Denali National Park

Denali National Park is located in Alaska and is the home of Mount McKinley. At 20,320 feet, this is North America’s tallest peak.

The park was established in 1917 and is about the size of Massachusetts.

Denali Park Road

The Denali Park Road, ninety-two miles long, is the only road in the park. The first fifteen miles leads to Savage River and is paved.

There are many places to stop and take pictures. If it’s not cloudy, you can see the snowy Mount McKinley after driving nine miles on the park road.

Tour buses 

Denali Park Road turns into a gravel road after the fifteen mile marker.

Visitors can take shuttle buses, tour buses, or courtesy buses to go farther along the road. The tour buses include guides that share information about the park.

Huskies patrol the park

And don’t forget to stop by the kennels to see the dogs. The rangers lead daily dog sled demonstrations in the summer. Huskies actually patrol the park in the winter — a distance of about 3,000 miles!

Park wildlife

Other wildlife to see in Denali National Park: caribou, Dall sheep, moose, grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, eagles, falcons, and lynx.

 

-Sandra Merville Hart

Sources:

“Denali: National Park & Preserve, Alaska,” National Park Service, 2014/12/15 http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm.

Flynn, Sarah Wassner. National Geographic Kids: National Parks Guide U.S.A., National Geographic Society, 2012.

McHugh, Erin. National Parks: A Kid’s Guide to America’s Parks, Monuments, and Landmarks, Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, Inc., 2012