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It is the crown jewel of Alaska's national parks. Denali National Park & Preserve
features North America's highest mountain, Mt. McKinley 20,320 feet (6,194 meters). Denali,
the "High One," is the name Athabascan native people gave the massive peak that crowns the
600-mile-long (972 km) Alaska Range. Denali's more than 6 million acres also encompass a
complete sub-arctic ecosystem of tundra and forest with an abundance of large mammals such
as grizzly bears, wolves, Dall sheep, and moose.
More than 650 species of flowering plants as well as many species of mosses, lichens, fungi,
algae, and others grace the slopes and valleys of Denali. Only plants adapted to long, cold
winters and short growing seasons can survive in this subarctic wilderness. Permafrost ground
underlies many areas of the park, where only a thin layer of topsoil is available to support
life. After the continental glaciers retreated from most of the park 10,000 to 14,000 years
ago, hundreds of years were required to begin building new soils and revegetation. The dynamic
glaciated landscape provides large rivers, countless lakes and ponds, and unique landforms
which form the foundation of the ecosystems that thrive in Denali.
Denali is well-known for its diversity of wildlife. There are 39 species of mammals, 167
species of birds, 10 species of fish, and one species of amphibian known in Denali. There
are no reptiles recorded in Denali. Animal life and activity in Denali is dictated by the
seasons. Winter is the longest season and those animals that are year-round residents are
well-adapted to life in the subarctic. The brief spring season brings the return of 80%
of Denali's bird life, the waking of hibernating bears, and an increase in activity levels
of wildlife. Summer is a time for raising young and preparing for migration, hibernation,
or survival during the winter. In late summer king and chum salmon run in the multitude of streams and rivers. In autumn,
migrating birds fill the skies and bull moose gather their harems of cows for the mating
season.
The park was established as Mt. McKinley National Park on Feb. 26, 1917 as a wilderness area. In 1980
it was incorporated into Denali National Park and Preserve. Today the park accommodates a wide variety of visitor use including wildlife viewing,
mountaineering, biking, backcountry lodge accommodations, flightseeing, fishing, ranger
programs, photography, camping and backpacking. It continues to provide a laboratory
for research in the natural sciences. The park and surrounding are host for numerous
outdoor activities in both summer and the winter.
In an effort to preserve the parks' unspoiled condition, no private vehicles are allowed
beyond the Savage River Check Station at mile 15 of the park road. From that point on,
visitors can travel deeper into the park via park bus, bicycle, or their own two feet.
Shuttle buses travel to various destinations along the Denali Park Road, going as far as
Kantishna at the road's western end, some 90 miles (145 km) into the park.
Although the park is open year-round, the visitor center, shuttle bus service and the
backcountry lodges operate from mid-May to mid-September.
History of the area - Click Here
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