the United States, Denali. Once called Mt McKinley, it was returned to its original  Athabaskan name meaning “The Great One” by President Obama in 2015.

Denali National Park is larger in size than the state of New Hampshire, but it is committed to being a true wilderness, which means that very little of it is developed for easy access. They only have 30 miles of marked trails, and with the landslide at Pretty Rocks closing the road at mile 42, many of those trails are inaccessible right now (through the summer of 2024 at the earliest). Still, the area is beautiful & worth a visit.

I visited with a travel companion who was not as mobile as I am, so we stuck to the easy trails. Even so, we saw beautiful vistas, wildlife, and flora throughout our visit.

The Visitor Center

The Visitor Center by itself is a place to spend some time. It’s a nice place to get the lay of the land and to take a break.

The front desk is manned by two rangers who can answer your questions about the history, animals, flora, and current state of the park.

There are 2 videos that play in a loop that showcase the nature and usage of the park.

Upstairs focuses on the terrain of the park with a cool 3D topographical map. Downstairs highlights the history, culture, flora & fauna of the park through interactive exhibits.

In the same area are 2 other buildings – the park store and the café.

The visitor center is walking distance from the train & bus station & park shuttle service.

McKinley Station Trail

This trail starts from the visitor center, and if you’re going to attend one of the ranger led walks, you will probably be taking this trail. It is a loop trail that brings you down to the river below the Alaska Railroad bridge. I would suggest taking the loop counterclockwise to take the steep trail down instead of up. If you want to avoid the steep trail, you can always take the 8.5% grade trail both there & back. Round trip, the trail is under 2 miles.

Sled Dog Demonstrations

Happening 4 times a day, the sled dog demonstrations showcase the Alaskan Huskies and their role in maintaining the wilderness of Denali National Park.

You can either walk the 2 miles from the visitor center to the headquarters or take one of the free shuttles which leave 40 minutes before each demonstration. People start to line up for the shuttles early, but they provide at least 4 shuttle busses for each demonstration, so don’t worry too much if you’re not at the beginning of the line.

Once at the headquarters, you’ll have some time to walk around the dog yard to say hello to the huskies & check out the small display of gear & videos about the role of the huskies in the winter months.

The demonstration itself is 30 minutes long. The rangers who lead it great at engaging the crowd and taking care of the dogs. The day we were there was a hot one, so the dogs only participated for a few minutes, but it was still interesting to see how they are trained & what their roles are.