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The Talkeetna Ranger Station is open all year from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (907-733-2231). To visit the Talkeetna Ranger Station turn at mile 98 on the George Parks Highway at the Talkeetna turnoff. Drive 14 miles to the town site on the Talkeetna Spur Road (paved). At the end of Main Street turn left onto B Street (about 4 blocks. The Talkeetna Ranger Station is the first building on the left. There are interpretive programs on the history of climbing at Denali and other topics of interest as well as Bradford Washburn’s photos of the Alaska Range. Denali National Park Visitor Center is located at mile 1.5 of the Denali Park Road. It is closed in the winter from September through late April, but the Murie Science and Learning Center is open during the winter from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm daily. Annual Winterfest takes place in early spring; usually during March. Call Park Headquarters for details at (907)683-2294. Information about how to travel safely in the backcountry is obtained at the Visitor Center during the summer time. The Murie Science and Learning Center will issue backcountry permits and give information during the off season.

The primary visitation season runs from May 1 to September 15. Visitation is lowest in winter months. There are both permanent and temporary wildlife closures every year in Denali. These areas are restricted to all entry and exist for the mutual protection of humans and critical wildlife species. Ask a ranger at the Backcountry Desk for recent closure information. Failure to avoid closures may result in a citation.

Mt. McKinley National Park was established in 1917. Its name and size was changed to Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980 and became an International Biosphere Reserve in 1976.

From earliest times, for at least 11 millennia, humans have been seasonally attracted to this remote and elevated country because of the concentrations of game animals. The migratory bands of caribou and sheep, the numerous moose and bear, and, in those earliest times, the relict bison and elk at the end of the last great ice age, have spurred human migration to the Denali region despite its isolation and forbidding terrain. In traditional times, a century and more ago, the people came from camps and villages on the many rivers fed by Denali’s glaciers: Susitna, Chulitna, Kahiltna, Yentna flowing south; Kuskokwim flowing southwest; Kantishna, Toklat, Teklanika, Nenana flowing north. Some of the hunters cut the arc of the Alaska Range, traveling westward 200 miles from the Copper River basin. Others congregated from the Tanana or portaged from the Yukon. These people came to hunt the high, sparsely forested slopes and valleys and the funneling narrows of the passes. They came by boat as far as shoaling streams allowed, then overland to the killing sites. After the hunt, their meat and skins in tow, they left Denali’s shelterless flanks and returned to the forested lands of the big rivers where logs for building and fuel, and migrating salmon for sustaining food, allowed survival through winter darkness and cold.

It was this gathering of wildlife, and fear that market hunting would destroy it, that inspired hunter-naturalist Charles Sheldon in the early years of this century. The park was established as Mt. McKinley National Park on Feb. 26, 1917. Sheldon’s vision of a park-refuge where visitors could view plentiful wildlife against the backdrop of stupendous mountains shaped the park’s founding legislation; it inspired the policies and practices of the new park’s first stewards and their successors through the years; it still determines the management philosophy and the visitor expectations of the expanded Denali National Park and Preserve.

In the distant reaches of the great Interior a few small steamboats plied the Yukon, whose forested banks opened occasionally for a log trading post or an Indian fish camp. Beyond the river, only scattered bands of hunters and the rare prospector roamed. Of government there was none. Over most of the Interior, for all one could see of “man sign,” it was the world of Genesis before God’s final creation. The Denali region and its approaches remained a blank space on the map, except for rough indications of mountains sighted from afar.

By the late 1880s the Arctic Mountains (later named the Brooks Range) had been partially explored—also the polar seas and coasts, the Yukon and its main tributaries, much of Southwest Alaska’s delta lands, and, excepting mountain fastnesses, most of the Pacific rimlands. But at the center lay terra incognita.

In the main, the Russians had stayed near the coast. Beginning in the 1830s, having exhausted the populations of sea otter whose pelts had sustained the Tzar’s enterprise in America for nearly a century, the Russian-American Company got serious about the Interior fur trade with establishment of posts on the lower or middle reaches of the Kuskokwim and Yukon rivers. Denali-region Indians participated indirectly in this trade via Indian middlemen who were based closer to Russian stations on the rivers and the coast.

British traders of the Hudson’s Bay Company intruded Alaska in 1847 to establish Fort Yukon, far northeast of Denali on the upper Yukon River, and hundreds of miles from the nearest Russian post on the lower Yukon. Americans took over these posts after the purchase, linking the upper and lower river with additional stations along the middle Yukon, including several in the vicinity of the Yukon-Tanana confluence.

In time, direct contact began between American traders and the Indians of Denali, who floated downstream to trading posts and camps on the big rivers. The traders were content with this arrangement. There was no reason to labor up shallow rivers if the Indians would bring their furs down them. No other economic motivation existed to push settlement beyond the riverine highways—until the ever-roving prospectors began to find color around the outer margins of Denali.

The first recorded reference to the Denali massif occurs in the 1794 journal of British explorer George Vancouver, who spent a month in Cook Inlet charting its waters—enough time for a break in the weather that gave him a view to the north. In his May 6 entry Vancouver named Cook Inlet in honor of his former captain on this same coast, James Cook, and noted “distant stupendous mountains covered with snow and apparently detached from each other,” a certain description of McKinley and its consort, Mount Foraker, from the inlet. In 1834, during explorations for a trade route between the Kuskokwim drainage and Cook Inlet, the Russian Creole explorer Andrei Glazunov portaged from the Yukon and ascended the Kuskokwim and Stony rivers seeking a pass across the Alaska range. When his Ingalik Athabaskan guides turned back to their Kuskokwim homeland, Glazunov was forced to turn back toward his base at St. Michael near the mouth of the Yukon, but not before noting on March 7 that he “saw a great mountain called Tenada, to the northeast.” At his location on the Stony River, Glazunov was nearly 200 miles from the mountain. His rendering of its name, Tenada, is traced to the Ingalik Dengadh. (The Koyukon name, Deenaalee, is the source of the modern Denali; all Athabaskan variants north of the Alaska Range mean “The High One.”)

In 1897, as Denali-Mount McKinley began its transformation into the dominant symbol of Alaska, the Klondike Gold Rush became an international phenomenon. Gold mining in the American West at the turn of the 20th century will forever be remembered for its sudden and feverish stampedes. In the 1890s, after thousands rushed to Canada’s Klondike goldfields, many miners headed west to try their luck in Alaska. Stampeding became a way of life for many frontier adventurers, and when Alaska’s boomtowns became too crowded or the pay-dirt too scarce, these wanderers followed rumors of gold into uncharted and exceedingly rugged territory. The Kantishna Mining District, deep within Denali National Park and Preserve, is one such place where hundreds of miners left the relative security of Dawson, Fairbanks, and Nome to seek their fortunes in the wilderness. Those men and women who staked the first Kantishna claims on the best land found wealth literally at their feet. The so-called sunburnt gold, resting on the surface of gravel streambeds, could be collected with an inexpensive gold pan. At a time when most miners were content to pan $5 in a day, some prospectors were finding $10 or even $25 in a single pan of Kantishna gravel. This stampede lasted from 1904-1906. Though Kantishna would never see another stampede, the land continued to sustain a small cadre of rugged miners for decades to come.

Although Mt. McKinley can be seen from Anchorage on a clear day, its base is deep in the Alaska Range. Explorers in the early 1900s used river boats, mules, and dog sleds to gain access to the mountain’s glaciers in order to establish base camps. Beginning in 1932, plane access to climb Mt. McKinley began saving the mountain climbing and ice climbing folks a few months travel time. That same year, bush pilot Joe Crosson set the “Cosmic Ray” Party down at the 5,700-foot level of the Muldrow Glacier. Twenty-two years later, in 1954, pilot Don Sheldon flew the first commercial flight from Talkeetna to Kahiltna Glacier. This has become the norm for most McKinley mountain climbers beginning their expeditions. 1903 is the earliest recorded attempt to climb the mountain, beginning a history of challenging the mountain and elements that continues today.

Towering 18,000 feet above the neighboring lowlands, the mountain, otherwise known as Denali, an Athabaskan Indian name meaning the “The High One”, rivals the vertical relief of the world’s greatest mountains. Mt. McKinley is possibly the highest granitic pluton in the world, which is undergoing continual tectonic uplift. The majority of the rest of the mountains and rocks in the park are sedimentary, a testament to the millions of years that central Alaska was an open seaway.

A major fault system, known as the Denali Fault runs in an arc through the Alaska Range and is the source of thousands of earthquakes that rumble through the area each year. These earthquakes, although frequent in number, generally go unnoticed by humans due to their remote location. The surrounding peaks of the 600-mile long Alaska Range are no less impressive than McKinley itself, and provide the scenic backdrop to the six million acres of pristine wilderness that make up Denali National Park. From the Alaska Range’s perpetually snow covered flanks glaciers flow radially, spilling out of the mountains like ribbons of ice.

Descending down from the realm of rock, snow and ice, you encounter open tundra expanses dotted with small lakes and ponds, remnants of a glacier covered landscape. Large turbid glacial rivers, run in wide, braided floodplains with clear water streams flowing in from lower tundra covered hills north to the Yukon River or south to the Susitna River. At lower elevations in the park the boreal forest, a mixed spruce forest with aspen and birch, winds its way up into valleys and along river corridors. The interior mountains support complex and diverse habitats resulting from variation in elevation, geology, slope, and exposure.

First and foremost, there’s the Mountain…all 20,320 feet of it, and still growing, at about 1 millimeter per year. In the process of plate tectonics, (the Pacific plate is diving beneath Alaska, or the North American Plate) land surfaces in Alaska are continually compressed and folded, which pushes up Mt. McKinley, as well as the rest of the mountains in the Alaska Range. Although surrounded by many glacier-clad mountains of similar grandeur, Mt. McKinley (or Denali, as the Athabascans call it), is primarily made of granite, which is very hard and resists weathering much better than its sedimentary (shale, limestone and sandstone) neighbors. As Denali is pushed up, it remains, like a resistant sentinel, above the others, which wear down faster through the eons of freezing, thawing, and glaciers grinding and scraping.

That sedimentary neighborhood is a long history of geologic puzzle pieces thrown together to form the park, and most of Alaska, as we know it. The Pacific plate has been acting like a conveyor belt for hundreds of millions of years, bringing bits of islands, ocean floor, and slivers of other continents northward to form accretionary terranes, which are pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle. This accretion of land is an ongoing process today, as the Pacific plate moves northward, colliding with Alaska at about 5 centimeters per year. New “additions” to Alaska are, of course, a very slow process, and to most people, even the most recent addition (the Yakutat block, along the southeast coast of Alaska) does not show any obvious evidence of collision and accretion. However, most of the terranes are identified as packages of rocks that are surrounded by faults, and have different rock types, fossils, and other physical properties, unlike their neighbor terranes.

The oldest terrane and rocks in the park are found near the park entrance, and are called the Yukon-Tanana rocks. These are shallow sediments with volcanic flows and intrusions (molten injections of rock) that formed in a very young Alaska. These rocks have been buried very deep for a long time, and subjected to heat and pressure that changes the rocks into metamorphic kinds (schists, gneiss, phyllites).

Over time ocean environments continued to dominate the site of Denali, where marine shelf, slope and basin materials accumulated or accreted to become the shales, limestones and sandstones of the Farewell terrane. These ocean sediments hardened into rock to form many of the great mountains in the eastern portion of the park, such as Mount Pendelton and Scott Peak. Fossils found in the Farewell terrane suggest that at least some of this period of time, the climate was very tropical, and lush coral reefs and other warm water fauna flourished.

Among the exotic terranes in Denali are those referred to as islandarcs(volcanic island chains, like the Japanese islands), which are identified by having volcanic and marine sedimentary rocks on top of each other. The Pingston and McKinley terranes are possibly from an island arc environment. Along the park road just west of Eielson Visitor Center, pillow basalts (lava extruded under ocean water, forming pillow shaped blobs) can be seen in the road-cut.

During the birth of Mt. McKinley long ago when molten magma solidified deep beneath central Alaska, volcanic activity (eruptions at the surface) was also occurring in the park, and produced red, yellow and brown basalts, rhyolites, and other volcanic rocks. These rocks can be seen along the park road, particularly at Polychrome Pass, named for the colorful volcanic rocks exposed there. Things again heated up at Denali about 38 million years ago, when another period of volcanic activity resulted in the basalts and andesites found exposed at Mt.Galen, and along the park road at the west end of Eielson Bluffs. Similar to Mt. McKinley, another granitic blob crystallized at depth beneath the surface to become Mt. Foraker, the second tallest peak in the park at 5303 meters (17,400 feet).

As a final tribute to the active tectonics of Alaska, a series of faults have fractured the park and most of the state in the last 100 million years. In Denali, this group of faults is known as the Denali fault system, which arcs East-West through the park (and most of the state) for 1200 kilometers (720 miles). Portions of the fault trace are visible within the park at Bull River divide, Easy Pass, and other locations.

Glaciers cover one million acres, or one-sixth of Denali National Park. Like the many arms of an octopus, glaciers flow away from the mountains transporting hundreds of thousand of tons of ice each year. This ice eventually melts in the lower reaches of the glaciers and rapidly fills rivers with turbulent muddy water that flows into the oceans. The most massive glaciers in the park drain snow and ice from the flanks of Mount McKinley. Glaciers play an important part in the development of the landscape of Denali National Park and Preserve.

Hundreds of unnamed glaciers and at least 40 named glaciers flow from heights as high as 19,000 feet and descend to elevations as low as 800 feet above sea level. The Peters Glacier flows from the north and northwest portion of the mountain, whereas the Kahiltna Glacier is situated on the southwestern side of Mount McKinley and shares the southern slopes with an arm of the Ruth Glacier. The Ruth Glacier primarily occupies the southeast side Mount McKinley. From the very top of the mountain, Harper Glacier dumps snow and ice into the upper reaches of Muldrow Glacier, which carries snow and ice off Mount McKinley’s northeast slopes. Of these glacial systems, the Ruth, Kahiltna and Muldrow Glaciers are the longest glaciers in the park; each is more than 30 miles long. The Kahiltna Glacier, which is not only the longest glacier in the park but also in the entire Alaska Range, is 44 miles in length.

There are five major terrain categories in the Denali Backcountry, with no maintained backpacking trails. Gravel River Bars: these flat, rocky surfaces characterize most major rivers in the park and provide fast, easy travel. Wet Tundra: this terrain is marshy and interspersed with hummocks. Dry Tundra: dry tundra exists at high elevations and affords good, solid footing for fast, easy travel. Brushy Tundra: accessing many backcountry units requires bushwhacking. Brush can exceed six feet in height, and thickness often limits visibility. Glacial Moraine: located at the base of glaciers and often denoted on maps by stippled areas, a moraine consists of ice covered with dirt and debris.

Denali’s subarctic wilderness is home to more than 1,500 species of vascular plants, mosses and lichens. These organisms form the foundation of the park’s ecosystems and define the habitat characteristics for all of the more famous and recognizable denizens of Denali National Park such as moose, wolves, eagles, caribou and grizzly bears.

Alaska stands at a floristic crossroads between Asia and North America. During the past two million years, this area has been predominantly associated with the biota of northeastern Asia as opposed to that of North America. This is because the periodic formation of continental ice sheets thousands of feet thick (which covered most of Canada and parts of the northern continental U.S.), has separated Alaska from continental North America on many occasions during this period of time. At the same time, the exposure of the Bering Land Bridge allowed plants and animals a wide dispersal corridor into Alaska from northern Asia. For this reason, many of the plant species of Denali occur in Alaska and northern Asia, but not elsewhere in North America. These plants are known as Beringian endemic species – species that occur only within the large region that was free of ice during the Pleistocene glacial advances.

Trees tend to grow best in the lowlands where it is warmer and sunnier and along rivers where the flowing water has melted the permanently frozen ground. In fact, trees dominate the landscape in many lowland areas of the park. Forests blanket the river plains and lower hills in the park where the growing season is longer and warmer, and conditions are more predictably favorable for plant growth. As you start to climb out of the valleys up to the ridges where it’s often cold and windy, you will notice that trees (and even lower shrubs) become fewer and farther apart, and the vegetation is lower to the ground with fewer woody species and many more grasses and forbs.

Denali National Park is located north of sixty-one degrees north latitude. There are only a handful of tree species that are able to grow and reproduce naturally this far north. In fact, if you go a few hundred kilometers even further to the north, you will reach the arctic tundra biome, where there are virtually no trees at all. There are eight species of trees that occur in Denali National Park. Three of these are coniferous (cone-producing) plants from the pine family (black spruce, white spruce and larch) and the other five are flowering plants from the willow and birch plant families (quaking aspen, balsam poplar, black cottonwood, paper birch and Alaska birch).

Like trees, shrubs are also woody plants, but shrubs tend to be shorter than trees when mature, and have multiple stems that are smaller in diameter as compared to the single, larger stem (or “bole”) that characterizes tree species. Shrubs are very abundant in Denali, including many of the areas often frequented by visitors along the park road. Shrubs are widespread on the landscape of the park, and are absent from only the highest alpine areas, and from only some of the very wettest wetland plant communities. Shrubs tend to occur most abundantly in subalpine regions where trees are less common, in riparian areas along streams, (where many species of willows and alders like to grow). Shrubs are also common in the understory of some of the boreal forest types in the park. There are a few species of shrubs that occur above the elevation where trees are absent from the landscape, even at elevations up to 5,000 feet.

There is a much higher diversity of shrub species in Denali as compared to trees. There are fifty species of shrubs representing 10 different plant families that occur in Denali National Park and Preserve. The willow (Salicaceae) and heath (Ericaceae) families contribute the most species of shrubs to our flora, with 17 and 11 species respectively. Other plant families that are represented by shrubs in our flora are the Rose, Birch, Currant, Honeysuckle, Dogwood, Oleaster, Cypress, and Bayberry families.

Much of the subalpine zone on the south side of the Alaska Range Mountains in Denali National Park is covered with impenetrable tickets of alder shrubs. These shrubs thrive in the moist, maritime-influenced climate of this area. Frequent disturbance from avalanches and rockslides in the steep terrain favors the alder species, which are often colonizers of disturbed ground and bare mineral soil. The roots of alders have small nodules that provide a home for the symbiotic bacterium Frankia to grow. Frankia is capable of fixing gaseous nitrogen from the atmosphere into a mineral form available to the alders for plant nutrition. In return for this nitrogen subsidy, the alders provide a protective shelter as well as sugars from photosynthesis for the well being of the bacteria. Many plant species that grow early in succession sequences have formed similar symbiotic relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Dwarf shrubs are perennial woody plants that grow very close to the ground, generally below the blanket of snow that insulates and protects them during the harsh weather of the winter months in the subarctic. In part due to this strategy of staying below the snow pack, many dwarf shrubs are evergreen throughout the year. This is possible because their leaf tissues are protected from the extremes of climate. In contrast, the great majority of tall shrub species that occur in the park, whose branches venture out into the sub-zero subarctic air above the snow are deciduous, which means they lose their leaves each autumn. A deciduous habit is favored in tall shrubs because of the difficulty inherent in protecting the sensitive photosynthetic tissues from the scouring cold and dry winds that occur during the winter months. Instead, each fall these deciduous plants translocate many of the nutrients contained in their leaves to storage organs that are more protected, and then seal off the connection to the leaves, allowing them to wither and fall.

Dwarf shrubs such as Mountain Avens (Dryas spp.), Diapensia, and Cassiope are characteristic of the alpine tundra blanketing the ridges and slopes of Denali above approximately 3500 feet in elevation. These hardy perennials are the dominant component of many tundra types found in the park, particularly in some areas of late-lying snow in saddles and protected slopes. Mountain Avens (Dryas spp.) tundra is perhaps the most familiar and welcome vegetation type to hikers in the Alaska Range, because it is very common and it usually affords solid footing, dry feet and fast traveling. A surprise for many of our visitors from the south is the dwarf willow shrubs that adorn the mountains of Alaska. These diminutive tundra-dwellers that reach just a few centimeters in height are in fact very close relatives (in the same botanical genus – Salix) of the familiar “weeping willow” tree (Salix babylonica) found in the lower-48 states.

There are twenty-five species of dwarf shrubs that occur in Denali National Park, representing five different flowering plant families. The families with dwarf shrub representatives in our flora include: Heath family (11 species), Willow family (7 species), Rose family (5 species), and Crowberry and Diapensia families (1 species each).

Forbs are herbaceous flowering plant species. This category includes those plant species people think of as “wildflowers” such as goldenrod, gentian, fireweed, forget-me-not, larkspur, lupine, monkshood, poppies, and violets. This is the most species-rich group of plants in the Denali National Park flora, including about 450 species of plants from 54 families of flowering plants. The families with the largest numbers of forbs in the Denali National Park flora are Aster family (59 species), Mustard family (45 species), Buttercup family (32 species), Pink family (31 species), and Saxifrage family (31 species).

Forbs occur in all habitats across the park from aquatic communities to the driest, most windswept scree-slopes and ridges. The dazzling diversity of forms and colors within this group reflects a similar diversity of physiological adaptations and life history strategies. Consider, for example, the ecological biographical, morphological and physiological spectra represented by just three of our 450 species of forbs – Scamman’s Spring beauty (Claytonia scammaniana), Yellow Pond Lily (Nuphar polysepalum), and Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia).

There are many activities to be enjoyed at Denali. Check at the visitor’s center to see what is recommended by the staff at the time you are visiting. Enjoy camping, hiking, backpacking, fishing, mountaineering, bike riding, wildlife viewing and photography. While summer is the most popular time to visit Denali, winter offers many recreation and sightseeing opportunities such as cross-country skiing, dog mushing, snowmobiling, ice climbing, and camping.

Hike an entrance area trail. Each of these trails provides opportunities to explore the taiga (boreal forest) and observe wildlife. Go on your own or join a ranger-guided walk. Hike down to Horseshoe Lake or to the Mt. Healy Overlook. The Horseshoe Lake trail is an easy to moderately strenuous hiking trail 1.5 miles long. You will see spectacular views of Horseshoe Lake and Nenana River as well as wildlife sightings. Mount Healy Overlook Trail is a strenuous 2.2 miles one-way hike with dramatic views of the park entrance area, as well as the Nenana River valley, and alpine ridges. Join a ranger for a Discovery Hike. There are ranger lead walks & talks every day. You must sign up in advance at the main Visitor Center for Discovery Hikes.

The Tundra Wilderness Tour (six to eight hours roundtrip during peak season) and the Denali Natural History Tour (five hours roundtrip) provide formal interpretive programs and a way to see the park. Both tours provide a snack or box lunch and hot drinks. The Denali Natural History Tour is a fully narrated cultural history tour that includes a visit to the historic Savage Cabin and an Alaska Native interpretive program. There are several highlights to see along the way. Polychrome Pass & Rest Area offers a spectacular view of the colorful Alaska Range. The Polychrome Glaciers are nestled in the hills to the south, while bears and caribou often wander on the river bars below. For a day hike, walk along the ridge behind the rest area and enjoy alpine scenery. Buses run as far as Polychrome from June to August. Toklat River is an area of braided glacial rivers and towering cliffs where Dall sheep are often seen. Grizzlies sometimes graze on the riverbed’s soapberries. Buses run as far as Toklat from May 25 through Mid-September weather permitting.

If you have only ½ a day to explore the park, participate in one of the sled dog demonstrations conducted three times daily during peak season (May — September). Free bus transportation from the Visitor Center is offered. Hike an entrance area trail. Each of these trails provides opportunities to explore the taiga (boreal forest) and observe wildlife. Go on your own or join a ranger-guided walk. Watch the orientation slide program at the Visitor Center, and hike down to Horseshoe Lake or to the Mt. Healy Overlook. Ride the Savage River shuttle bus to Mile 15. Keep a lookout for moose, caribou, wolves and ptarmigan. In clear weather, Mt. McKinley may be seen in the distance from Mile 9. Once at the Savage River Day Use Area, hike the Savage River Trail.

If you have a full day, take a shuttle bus to Fish Creek at Mile 63 on the park road. From this location enjoy tremendous views of Mt. McKinley. Plan your own hike. Topographic maps, guidebooks, and knowledgeable staff can assist you in planning a trip. All are available at the Visitor Center.

If you have a few days… you have the opportunity to create more Denali memories to carry home. Plan in advance to camp at one of the park campgrounds or hike and enjoy an interpretive program. For the adventurous, obtain a backcountry permit and take a few days to explore Denali’s vast backcountry.

Visit Denali’s Talkeetna Ranger Station, located 100 miles south of the park in the town of Talkeetna. This is a spectacular road trip that goes through Denali State Park and provides ample opportunities for viewing the mountain on clear days.

People have been climbing Mt. McKinley for over 100 years. Mountaineering is an exciting and potentially dangerous endeavor. Make sure that you are experienced before attempting to climb the mountain. There are guide services available. You must be registered with the park service to obtain permission to climb Mt. McKinley.

Subsistence hunting is permitted in the 1980 land additions to the park, and sport hunting is permitted in the preserve portions of Denali. Local people harvest many different species of animals for food including moose, ptarmigan, grouse, and fish. They also harvest fox, marten, lynx, wolverine, beaver, and wolves for their fur.

Because of active plate tectonics, earthquakes are frequent in the Denali area. It is estimated that there are some 600 seismic events per year within the park boundaries at magnitude 1 (M1) or greater. Most of these earthquakes (about 70%), average between M1.5 and M2.5, and often occur near the surface (0-15 km/0-9 miles deep) at locations all over the Park. But these events are not usually felt by anyone because of the low magnitudes. A large share of earthquake activity is right under Mt. McKinley, frequently, at very deep locations (90 – 125 km/54-75 miles deep), providing few people the opportunity to experience them. This seismic activity at the root of Denali suggests that uplift of the mountain continues to this day. Numerous faults, including the Denali fault (a major fault system), demonstrate a long history of active plate tectonics and associated earthquake activity.

Generally, the highest magnitudes events that occur in the park in any given year are in the neighborhood of the mid to high M4’s, and again, are often right under Mt. McKinley or near the Kantishna Hills on the Northwest side of the park. Larger magnitude events (>M4.5) are not common in the park, but records show that a few have occurred. On May 21, 1991, a M6.1 earthquake occurred at a depth of 112 km right under Mt. McKinley, and was noticed by climbing teams on the mountain who reported numerous massive snow and ice avalanches. In November and early December of the year 2000, two earthquakes occurred on the north boundary of the park at M5.7 and M5.0, which shook local residences, and was felt as far away as Fairbanks. Historically, seismic events have not been known to damage man-made structures within the park.

On October 23, and November 3, 2002, the park and most of central and southern Alaska experienced a foreshock of M6.3, and a main shock of M7.9. The M7.9 was the largest earthquake to occur in the interior of the state in recorded history. The epicenters (point on the earth surface where the quakes originate) of each of these large earthquakes was about 50 km (30 miles) east of the park, on the Denali fault. Although the park area only suffered spilled shelf items and a few road sags, at other locations about 166 km (100 miles) east of the park, roads were fractured, several homes were jostled off their foundations, and the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline lost some of its support members.

The Park supports active research on seismic activity, and collaborates with the Alaska Earthquake Information Center (AEIC) and other groups to better monitor and understand the seismic activity in and near the park. Three seismometers are located within the park, and other efforts to install portable seismometers or instruments regarding the movement or nature of the earth’s crust are ongoing.

The future of trumpeter swans is promising yet tenuous. While populations appear to be slowly on the rise, many dangers still exist and the National Audubon Society lists trumpeter swans as a conservation priority on their nationwide Watch List.

The most serious threats to trumpeter swans include habitat loss resulting from expanding human populations, increases in human disturbance, and lead poisoning. Habitat loss is especially prevalent on the winter ranges. There is increasing interest to develop visitor facilities and new access points in the southern portions of Denali. Because trumpeter swans are highly sensitive to disturbance, park managers must protect swans and their habitat in this area. Working cooperatively with US Fish and Wildlife Service researchers, Denali scientists are conducting surveys to locate nesting and pre-migratory staging swans and describe their habitats in the southern portion of Denali. Using this data, park managers and others will be able to locate new visitor facilities and access routes away from important swan habitat.

Summer comes quickly to the park with warm days in late May or early June, which melt any remaining snow and allow the vegetation to turn green. June tends to be a drier month than July or August and, although it may snow during any month of the year, the first snows signaling fall may come as early as late August or early September. The park itself does not tend to get as much snow as many other parts of Alaska; seven feet of snow for a winter tends to be average. Through the early season, the skies stay light almost all day, and for summer backpackers, darkness does not become a concern until mid-August. The weather from day to day and week to week tends to be fairly unpredictable, as the mountains tend to create their own weather.

Current Park Weather

For backpacking in the backcountry you can use this backpacking checklist: hiking boots (waterproofed) and wool socks, Neoprene socks and gaiters for river crossings, rain parka and pants (ponchos not recommended), and polypropylene, nylon, or wool clothing (avoid cotton). Be prepared for temperatures ranging from 30 ºto 80 ºF (-1 ºto 27 º C) in the summer months. Stove, fuel, cookware, water bottles, water filter (preferably equipped with silt stopper device), compass and map (maps available at Visitor Access Center), toilet paper and trowel, tent with rain fly and waterproof floor (bivouacking is not recommended), sleeping bag and pad (for any overnight summer trip, protection to 20 º F (-7 º C) is suggested), insect repellent and/or head net, emergency gear, such as first aid kit, knife, and a signaling device such as a whistle, signal mirror, or flare, and large plastic or waterproof bags to protect the gear inside your pack, are also recommended.
To keep the Denali backcountry in pristine condition for others, please take care in how you hike. Hike on durable surfaces whenever possible, such as gravel river bars. Avoid hiking single file; spread out and disperse to prevent the formation of social trails. Use the Leave-No-Trace principles.

Cyclists need to keep in mind some special considerations — there are no repair stations along the way so please plan to fix your own flats and other common problems. Also, make sure you carry water or have a filter or potable aqua tablets to make water from streams and rivers safe to drink. Obey all area closures and treat wildlife the same as if you were on foot. Remember that off-road biking is not allowed in the park. It’s best to plan for many types of weather at any time in the park. Sun, rain, hail, wind and even snow are all possible in the summer.

There are no bridges across rivers in the backcountry. You must negotiate your own river crossing and pack gear accordingly to keep dry in the event of an accidental swim. Water temperature is approximately 36 ºF (2 ºC), and a cold immersion may result in high risk of hypothermia. Try to cross where the river is braided and dispersed, rather than concentrated into a single deep, narrow channel. Due to the high silt content of the water, it is often difficult to ascertain the true depth of the water. River depths can also vary widely during a trip depending on rainfall and temperatures. Glacial rivers generally run lower in early morning hours, so plan accordingly.

Glaciers present numerous hazards and any form of glacier travel should be treated with respect and preparation. If planning a traverse over the upper ice and snow portions of a glacier, carry appropriate equipment, such as ice axe and crampons. Practice roped travel and know how to affect a crevasse rescue. If crossing the lower glacial moraine, be alert and use caution. While equipment is not required for this mode of travel, glacial moraine still presents many potential hazards, such as debris slides, ice caves, and uneven terrain. If your trip includes mountaineering, please plan accordingly and bring appropriate equipment, such as crampons, ice axe, prussiks, etc. Inform the ranger at the Backcountry Desk of your plan and complete a mountaineering permit application. Permits to climb these mountains cost $200 and applications must be received at least 60 days in advance of your expedition date. The special use fee offsets costs to the South District related to mountaineering, such as maintaining the high-altitude ranger station, staff, and mountaineering booklets. This fee is paid in two installments. A non-refundable & non-transferable deposit of $25 U.S. currency is due when you submit your completed registration form. The remaining balance of $175 U.S. currency plus park entrance fee will be due when you check in at the Talkeetna Ranger Station. In addition to the special use fee, a 60-day pre-registration regulation allows mountaineering rangers to have direct contact with climbers before they arrive in Talkeetna. In doing so, rangers are able to suggest appropriate routes for different levels of expertise and offer first-hand knowledge of conditions encountered in the Alaska Range. The National Park Service strictly enforces these regulations. Mountaineers that have climbed Mt. McKinley or Mt. Foraker since 1995 can request a “seven-day rule” exemption to the 60-day pre-registration period and instead register only 7 days in advance of the climb. Individuals seeking registration under the “seven-day rule” must be on record at the Talkeetna Ranger Station as climbing in or after 1995. This rule is applied on an individual basis — in order for the entire expedition to be eligible for the seven-day exemption, all members must qualify.

Denali National Park & Preserve Mountaineering Booklet, available in eight languages, covers mandatory requirements, search and rescue information, clean climbing requirements, high altitude medical problems, glacier hazards, and self-sufficiency. You should have a solid understanding of potentially serious medical problems and awareness of the extreme mental and physical stresses associated with high altitude mountaineering. To obtain a printed version of the Mountaineering Booklet in English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Japanese, Korean or Italian, please call: Talkeetna Ranger Station (907)733-2231 or email to DENA_Talkeetna_Office@nps.gov.

The Talkeetna Ranger Station is staffed daily from April through September and Monday through Friday during the winter months. Mountaineering rangers live in Talkeetna year-round. The town of Talkeetna is located 114 road miles north of Anchorage on a highway that is well maintained year-round. Talkeetna has five inns, several bed and breakfasts and six restaurants. There are two campgrounds and two small stores. There is an ATM machine available for cash transactions.

Thirty nine species of mammals have been documented in Denali National Park and Preserve. Mammals here range in size from the 1200 pound moose to the 1.5 gram tiny shrew. A goal for many visitors to the park is to see the “big five”. On a ride along the park road visitors can see a moose browsing in a stand of willow, caribou resting on a snow patch to avoid insects, Dall’s sheep high on the hillsides, a wolf trotting across the tundra, or a grizzly bear feeding on ripening blueberries. Many other mammals in Denali are less obvious but no less interesting and important. Camouflage is an adaptation used by two of Denali’s mammals. To blend in with the summer vegetation, the fur of snowshoe hare and short tailed weasel (ermine) is brown. Their fur changes to white to blend with the winter snow.

Animal life and activity in Denali is dictated by the seasons. Winter is the longest season and the 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. Summer also brings hordes of insects, including mosquitoes. 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. Year-round residents include all the mammals, fish, about 18 species of birds, and the one lone amphibian, the wood frog. Mammals survive the long subarctic winters in many ways. Some species like grizzly bears, black bears, hoary marmots, and arctic ground squirrels hibernate. Other species like mice and voles live under the snow in tunnels and burrows. Caribou, Dall’s sheep, and moose are active throughout the winter and are constantly on the move searching for food and evading predators. Wolves are also active year-round, and like their prey, are constantly moving in search of food. Full time resident birds such as gyrfalcons, ptarmigan, black-capped and boreal chickadees, and redpolls are efficient at finding food and conserving energy, so there are always bird watching opportunities.

Arctic ground squirrels are the largest and most northern of the North American ground squirrels. This species is common in the ice-free mountainous regions of Denali. Arctic ground squirrels are obligate hibernators and spend 7 to 8 months in hibernation. Like many other arctic animals, arctic ground squirrels have unique physiological adaptations that allow them to survive during winter. Researchers at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks have shown that during hibernation, arctic ground squirrels adopt the lowest body temperature ever measured in a mammal. The body temperature of hibernating squirrels drops below freezing, a condition referred to as supercooling. At intervals of two to three weeks, still in a state of sleep, hibernating squirrels shiver and shake for 12 to 15 hours to create heat that warms them back to a normal body temperature of about 98 degrees Fahrenheit. When the shivering and shaking stops, body temperature drops back to the minimal temperature. This type of hibernation is rare among mammals and scientists are still studying this unique physiological behavior.

The black bear in Denali is typically confined to forested areas and is most often reported seen on the east end of the park, Kantishna Hills, and in the portions of the park on the south side of the Alaska Range. Their choice of habitat is usually one that keeps them away from contact with brown bears, a much larger competitor species. Most often black in color, black bears lack the shoulder hump prominent in grizzly bears. The tan muzzle is distinctive. They have strong curved claws that allow them to climb trees with agility, a talent grizzly bears lack. Unlike other tree-climbing mammals that descend head-first, a black bear walks down a tree with its rear legs in the lead.

The grizzly bear is characterized by a distinctive hump on the shoulders, a slightly dished profile to the face, and long claws on the front paws. Grizzly bears usually live as lone individuals, except for females accompanied by their cubs. Grizzly bears can be seen in close proximity in areas of abundant food, such as berry patches and salmon spawning areas. During the breeding season, a male may attend a female for up to two weeks for mating. Grizzly bears are omnivorous, eating a mixed diet of grasses, berries, roots, fish and small mammals. They are also predators of caribou and moose and their calves. They will scavenge carrion when available. The roots of pea vine (Hedysarum alpinum) are important spring and late fall food. Green vegetation is preferred through the summer. Berries, especially blueberries (Vaccinium uliginosum) and soapberries (Shepherdia canadensis) form the bulk of the diet starting in late July when grizzly bears go into a feeding frenzy called hyperphagia. During this time they eat nearly nonstop.

The range of the Denali Caribou Herd is almost exclusively within the boundaries of Denali National Park and Preserve. The Denali Herd inhabits most of the park east of the Foraker River and north of the Alaska Range throughout most of the year. During the summer the body of the caribou is generally covered by brown fur. Coloration is variable, ranging from pure white through tan to dark brownish gray, with lighter rump and undersides. In the winter the coat turns grayish to almost white in color and gets thicker and longer than the summer coat. The coat is made of two layers: a guard coat made of straight, tubular hairs and a wooly undercoat. Mature caribou stand approximately four feet tall at the shoulder, eight feet in length and weigh from 130 to over 350 pounds. Caribou hoofs are very large and form a nearly circular print – acting like snowshoes to keep the animal from sinking in the snow. Both males (bulls) and females (cows) grow antlers standing as high as three feet or more.

Collared Pikas are small mammals within the same order as rabbits and hares. They resemble small rabbits with very short ears and small limbs. Early naturalists called these little animals rock rabbits or conies. Cony is a generic term used to describe many small rock-dwelling mammals including pika and hyrax. Pikas are active year-round and live mainly in talus slopes and boulder fields. Their sharp “enk” call is a characteristic sound along the many talus and boulder fields in Denali. Pikas are highly territorial. While many pikas may inhabit a talus slope, individuals actively guard their territories and food caches. Pikas do not hibernate and they do not store much body fat. To maintain their year-round active lifestyle, pikas establish several food caches in their territories. Pikas forage throughout the short subarctic summer and store many different types of vegetation in their caches. Pikas will also forage on lichens and other low-lying vegetation under the snow during winter.

Snowshoe hare live in the boreal forests of North America and are active year-round. They gain their curious name from their very large hind feet that are lined with stiff hairs that form a snowshoe, supporting their weight on the surface of the snow. They blend in well with their surroundings because of their seasonal variation in fur color, from brown in summer to almost pure white in winter. The gradual shedding of the coat and replacement of the guard hairs occurs two times per year and is triggered by changes in day-length. In Denali, they inhabit the spruce forests as well as shrubby habitats in riparian areas. In many areas of the boreal forest, snowshoe hares are the dominant herbivore.

The diet of snowshoe hares is diverse. In summer they eat herbaceous plants and the new growth of woody vegetation. In winter, they eat twigs, buds, and bark. Snowshoe hares browse heavily on vegetation and often leave behind well-defined browse-lines (often referred to as “hare lines”). Hares will also re-ingest their feces to extract all of the available nutrients from their food.

Hares are well adapted for escaping their predators. They have keen hearing and upon detecting a predator they often freeze in their tracks. This, in addition to their camouflage coloration, tends to be an effective means of avoiding predators.

Dall’s sheep are prevalent throughout the high mountains within the eastern and western-most portions of the park. They use the ridges and steep slopes for feeding and resting, and the rocks and crags to elude predators. The population within the original park boundary is of great interest to wildlife managers because it is one of the few populations in North America that is not currently hunted and still shares its range with a natural complement of large predators. The diets of Dall’s sheep vary from range to range. During summer, food is abundant, and a wider variety of plants are consumed. Winter diet is much more limited and consists primarily of lichen and moss. Dall sheep visit mineral licks during the spring often traveling many miles to eat the soil at these sites.

Male Dall’s sheep are called rams and are distinguished from females, called ewes, by their massive curling horns. Adult rams live in bands that seldom associate with ewe groups except during the mating season, or rut, in late November and early December. The head butting that rams are known for is the way males establish their reproductive rank. These clashes occur intermittently throughout the year but are most dramatic during the rut when rams compete with each other to mate with ewes. As rams mature, their horns form a circle when seen from the side. Ram horns reach half a circle in about two or three years, three-quarters of a circle in four to five years, and a full circle or “curl” in seven to eight years.

Hoary marmots are large rodents that live mainly in alpine areas. Their loud, clear warning calls are a common sound in the mountainous regions of Denali. Marmots are burrowing animals and their lifestyles revolve around their burrows. Marmots live in loosely formed colonies made up of small family units (a pair of adults and their offspring). Colonies usually occur as “neighborhoods” of two or more family-based colonies. Marmots live in areas that provide good subsurface protection, escape from predators, food supplies, and relief from annoying insects. These areas often occur at high elevations near cliffs and rocky outcrops, and at the base of talus slopes. Hoary marmots are obligate hibernators. In Denali, they are usually active from May through mid-September, and they hibernate the rest of the year. Members of a family usually overwinter in the same burrow or hibernaculum.

Moose inhabiting Denali National Park and Preserve face many natural and human related factors that potentially affect behavior, distribution and population. These factors include weather, predation by wolves and bears, and human development. Moose in the park tend to live in forested areas that are often close to lakes and marshes and other bodies of water. Moose are also excellent swimmers. In the winter they remain in their territory, often in willow marshes, and form “yards”- they create paths in the deep snow as they paw for food. During the summer they graze on grasses, forbs, underwater vegetation, bushes, coniferous needles and deciduous leaves. Moose are very large, fast animals and are aggressive when disturbed.

Adult males are called bulls, adult females are cows and the young are called calves. Moose are not typically found in large herds, they are mainly found as single animals or in small groups. Moose are the largest member of the deer family. Adult males can weigh 900-1400 pounds and females can weigh 700-1100 pounds. They have extremely long legs and stand 5-6 ½ feet at the shoulder. They use their long legs to wade into bodies of water and eat plants off the bottom. Their legs also enable them to paw through deep snow to reach food in winter. Their body is covered with black or very dark brown hair. They have a very large head with a dewlap of skin, called a “bell,” hanging down from the jaw.

Moose breed in late September and early October. Bulls have large antlers that curve upward and back. The antlers are palmate; having a flattened area like the palm of your hand, with the fingers or tines pointing up. The bulls use these antlers to spar during the breeding season or rut. During the rut bulls and can be extremely aggressive and dangerous. The antlers are grown each spring and shed in early winter, after breeding season. The breeding season is one of the few times moose form small groups.

The red fox is abundant, widely distributed over the park, and frequently seen. Color phases other than red occur, sometimes even in the same litters. While the most common color is red, red fox can be black, silver or a cross between red and silver, known as “cross fox”. A prominent white-tipped tail is a distinguishing feature for all color phases. Underground dens are used for the rearing of pups. Dens may be found in the open, in forest, on slopes, or on flat terrain. Most are dug into the soil and may have several entrances. Red fox pups are born in the early part of May. They spend most of the summer in or near the den where they are provided food by the parents.

Small mammals including voles, mice, lemmings, arctic ground squirrels, and hares make up the bulk of the diet for most of the year. Red fox eat berries, especially blueberries and crowberries when they become available in July and sometimes through the winter if other foods are not readily available. Red foxes hunt by smell, sight, and sound. They have excellent eyesight, a keen sense of smell and acute hearing. Sometimes they wait patiently for the sound of a mouse moving along its path in grass or snow and then pounce; at other times, hearing movement underground, they dig quickly and locate the prey by its scent.

In Alaska, wolf populations (5,900 to 7,200 animals) are not considered endangered or threatened. There are approximately 14 packs of wolves in Denali with approximately 92 animals. Wolf groups, or packs, usually include dominant male and female parent (alpha pair), their offspring and other non-breeding adults. Wolves begin mating when they are 2 to 3 years old, sometimes establishing lifelong mates. Wolves usually rear their pups in dens for the first six weeks. Dens are often used year after year, but wolves may also dig new dens or use some other type of shelter, such as a cave. Pups are born in early spring and are cared for by the entire pack. They depend on their mother’s milk for the first month, and then they are gradually weaned and fed regurgitated meat by other pack members. By 7 to 8 months of age, when they are almost fully grown, the pups begin traveling with the adults. Often, after 1 or 2 years of age, a young wolf leaves the pack and tries to find a mate and form its own pack. Lone dispersing wolves have traveled as far as 500 miles in search of a new home.

Wolf packs usually live within a specific territory. Territories range in size depending on how much prey is available and seasonal prey movement. Packs use a traditional area and defend it from other wolves. Their ability to travel over large areas to seek out vulnerable prey makes wolves good hunters. Wolves may travel as far as 30 miles in a day. Although they usually trot along at 5 mph, wolves can attain speeds as high as 45 miles per hour for short distances. Indirectly, wolves support a wide variety of other animal populations. Ravens, foxes, wolverines, and even bears feed on the remains of animals killed by wolves. Wolves also help regulate the balance between ungulates (hoofed animals) and their food supply.

Denali’s lone amphibian, the wood frog, occurs across the forests and wetlands of interior Alaska. It is a rather small frog (1 to 7 centimeters long, nose to vent) and it breeds in seasonal ponds primarily in forested areas. The surprisingly loud calls of wood frogs are a sign of spring in interior Alaska. Subarctic areas are harsh environments for amphibians and very few species occur in these regions. Frogs are known as ectotherms, meaning that their body temperatures fluctuate with ambient air temperatures and their surroundings. Scientists speculate that wood frogs were able to adapt to the harsh environment in interior Alaska because they quickly change from tadpole to frog before the water freezes in the fall. But how do they survive during the long, cold subarctic winter?

Wood frogs are just one of many creatures that use “cryoprotectant” chemicals to survive freezing temperatures. As summer turns to fall across North America, wood frogs prepare for winter by burrowing into decaying leaves on forest floors. The eyeballs and extremities of wood frogs start to freeze as daily temperatures drop below 32 degrees Farenheight (0 degrees Celsius). The first sign of freezing apparently stimulates the brain to send a message to the wood frog’s liver, which starts to convert stored glycogen into glucose, a sugar. The glucose circulates through the frog’s bloodstream into the cells where it lowers the freezing point of water. The glucose also protects cells from damage and minimizes the effects of dehydration. As the temperature continues to drop, the frogs freeze solid. Throughout the entire winter, hibernating frogs are inanimate: they don’t breath and their hearts don’t beat. Alaskan wood frogs tolerate colder temperatures and freeze for longer periods of time than wood frogs in all other areas of North America, and can survive temperatures as low as –120 C.

Scientists have found that core organs, such as the heart and liver, freeze last and thaw first. That means vital body functions such as circulation and metabolism are maintained for the longest possible time. Once the temperatures rise in spring, the frogs thaw and they are off in search of ponds for breeding.

Denali’s avifauna includes migratory birds from all over the world and a hardy group of residents. The abundance of birds in Denali ebbs and flows across the seasons, increasing significantly as migrants return to Denali in the spring and decreasing when they depart on their autumn migration. Summer birding in Denali rewards visitors with the opportunity to view these migratory species in a spectacular northern environment. Birding in winter is slim by the numbers, but high in rewards as observations of pine grosbeaks, mixed flocks of ptarmigan, and perhaps a gyrfalcon or northern goshawk awaits the hardy winter birder. Of the 167 species of birds recorded in Denali, 149 occur regularly and 119 are recorded as breeders (nesting in the park and preserve). Many of the birds that breed in Denali travel thousands of kilometers each year to return to their nesting areas. These are the true “globe trotters” of the bird world and they connect Denali to global ecosystems.

Many of the 21 species of shorebirds that breed in Denali are long-distance migrants. Shorebirds nesting at higher elevations include the American golden plover, upland sandpiper, surfbird, and Baird’s sandpiper. Shorebirds nesting at lower elevations include the semipalmated plover, greater and lesser yellowlegs, solitary sandpiper, wandering tattler, spotted sandpiper, whimbrel, least sandpiper, long-billed dowitcher, common snipe, and red-necked phalarope. Birds with intriguing names, like the wandering tattler, attract bird watchers by the score. The American golden plover has exquisite plumage, an evocative voice, and a globe-spanning reach (they winter in South America). Surfbirds, which spend most of their lives along coastal areas in the “surf”, nest in the mountainous regions of Denali. George Wright made the first scientific observation of a surfbird nest on a rocky ridge in Denali on May 26, 1926.

Two elegant species, the long-tailed jaeger and the arctic tern grace the summer skies of Denali. The beautiful long-tailed jaeger nests on the tundra and these lithe aerial hunters patrol the northern landscape in search of prey. Their wintering areas are not well-documented, but they probably spent most of the winter at sea. Equally as agile and elegant as jaegers, arctic terns nest near the numerous lakes and ponds in Denali where they seem to hover effortlessly over the water in search of prey. The arctic tern is probably the most famous long distance avian migrant in the world, traveling between breeding grounds in the arctic and wintering habitat on the waters near Antarctica.

Several species of passerines are true globe trotters and these species attract much interest from bird watchers and scientists alike. Northern wheatears are summer visitors that nest in the tundra in Denali and spend their winters in sub-Saharan Africa. Arctic warblers commonly nest in willow thickets and their harsh calls are difficult to ignore. This Old World warbler winters in southeastern Asia (China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Borneo) but returns to Denali and arctic regions to breed. (Adolph Murie, one of the first scientists to work in Denali, documented the first two nests of this species for North America among the tall willows of Igloo Creek in 1955.) Blackpoll warblers breed across the boreal regions of North America. This tiny bird is a celebrity in the migration world. Their annual journeys between North America and South America are among the longest of passerine birds.

Redpolls are small songbirds that reside year-round in Denali. Studies suggest that common redpolls can tolerate colder temperatures than any other small songbird. Redpolls depend on several unique adaptations to survive in northern environments. Their plumage weight in winter is twice that of summer and they often erect their feathers in winter to retain heat. Redpolls eat large amounts of high-calorie foods before nightfall, store the foods in a pouch in their esophagus, and digest the foods after they have gone to roost. Like other resident songbirds, redpolls seek out sheltered places for roosting. During winter, redpolls occur in large flocks, although their numbers fluctuate greatly among years. A unique life history characteristic of redpolls is their apparent lack of territoriality. They are one of the few songbirds that are not territorial during the breeding season. In winter, large flocks search northern forests for food. These flocks are principally nomadic and may move thousands of kilometers in search of food.

While Alaska supports a population of bald eagles greater than that in all of the other states combined, the mountainous regions of Denali, especially north of the Alaska Range, are much better suited to golden eagles. Bald eagles occur in Denali mainly on the south side of the Alaska Range near lakes and rivers, but golden eagles outnumber bald eagles park-wide by 70%.

The golden eagles that breed and raise their young in Denali are migratory. Their annual journeys span eastern Alaska, western Canada, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Plains and northern Mexico. Golden eagles spend mid-March to late September in Denali where territorial pairs reunite, breed, and raise their young. While traditional nesting areas are used for many years, Denali’s scientists do not know whether or not the same pairs remain together over their lifetime and use the same nesting area each season.

Golden eagles in Denali usually build their nests on cliffs or rock outcroppings, although a few nests are in trees. Reproduction is influenced by the abundance of prey during the early spring breeding season. Many more pairs of eagles lay eggs and raise young in years when springtime populations of snowshoe hare and willow ptarmigan are abundant than when these important prey species are scarce. Denali is home to the longest running golden eagle ecology study at high latitudes in North America. Results from this long-term monitoring program are shedding new light on the natural history of these magnificent predatory birds.

Elusive, powerful, and well-adapted for life in northern latitudes, gyrfalcons are the largest falcon in the world. However, we understand little about their ecology due to the remoteness of their northern breeding areas. Gyrfalcons are one of the few diurnal raptors that are year-round residents in Denali. From late February through October, gyrfalcons share the Denali skies with a large breeding population of golden eagles.

Gyrfalcons are true arctic birds. They breed across the circumpolar north and leave only when food is scarce. They are extremely powerful fliers and can chase down prey such as ptarmigan with apparent ease. During the breeding season, gyrfalcons prey heavily on arctic ground squirrels and ptarmigan, and occasionally on snowshoe hare. During winter they rely heavily on ptarmigan.

Gyrfalcons don’t build their own nests. Instead, they often use the stick nests of other raptors to raise their young. In Denali, gyrfalcons often use stick nests in golden eagle territories for their own use. The presence of two large, territorial aerial predators in close proximity to one another often leads to spectacular aerial dogfights. Gyrfalcons lay eggs in March, when daily temperatures rarely rise above freezing. Like other early nesting raptors, gyrfalcons must endure late winter and early spring snowstorms during incubation. The nestlings, usually one to four individuals, grow rapidly and fledge by mid to late July.

Northern hawk owls are a rare sight in the wild. They are often spotted perched at the top of spruce trees. Birders with good ears can also find them by listening for their vocalizations. In Denali and adjacent areas, birders are most likely to find northern hawk owls in late winter or early spring as they move in search of nest sites, mates, and prey. The northern hawk owl occupies a circumpolar range and breeds in Alaska, northern Canada, Scandinavia, and across northern Russia. Three subspecies exist worldwide but only one, Surnia ulula caparoch, resides in North America. These owls live and breed in the northern boreal forests of Alaska, Canada, and Newfoundland.

Largely nomadic, northern hawk owls move across their range in response to prey availability and climatic conditions. When the weather is severe and prey availability is low, northern hawk owls may move southward into more temperate latitudes of Alaska, Canada, and the northern continental United States. These southern movements are referred to as “irruptions” and may span thousands of miles.

There are three subspecies of peregrines in Alaska, the American or continental peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum), the tundra or arctic peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus tundrius), and the Peale’s peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus pealei). Tundra peregrines breed at higher latitudes in Alaska and Peale’s falcons occur in southern Alaska. The American peregrine falcon is found throughout interior Alaska, especially along rivers. Only the American peregrine falcon breeds in Denali, but tundra peregrines probably pass through during migration.

The American peregrine falcon is one of the best known raptors in North America. Many people are aware of the population declines of this species due to problems with egg-shell thinning caused by persistent organic pollutants such as DDT. Populations of this species were driven to the brink of extinction and the peregrine falcon was federally listed as an endangered species in 1973. Reducing DDT in our environment provided peregrine falcons with a chance to recover and the population in Alaska has grown rapidly from 1980 to the present. The American peregrine falcon was removed from the endangered species list in 1999.

American peregrine falcons were never common in Denali. The extensive alpine regions of Denali do not support high densities of prey favored by peregrines and the lowland areas don’t contain many cliffs or rock outcrops for nesting. In 1988, Denali scientists documented the first breeding pair of peregrine falcons in Denali on a granite tor near Chilchukabena Lake. In 1989 these scientists found another pair breeding on a small bluff on the Toklat River and in 2002 they found two more pairs, all on the Toklat River. It appears that peregrines are moving into some of the lowland areas in Denali as their populations grow in interior Alaska.

All three species of North American ptarmigan: willow, rock and white-tailed, live in Denali. Ptarmigan are members of the grouse family and they spend much of their lives on the ground. They are, however, very capable fliers and often use their speed and agility to escape aerial predators such as gyrfalcons and golden eagles and terrestrial predators such as red fox. Ptarmigan blend in well with their surroundings; all species change the color of their plumage in the winter. The tail of the white-tailed ptarmigan is white throughout the year. The tails of the willow and rock ptarmigan remain black throughout the year.

The smallest and least common is the white-tailed ptarmigan. In summer it lives on high mountain ridges. The larger and more abundant rock ptarmigan lives on mountainsides and in mountain valleys. The largest and most abundant species is the willow ptarmigan. Willow ptarmigan occur across many habitats in Denali, but are not usually found at higher elevations. Ptarmigan are year-round residents in Denali. In winter, all three species may flock together and they may travel great distances searching for food. Flocks may be as large as several hundred ptarmigan. The feet of ptarmigan are feathered and these rather stiff feathers provide them with good support for walking on snow.

The cackling, groaning, growling, snoring and screaming vocalizations of ptarmigan are common sounds in Denali each spring. Increases in vocalizations signal that the breeding season is underway. Male ptarmigan are very territorial and they vigorously defend their territories from other males. Once breeding is over, however, male rock and white-tailed ptarmigan leave the rest of the job of raising their young to the females. But male willow ptarmigan actively defend their females and their young. Some male willow ptarmigan breed with more than one female and protect these females and their young as well. Ptarmigan are highly specialized for living in alpine and arctic regions.

Named for their resonant brassy call, trumpeter swans are a common sight across Denali’s skies during the spring and fall and can be found throughout Denali’s wetlands in the summer. Those swans that return annually to breed in Alaska number over 17,500 and belong to the Pacific Coast population. The Pacific Coast population makes up about 75% of the world’s total number of trumpeter swans. Driven to near extinction by humans in the 19th century, focused conservation measures have helped trumpeter swans wage a comeback. Removed from the Federal Endangered Species list in 1968, current surveys estimate the worldwide population at 24,000 swans.

The rich wetlands of the northwestern and southwestern portions of Denali support large numbers of breeding, brood-raising, and pre-migratory staging swans. Breeding habitat includes freshwater marshes, ponds, lakes, and slow-flowing rivers. Swans build their nests on old beaver houses and dams, and on emergent vegetation, either floating or anchored to the bottom of the water body. Many nests are built offshore and are usually surrounded by a 20 to 30 foot (6 to 9 meter) moat.

Do not feed or allow wildlife to obtain human foods. Maintain a minimum 1/4-mile (.7 km) distance from bears. Do not approach or follow wildlife. Maintain a minimum 25 yards distance from all other animals, dens, and nests. If your presence alters an animal’s behavior, you are too close.

In the Front country, prevent all food and garbage problems by keeping housing and hotel areas clean; no food, beverages, coolers, or dirty grills left outside; not even empty cans or coolers; always use bear-proof trash cans and dumpsters; never leave trash beside a full can; and be responsible, report or correct problems. Bears commonly use front country areas so watch for bear sign: tracks, scat, kills and respect posted warnings. Removing signs endangers people and bears. Be careful on roads and trails. Stay alert and make noise while hiking or biking. If you encounter a bear while bicycling, do not try to outrun the bear,
Keep food with you, and keep the bike with you. Hold bike between you and the bear. Back away slowly.

In the Backcountry, watch for bear sign. Recognize prime feeding areas and avoid them if possible, i.e., berry patches. Bears travel along trails and rivers. Watch for natural bottlenecks that could funnel bears into your camp. Avoid surprising bears. Travel in the open when possible. Make noise when visibility is limited. Travel/camp with one or more companions. More eyes can watch for bears. Conversation is a good way to alert bears to your presence. Bears are less likely to approach groups. Never approach a bear. Get out of the way or detour widely if you have that option, especially if a bear is not aware of you. When a bear sees you, let the bear know that you are human. Wave your arms over your head and speak in a firm, even tone. Back away slowly. If a bear approaches, Hold your ground, don’t run, and don’t drop your pack! Back away slowly if the bear stops. Never play dead unless a bear actually makes contact with you, then keep your pack on, pull your knees up toward your chin and stay as quiet as possible. Never cook or eat in or at your tent. Listen carefully to the information given at the back-country desk about setting up your camp. Avoid eating or storing food where visibility is limited. Be prepared to re-pack all food, even cooked food, in your BRFC and lock the lid at a moment’s notice. Above all, listen to the rangers in the park you are visiting as some animals react differently in some parts of the country than others. See the Wildlife Precautions page for further information.

$10.00 for individuals and $20.00 for families – 7 Days

Camping in Denali offers a great way to experience this spectacular park. There are five established campgrounds in the park. You may camp a total of 14 days per year in Denali National Park & Preserve’s established campgrounds. Denali’s campgrounds all have different access, fees, and facilities. Campsites can be reserved in advance in one of four ways: fax your reservation form beginning December 1, through August 31, of each year-1 (907) 264-4684; mail your reservation form beginning December 1 and continuing through August 31 of each year (forms received before December 1, will not be valid)- Doyon / ARAMARK Joint Venture, 241 West Ship Creek Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99501; phone reservations are: Nationwide 1 (800) 622-7275, International 1 (907) 272-7275, Anchorage Local 272-7275; and at the Wilderness Access Center you can reserve campsites depending upon availability.

Riley Creek Campground is close to camper convenience store, laundry, and shower facilities. It’s located 1/4 mile west of Alaska Hwy. #3, at the entrance of the park, and is open year-round. There are 150 sites for RVs & tents with flush toilet and water with limited facilities Sept.-May. Fees run $20.00/night for Drive- up site and $12.00/night for Walk-in site, but are waived in the off season.

Savage River Campground and Group Campground is open 5/18-9/17; weather dependent. It’s located on Mile 13 and has 33 sites for RV’s & tents, with 3 group sites. There is flush toilet and water. The fees are $20.00/night for individuals/families and the group fees are $40.00/night.

Sanctuary River Campground is located on Mile 23 and has 7 sites, tents only (no vehicles). It is open 5/18-9/12; weather dependent and offers chemical toilet, but no water. The cost is $9.00/night plus a one time reservation fee of $4.00.

Teklanika River Campground is located on Mile 29 and has 53 sites for RV only. It is open 5/19-9/16; weather dependent and offers flush toilet and water. The fees are $16.00/night with a 3-night minimum stay plus a one time reservation fee of $4.00.

Wonder Lake Campground id located on Mile 85 and has 28 sites, tents only (no vehicles). It is open 6/8-9/12; weather dependent and has flush toilet and water. The fees are $16.00/night plus a one time reservation fee of $4.00.

Denali’s Trailless Wilderness offers opportunity for backcountry camping. Traveling and camping in this expansive terrain is special. The lack of developed hiking trails, bridges, or campsites means that you are free to determine your own route and discover Denali for yourself. However, with this freedom comes responsibility – responsibility for you and for the wilderness. Self-reliance is paramount. You must be prepared to travel cross-country through remote terrain in harsh weather, and rescue yourself in the event of problems. It is also your responsibility to help protect the special resources and opportunities that are present at Denali by carefully following the principles of Leave No Trace so that your travels do not diminish the experience of those who follow you.

While camping in the backcountry, you may park your private vehicle in the Riley Creek Campground overflow parking area at no charge. This parking area is located approximately 0.25 miles from the Wilderness Access Center.
The 6 million acres of Denali National Park and Preserve is divided into 87 separate backcountry units (see the backcountry unit map for unit descriptions and locations). Forty-one units have a limit on the number of individual people that can camp in each unit per night. During peak summer visitation many of these units are heavily used, so please come to the Backcountry Desk with several alternative trip itineraries. Don’t become discouraged if your first choice is not available. There are 6 million acres to choose from, and all of the units offer excellent wilderness camping trips. Forty-one backcountry units have a specific quota. Unit availability determines where you may camp each night and you must camp in the unit for which you have a permit. There is a maximum 7 consecutive nights in a single unit with maximum 30 nights in the backcountry (various units).
Permits are issued only in person (no telephone reservations), and no more than 1 day in advance of your trip. All party members must be present to receive a permit. Permits are available at the Backcountry Information Center (BIC) located at the Riley Creek Entrance Area.

Once at the park allow approximately one hour for the permit process, which consists of five basic steps: 1. plan your itinerary, 2. watch backcountry video, 3. safety talk, 4. delineate maps, and 5. purchase Camper Bus tickets. Preplan several alternative itineraries prior to your arrival in the park. Building flexibility in your plans is very important because certain units may be unavailable at the time you actually wish to obtain your permit. Remember to be conservative when predicting your daily mileage. There are no trails, and travel can be slow and difficult in brushy areas or when fording glacial rivers. Upon your arrival at the BIC, several additional resources, such as unit description guides, local maps, and knowledgeable staff, will be available to assist you in planning your trip. The informative 30-minute video program is presented at the BIC and will answer many questions you will have about negotiating the Denali backcountry. It covers topics such as campsite selection, bear and wildlife encounters, river crossings, Leave No Trace principles, Bear Resistant Food Containers (BRFCs), and much more. All members of your party must view this program. Following the video, all party members must be present for a brief safety talk to receive the backcountry permit and the Bear Resistant Food Containers (BRFC) that is required for proper food storage. You must sign your permit in recognition that you understand all backcountry rules and regulations. Violations of the conditions of the permit may result in adverse impacts to park resources and legal consequences. Unit boundaries and wildlife closures are not marked in the backcountry. It is your responsibility to know their location. Fifteen minute (1 inch =1 mile) USGS topographic quad maps are strongly recommended and are available for purchase at the BIC. After obtaining the proper map(s), delineate unit boundaries and wildlife closure boundaries so that you will know where to hike and camp during your trip. Confidence in how to read topographic maps and basic compass skills is recommended for all backcountry users.

Access to most park backcountry units requires use of the Visitor Transportation System (VTS). Special Camper Buses that are built to accommodate people and their large gear packs depart the WAC several times a day. To secure space for your party, you should purchase tickets at the WAC soon after obtaining your backcountry permit. This bus system will take you to the start of your hike. When your trip is finished, or if you wish to move to another part of the park during the course of your trip, simply return to the park road and the next available VTS bus will pick you up. If you combine a campground reservation at Wonderlake and a backcountry trip, secure your camper bus ticket when you make reservations for Wonderlake and that ticket will be good for your backcountry trip also. Just let the staff at the BIC know that you already have your camper bus ticket when you arrive to get your backcountry permit.

Plan to spend 30 minutes surveying for the best place to establish your camp. Your tent must be at least 0.5 miles away from the park road and not visible from it. Camp on durable surfaces such as gravel river bars; avoid damaging fragile tundra. In pristine areas like Denali, avoid camping where others have camped.
Do not move rocks or plants; leave the area as you found it so that future hikers do not see signs of your use. Fires are not permitted in the Denali Wilderness. Fuel for portable camp stoves is available for purchase at the Riley Creek Mercantile, located in the immediate vicinity of the Wilderness Access Center. When cooking, remain alert for bears; be ready to pack up and move quickly.

Giardia and Cryptosporidium are protozoa found in unfiltered water and present serious health risks. Take one of the following precautions before drinking water from a natural source: boil for 1 minute, use a water filter, or treat with iodine tablets. If using a water filter, remember that many of Denali’s rivers carry glacial silt. This silt will quickly clog any water filter and render it inoperable. The addition of silt-stopper devices is highly recommended for any water filter. Neither pit nor chemical toilets are available in the backcountry. You must be prepared for proper waste disposal using the following guidelines: dig a hole at least 6 inches (15 centimeters) deep for fecal waste and at least 200 feet (60 meters) away from water, and pack out all toilet paper and sanitation products.

Bear resistant food containers, hard plastic portable containers, are a vital part of Denali’s bear/human conflict management program. You must store all food, garbage, and scented items in a BRFC when camping overnight in units where they are required. Their consistent use has resulted in a bear population that does not associate humans or their property with food sources. A small BRFC weighs 3 lbs. and holds 3-5 days of food for one person, and the larger BRFC weighs 5 lbs. and carries 7-10 days of food. BRFCs are issued free of charge with backcountry permits and must be returned within 48 hours following a trip. If the BRFC is lost or damaged, you may be held responsible for its replacement. Kevlar or bear-resistant bags are not permitted.

Mountain biking is a great way to see Denali National Park and get some exercise at the same time. Visitors are allowed to bike all 90 miles of the road. Off-road biking and biking on trails are strictly prohibited. If you wish to travel the park road and hike from your bicycle, you must still camp at least 1/2-mile (1.3 km) from the road and not be visible from it. Bicycles must be stored at designated bike racks at established campgrounds, the Visitor Access Center, or Toklat Road Camp while you hike. Reservations are required if you wish to stay overnight in campgrounds along the park road. To make reservations, call 1-800-622-7275. Each Camper Bus can accommodate two bicycles. Using the camper bus allows you to travel deep into the park for a day trip. Bicyclists should be as prepared as all hikers in terms of gear and equipment. The high brush and often difficult terrain makes hiking without a backpack impractical, so those who wish to combine biking with backcountry should be prepared to transport a pack while biking. For extended backcountry treks, you may cache food and supplies in bear-proof food lockers located at any established campground area, or the Toklat Road Camp. Label food/supplies with party name and date you intend to retrieve it. Denali National Park cannot be held responsible for caches.

Hiking and camping south of the crest of the Alaska Range requires additional preparation and skill. This area contains ice fields, sheer rock, heavily crevassed glaciers, extremely large rivers, and very dense brush. To obtain permits to camp in these areas, contact the Talkeetna Ranger Station at (907) 733-2231. For information on winter camping in Denali, contact Park Headquarters at 907-683-2294.

Yukon – Charley Rivers National Preserve, Western Arctic National Parklands, Katmai National Park & Preserve, Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, Wrangell- St Elias National Park & Preserve, Sitka National Historical Park, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Nowitna National Wildlife Refuge, Kanuti N.W.R., Koyukuk N.W.R., Yukon Flats N.W.R., Kenai N.W.R., Tetlin N.W.R., and Chugach National Forest are all surrounding the park at varying distances away.

To arrive at the park, you can air travel to either Anchorage or Fairbanks and then car/shuttle/train to Denali. Anchorage is 240 miles to the south and Fairbanks is 125 miles to the north of the park.

Denali is accessible by car or via the Alaska Railroad from either Anchorage or Fairbanks. Denali Park’s headquarters is located along Alaska Route 3, the George Parks Highway, approximately 240 miles north of Anchorage, AK, 125 miles south of Fairbanks, AK, and 12 miles south of Healy, AK. Denali Park’s mountaineering headquarters is located in Talkeetna, AK, approximately 100 miles north of Anchorage, AK. In summer a variety of private bus and van services and the railroad operate daily from Anchorage and Fairbanks.

The Denali Park Road is accessible by private vehicle for 14.8 miles to the Savage River Bridge. To travel to destinations farther into the park, shuttle and tour bus services are available. Bicycles are permitted along the Park Road. The majority of visitors access the north side of the park by way of a single road 90 miles long. Beyond Mile 15 of the park road, visitors cannot drive personal vehicles and must enter the park by bus, bike, or on foot. Denali National Park & Preserve’s south side is accessed mostly by mountaineers climbing Mt. McKinley and other peaks in the Alaska Range, or by scenic flight tours.

Approximate Mileage from the following major cities to Denali National Park:

By Car:

Anchorage, AK – 238.88 miles

Fairbanks, AK – 120.31 miles

Talkeetna, Ak – 153.69 miles

Wasilla, AK – 195.42 miles

Palmer, AK – 208.75 miles

By Train:

Alaska’s State Railroad runs directly to the entrance of Denali National Park.

By Plane:

Air travel to either Anchorage or Fairbanks and then car/shuttle/train to Denali.

Denali National Park, P.O. Box 9, Denali Park, AK 99755-0009
Headquarters 907-683-2294
HQ-Teletype for the Deaf/Hearing Impaired (TTY) 907-683-9649
Talkeetna Ranger Station, Box 588, Talkeetna, AK 99676
By Fax 907-683-9617

Map

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve was established in 1980. It protects approximately 4 million acres of undisturbed public land representing a microcosm of Alaska ecological resources. Less than 5,000 people enjoyed the park in 2004.

The Natives may have inhabited the area for the last 7,000 years. Kijik village and Tanalian Point enrich the areas history. The Lake Clark area first attracted outsiders interested in mining and then homesteaders. Located at the mouth of the Tanalian River, Tanalian Point was Lake Clark’s first Euro American settlement. Settled by prospectors in the late 1890’s, Tanalian Point was the forerunner of Port Alsworth. The site offered ready access to nearby copper prospects and the best wood fuel and timber for cabins. Dena’ina Athapaskans lived at Tanalian Point after prospectors established it as a community. Kijik was the closest Native village, located seven miles north across Lake Clark. Originally from the Old Village at Telaquana, the Trefon Balluta family was living at Kijik in 1900 and at Tanalian Point by 1912. Kijik village was abandoned by 1909. Tanalian Point thus became more important for both Euro Americans and Natives. It developed into a staging area for the Telaquana Trail and mining activities on Kontrashibuna Lake and Portage Creek. Big game hunters arrived by 1921 seeking local guides.

In May 1942, Leon “Babe” Alsworth and his wife Mary moved to the north side of Lake Clark, from Koggiung on the Bristol Bay. With aircraft safety in mind, they relocated their homestead to Hardenberg Bay, about 3/4 of a mile from Tanalian Point, in 1944. Prior to this event, Mary Ann Trefon’s spring fishing camp and a prospector’s cabin associated with the Kasna Creek copper claims were the only structures on the bay. By 1950 time and change had eclipsed Tanalian Point. The old prospectors had passed on. The Trefon Balluta family had moved to the Dena’ina village of Nondalton, twenty-two miles to the southwest. Babe Alsworth began using his 4,000 foot runway. Tanalian Point ceased to exist as a community and Port Alsworth emerged. The first post office was established in Mary Alsworth’s home in 1950.

The park area is a land of volcanoes and earthquakes. The Aleutian Island subduction zone lies about 30 miles beneath the surface of the Kenai Peninsula, but abruptly dives to depths greater than 65 miles beneath the western edge of Cook Inlet, and to a depth greater than 100 miles beneath Redoubt and Iliamna volcanoes at the eastern end of the park. Here, the Pacific Ocean plate is being pushed beneath the North American Plate. The subduction along the Aleutian trench has been going on for the last three million years at a rate of 2.6 inches per year, and earthquakes and volcanoes are prevalent. Thirteen earthquakes of magnitude 5-6 on the Richter scale have occurred in the area since 1972, mostly at depths of 55-110 miles beneath Chinitna Bay and Tuxedni Bay. Strong earthquakes and volcanic eruptions can be expected to continue in the eastern part of the park as the Pacific plate continues to dive beneath the North American plate. Alaska’s volcanic belt is part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” and contains 70 potentially active volcanoes. It extends from Mount Spurr near Lake Clark to Buldir Island in the western Aleutians.

Within the Lake Clark region itself there are four active (and three of the tallest) volcanoes. Mount Spurr, at 11,070 feet, lies just north of the park. Mount Redoubt, at 10,197 feet, and Mount Iliamna, at 10,016 feet, are both located in the park. To the south of the park lies Saint Augustine Island. Mount Spurr erupted on July 9, 1953. That spectacular explosion sent a cloud of ash up 70,000 feet in just 40 minutes. Ash dropped on Anchorage, only 80 miles east, with a total accumulation of 1/8 to 1/4 inch. The most recent eruptions took place on June 17, August 18, and September 16-17, 1992, with ash plumes reaching up to 30,000 feet, darkening the skies, and dusting Anchorage with ash once again. Gases are frequently seen venting near the summit of Mount Iliamna, but there are no documented reports of recent eruptions. Redoubt Volcano, just north of Iliamna, awakened December 14, 1989, dumping varying amounts of ash primarily north and west of the volcano and lightly dusting Anchorage and Kenai. Periodic eruptions continued throughout the week before Christmas, disrupting holiday air traffic. Eruptions continued until April 21, 1990. Until 1989, Redoubt had not erupted since 1966. St. Augustine last erupted in 1986. Its eruption, too, sent ash several miles high and disrupted air traffic in south-central Alaska for several days.

Along with Lake Clark’s volcanoes stand a frenzy of peaks called the Chigmit Mountains. They were formed as a result of massive intrusions of granite coupled with the uplift of existing rock layers. The intruded rocks are moderately to highly deformed volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Today, you see a spectacular maze of jagged peaks and spires, and broad, U-shaped valleys carved out by glacial action. About 12,000 years ago, great ice sheets and glaciers retreated as the world’s climate experienced a warming trend. The awesome and spectacular landscapes we see throughout the park and preserve today are remnants of this period. In the western foothills, glaciers once pushed out onto the interior plains. Retreating at a later time, the glaciers filled their former beds with melt water and created the remarkable jewel-like lakes that rank down the western side of the park and preserve. Like rivers, glaciers move down slope under the influence of gravity and flow along the path of least resistance. Although glaciers in the park are now retreating, their ice movement is still down the mountain. A glacier is said to be retreating if the rate at which it melts is greater than the rate at which it moves down slope.

At Lake Clark, glaciers are the dominant architects at work. Tremendously heavy and sharp glaciers tear, shear, and rip rock material away from the mountain and valley sides, transport the debris, and eventually dump it into piles called terminal moraines. Lateral moraines are piled up on each side of a glacier and are composed of plucked rock material from the valley walls, and rock that avalanche onto the ice surface. When two valley glaciers join, two lateral moraines merge to create a medial moraine in the middle of the combined glacier. At the foot of a glacier, a person can count the number of medial moraines and determine how many glacial valleys feed the main glacier.

Entirely trailless; wilderness adventures abound with the park and preserve’s western parts generally offering the easiest hiking. The drier, brush-less tundra plateaus enable hikers to go where ever they chose. Farther south, there is more timber and brush along the drainages, hence more bushwhacking and tougher going if one leaves the ridges. This area is still good hiking and is less frequented by the public. Access into various portions of Lake Clark National Park can be expensive because of the air taxi costs. The area south and east of Lake Clark itself is accessible from the community of Port Alsworth for the price of a seat fare (approximately $300 round trip from Anchorage). It offers 4,000 foot summits with great views, open tundra, and high alpine cirques. Hikers could spend several days traveling through these mountains. To the south is the Tazimina Lakes region, an excellent area to fish for rainbow trout.

Using a canoe or kayak to travel through Lake Clark National Park and Preserve is a peaceful and rewarding experience. There are numerous lakes to explore in this way. Contact the air taxi you plan to travel with to discuss with them the kind of boat you may want to bring and if they can fly it there. Rafting rivers in the Lake Clark area is also a great way to experience wilderness. There are numerous float trip possibilities. Three National Wild Rivers flow through here. Mulchatna National Wild River begins in Turquoise Lake at the base of Telaquana Mountain and flows through the rolling Bonanza Hills in a challenging, shallow, rocky channel, more suitable for small rafts and kayaks than canoes. Expect a stretch of fast WW II-III above Bonanza Creek; a portage is possible. West of the Bonanza Hills the valley broadens; here the river trip is a gentle float through forests of spruce, birch and aspen. Farther downstream after picking up the waters of the Chilikadrotna River, the floodplain widens to wetlands and joins the lowlands of the Nushagak River. The best time of year to go is June – September with trip lengths of 100 to 230 miles. Chilikadrotna National Wild River flows down the west side of the Alaska Range out of Twin Lakes, through gentle upland forests of spruce, birch, and aspen. The Chilikadrotna is a swift, twisting, narrow river, most suitable for rafts or kayaks; canoeist attempting it should be very experienced. There are limited whitewater opportunities: sweepers and strainers are the biggest hazard. Good fishing and a fast pace are pluses for this river. Trip lengths are 70 to 200 miles when combined with Mulchatna on its lower end. Tlikakila National Wild River is located about 110 air miles west of Anchorage and is found entirely within park boundaries. Flowing through Lake Clark Pass, this small but fast glacier-fed river follows the deep narrow valley of a major earth fault, surrounded by rugged snow-capped peaks, glaciers, waterfalls, and sheer rock cliffs. From its headwaters at Summit Lake, the river drops through a densely forested valley with thick underbrush. Just below the confluence with the North Fork, a short section of WW III-IV rapids can be portaged on the left bank. At high water, other WW III-IV rapids appear in the next 3 miles after this confluence. Small plane traffic will be present daily along the Tlikakila (Lake Clark Pass is the airway/route of getting to Anchorage from SW Alaska). Anticipate moderate to heavy traffic especially during weekends and the fall. The best time of year for this river is July – September and the average trip length is 70 miles.

The wide variety of habitats found in the park allow for an abundance of bird species that in turn allow ample bird watching opportunities. Over 125 species of birds are found in the Lake Clark region, and bird lists are available at the visitor center. The once endangered Peregrine falcon nests along the Tuxedni Bay coastline. The foothill/lakes region to the west of the Chigmit Range, and the Chulitna Flats adjacent to Lake Clark are important feeding and nesting grounds which host a varied array of migratory and native birds. Red-throated Loon, Arctic Loon, Horned Grebe, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Tundra Swan, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, American Wigeon, and Greater Scaup are just a few to be named. There are many, many more.

There is abundant wildlife to be seen in the park. Black bears are present throughout the park and preserve except at higher elevations. Brown (grizzly) bears are common in all habitats, but Chinitna Bay, along the coast, supports the most sizable concentration. Caribou remain primarily in the hills around Turquoise, Twin and Snipe lakes and westward to the Bonanza hills. The population of the herd is estimated to be over 200,000 animals, and is increasing in size. Moose, the largest members of the Deer family, are found below timberline throughout the park. Dall Sheep are the northernmost species of wild sheep in North America. These white sheep number about 600 animals and range at higher elevations all along the western flank of the Chigmit Mountains. Coyotes are found in grassy as well as brushy or boulder-strewn areas of the park. Wolves are mainly in the park’s mountainous areas, generally below 5,000 feet in coniferous forests, and in open tundra. Both red fox and lynx are found throughout the park at almost any elevation, primarily in coniferous-hardwood forests and open tundra. Other fur-bearers found in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve includes marten, river otter, wolverine, weasels, mink, hares and beaver. Chinitna Bay and Tuxedni Bay support a variety of marine mammals. Some of these mammals include sea lions, beluga whales, harbor seals and porpoises. Other whales may also be seen occasionally in the area. Most of the coast freezes in the winter, and therefore does not support a year-round marine mammal population.

One of the primary reasons Lake Clark National Park and Preserve was established was to protect a portion of the Bristol Bay watershed for the perpetuation of the sockeye salmon fishery. The watershed, the world’s most productive spawning and rearing habitat for sockeye salmon, contributes about 50% of sockeye salmon caught in Bristol Bay. This represents 33% of the entire U.S. catch, and 16% of the total world catch. Spectacular lakes and wild rivers fill the valleys, flowing southwestward to Bristol Bay. Fish include five species of salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, lake trout, northern pike, and arctic grayling. Crystal clear and glacial fed mountain lakes nestled among the jagged spires of the Alaska Range contain a combination of arctic grayling, Dolly Varden, several species of salmon, lake trout, and northern pike. The northern area of the park includes such major resources as Two Lakes, Twin Lakes, Telaquana, and Turquoise Lake. Lake Clark itself is fished for grayling, lake trout, Dolly Varden, northern pike, and red salmon. Other lakes that provide opportunities for recreational fishing include Kontrashibuna, Crescent, Portage, Lachbuna, Kijik, Fishtrap, and Tazimina Lakes, in addition to many smaller lakes. Two of the three wild and scenic rivers, the Mulchatna and the Chilikadrotna, provide exceptional floating experiences and the opportunity for fishing red and king salmon, grayling, Dolly Varden, and rainbow trout. The Tlikakila River, although an excellent float trip, is too glacial to support a sizeable population of game fish. The lower Chulitna River, with its non-glacial waters flowing through tundra and marshes in the southern preserve, has northern pike. Other rivers which will provide good fishing opportunities in and around the park include the Tanalian, Kijik, Tazimina, Necons, Stony, and Telaquana Rivers and Currant Creek. Several streams flow southeast into Cook Inlet, providing habitat for spawning red and silver salmon. These include the Crescent and Johnson Rivers in addition to Shelter and Silver Salmon Creeks. Adjacent saltwater provides good opportunity to fish for halibut.

An air quality monitoring station operated by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service is located at Silver Salmon cove. The station measures fine particles.

There are 30 species of non-native vascular plants within Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Most of the plants are not considered to be highly invasive and problematic. There is an effort to eradicate the common dandelion from Upper Twin Lakes. There are no known species of non-native animals that are free roaming within the unit.

During late May and early June you may find that some of the upper elevation lakes are still frozen. June and early July are usually the best months for hiking. During these months be prepared for cool temperatures, averaging between 50° and 65° F with considerable precipitation. It’s especially cool in the evenings and in mountainous terrain. August and September are typically wet, cool and windy. Frost and snow can occur in September and October, and in mid-summer evening frost should be expected. Strong winds can occur at any time. Winter temperatures can sink to -40º F. North of the Artic Circle the sun does not set from mid-May until mid-August.

Spending time in this pristine country requires preparation. Wilderness adventure demands self-sufficiency and advanced backcountry skills. Leave your itinerary with the field headquarters at Port Alsworth before departing into the backcountry and also to a friend or family member. Be sure to notify your friend or family when you return. Weather can change quickly and remain bad for several days. Be prepared for the possibility of inclement weather delaying scheduled pick-up, again by perhaps several days. Always filter or boil your water. Have adequate layered clothing for the time of year you travel. Other useful equipment on your backpacking checklist should be of good quality and include, topographical maps, compass, GPS, first-aide kit, tent with rainfly, sleeping bag and mat, campstove, matches, good hiking boots, flashlight with extra batteries and bulb (in winter), rain and cool weather gear, multipurpose tool or knife, extra food, and extra cooking fuel, water filter or tablets, insect repellant, gun and/or pepper spray for bears, sunglasses, sunscreen, and signal mirror.

When backpacking and/or hiking, be aware that willows, alders and birch brush found along the water courses and on many of the lower mountain slopes generally mean slower and tougher travel. Some areas are virtually impassable because of the vegetation. Hikers should also be prepared for wet feet from occasional soggy tundra or river fords. Keep in mind that all streams and rivers must be forded, and during high water levels, this may prove to be impossible. Make wise choices when crossing.

Inflatable canoes and kayaks are good choices for gear-limiting small aircraft. The rivers in Lake Clark are more suitable for use with a kayak than a canoe. Wind and weather can work the lake’s surface into a stormy sea, unsuitable for small boats. If limited by time constraints, travel on Lake Clark by power boat is an option for getting around. A calm lake can quickly become rough. Keep an eye on the weather. Small waves in the morning and early afternoon can become large waves and white caps in just an hour or two. Hypothermia always needs to be considered in this country. The frigid water and windy, wet weather are unforgiving. Be prepared, think ahead and be aware of the signs and symptoms of hypothermia. (Chills, sluggishness, disorientation, difficulty thinking and with coordination)

Current Weather

Inquire about recent bear activity in the area. Keep in mind that each bear is an individual, each encounter is unique and you are not fluent in their language. Stay extra alert near food sources such as animal carcasses, berry patches, and spawning fish and be aware of your surroundings. Look for bear-activity signs: tracks, scat, diggings, torn-up logs, and turned-over rocks. It is legal to shoot a bear in defense of life or property in Alaska only if you have made efforts to avoid problems in the first place. Note: In the event a bear is killed for self-protection, you are responsible for ending your planned itinerary and transporting the skull and properly skinned hide to the State of Alaska. Further information on these regulations is available from the Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game. Use common sense.

Moose can also be dangerous. Avoid direct contact, especially those with young. See the Wildlife Precautions page.

There are no fees.

There is not an established campground in the park. It’s up to you to decide where to pitch your tent. Choices can be limited by private property around Lake Clark itself, so be sure of land status before setting up camp. If you are coming into Port Alsworth and want to camp in that area, you can hike three miles to Kontrashibuna Lake via the Tanalian Falls trail. With such freedom to travel and camp where one pleases, it’s important that you camp lightly on the land and leave no trace.

Firewood must be dead or down. Do not remove tundra for tent pads. Do not remove natural objects like antlers/horns, skulls, historical objects, plants or rocks. Hunt only in the Preserve and don’t kill undersize animals or fail to salvage the meat. Use bear resistant containers and pack out all trash. Dispose of all human waste properly.

Katmai National Park & Preserve, Kenai Fjords National Park, Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve, Denali National Park & Preserve, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska Peninsula National Wildlife Refuge, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Chugach National Forest and Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge are all worth checking out for further outdoor adventures.

There is no highway access to the park and preserve. Access to the Lake Clark region is by small aircraft. Float planes may land on the many lakes throughout the area. Wheeled planes land on open beaches, gravel bars, or private airstrips in or near the park. A one to two-hour flight from Anchorage, Kenai or Homer will provide access to most points within the park and preserve. Scheduled commercial flights between Anchorage and Iliamna, 30 miles outside the boundary, provide another means of access.

There are no roads in the park. A two and one half mile trail to Tanalian Falls and Kontrashibuna Lake is accessible from the town of Port Alsworth. The 50 mile Telaquana Trail depicted on maps is an undeveloped historic route from Lake Clark to Telaquana Lake. Accommodations are available in Port Alsworth, but should be reserved well ahead of time. The period of highest visitation is June through September. This area is wilderness and preparation is important for your safety and enjoyment.

Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Administrative Headquarters,
4230 University Drive, Suite 311, Anchorage, AK 99508

Field Headquarters, 1 Park Place, Port Alsworth, AK 99653
Headquarters (907) 271-3751
Visitor Information (907) 781-2218
By Fax (907) 781-2119

Map

The Preserve is open year round. The field office in Eagle is open 7 days a week, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., from mid-May to mid-September. From mid-September to mid-May the Eagle field office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The Fairbanks office is open all year, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Visitor Center at the Eagle Field Office offers exhibits depicting the area, history, and ecology of Yukon-Charley Rivers. Visitors can enjoy a short video presentation on the preserve as well as area specific videos during normal visitor hours. Scheduled nature hikes, talks, and campfire programs are posted at the Visitor Center.

Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve is located on the US-Canadian border and comprises 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares) of Alaskan wilderness. The preserve includes nearly 160 miles of the Yukon River and the entire 1.1 million acres (0.45 hectares) of the Charley River drainage.

In Alaskan and Yukon history, the best known period of mining history is the great Klondike Gold Rush which took place in 1898. By the time the thousands of prospectors landed at Dawson City in the Yukon Territory they found all the valuable ground staked. Consequently, many of them either returned to their homes empty-handed or fanned out into the surrounding country hoping to find new areas where they could make their fortunes. Many continued down the Yukon River to the already established Fortymile mining district and some further on to the Eagle district. Approximately 150 miles further down the river lay the town of Circle, the heart of the Circle district.

Although the strikes in the Klondike are the best known, previous discoveries were made and production began in tributaries along the upper Yukon in the mid-1880s with discoveries along the Fortymile River. Following these, in 1893, two Creoles, named Pitka and Sorresca made additional discoveries in what later became the Circle Mining District. Their initial discoveries were somewhere on Birch Creek. News of the discovery started an influx of prospectors into the area and in the following spring (1894) discovery of the placers on Mastodon Creek. As prospectors continued to probe the drainages surrounding Birch and Mastodon Creeks, gold was also discovered on Independence, Miller, Deadwood, and Boulder Creeks all within what eventually became the Circle mining district.

In 1895, gold was found on Eagle Creek with discoveries made on Harrison and Porcupine Creeks later that winter. By 1896, active mining was taking place on all the principle streams in the Circle District. Although many other streams in the District would be mined as commercial placers, it is an interesting fact to realize that the Birch Creek and Mastodon Creek discoveries occurred well before those of the Canadian Yukon that sparked the great Klondike Gold Rush in 1896.

Mining activity within Yukon-Charley Rivers primarily focused on Coal Creek, Woodchopper Creek, Ben and Sam Creeks, Fourth of July Creek. The Seventymile River, just outside the preserve’s eastern and southern boundaries also saw significant mining activity. A number of individuals are significant in the history of mining within Yukon-Charley National Preserve. Among them are Samuel Downs Harvey, John Holmstrum, Frank Rossbach, Jack and Kate Welch, Frank Slaven, Martin Adamik, and Phil Berail. It is also a common misconception that mining is a male oriented and dominated industry. That was not the case for Yukon-Charley Rivers. The role played by women on the creeks is fascinating. Some actually had a more significant part than did the men. Some of their backgrounds are quite surprising as well.

Gold mining continued to develop throughout the region between Circle and Dawson. Three main areas within the Circle District account for the vast majority of gold produced here. Among these were Mastodon Creek, Deadwood Creek, along with the combined drainages of Woodchopper Creek and Coal Creek (each in addition to the various tributaries and minor streams in their general vicinity). The Coal Creek area includes Ben Creek, Sam Creek and Woodchopper Creek as well as their tributaries.

The earliest claims in the vicinity date to November 1901 when D.T. Noonan staked claim to the Gertrude Bench on Coal Creek. Two weeks later, ten additional claims were staked on both Coal Creek and Woodchopper Creek by men including a Swede by the name of John Holmstrum who first came to Alaska in 1898. Over the next 50 years, 565 claims would be staked or re-staked between the two creeks.

For thirty five years, following the first claims, the placers on Coal Creek and Woodchopper were mined by hand, using simple techniques shafts and drifts outlined above. In 1934 however, things changed dramatically when General Alexander Duncan McRae and Dr. Ernest Patty organized Gold Placers Incorporated and began developing the properties on Coal Creek for a dredging operation. In 1935, the Coal Creek Dredge was assembled, going into production in July. Also in 1935, upon Patty’s recommendation, the operation expanded into Woodchopper Creek with the organization of Alluvial Golds Incorporated, also owned by McRae and managed by Patty. The Woodchopper Dredge went into operation in 1936. Over the next 25 years, the two dredges recovered $6,335,190.93 in gold and silver from the two creeks. Gold Placers Inc. shut down their operations on Coal Creek in 1957 focusing their attention on Woodchopper Creek until 1960 when that dredge shut down effectively ending the dredging era in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. The shut down of the Woodchopper dredge brought a close to the significant mining era in Yukon-Charley.

Several individuals from the Fairbanks area acquired the claims on Coal Creek and Woodchopper Creek in the mid-1960s. These included Dan Coben and Dr. Ernest Wolff who purchased the Coal Creek claims subsequently selling them to William Lomerson of Texas. Under Lomerson’s management, the Coal Creek Dredge was operated to a very limited degree and shut down for the last time in 1977. Lomerson in turn sold the claims to the National Parks Conservation Association in the early 1980s. The NPCA then donated the land to the National Park Service.

In the early 1970s, Joe Vogler, an active personality on the Alaska political scene, bought the Woodchopper claims from Alluvial Golds. Following his murder in 1993, the claims are now controlled by the Vogler Estate.

Today, the villages of Eagle and Circle lie just outside the preserve boundaries on either end of the Yukon. Both communities figured prominently in early Alaska history as focuses of major gold mining activities. In fact, the Circle City Rush predates the Klondike Gold Rush by nearly five years and at one time, Circle City was known as the “Paris of the North” and held the prestige of being the largest log cabin town in the world. Although the strikes in the Klondike are the best known, previous discoveries were made and production began in tributaries along the upper Yukon in the mid-1880s with discoveries along the Fortymile River. Following these, in 1893, two Creoles, named Pitka and Sorresca made additional discoveries in what later became the Circle Mining District. Their initial discoveries were somewhere on Birch Creek. News of the discovery started an influx of prospectors into the area and in the following spring (1894) discovery of the placers on Mastodon Creek. As prospectors continued to probe the drainages surrounding Birch and Mastodon Creeks, gold was also discovered on Independence, Miller, Deadwood, and Boulder Creeks all within what eventually became the Circle mining district. In 1895, gold was found on Eagle Creek with discoveries made on Harrison and Porcupine Creeks later that winter. By 1896, active mining was taking place on all the principle streams in the Circle District. The streams on the south side of the Yukon are also the source of a great deal of placer deposited gold. Creeks such as Coal Creek, Woodchopper Creek, Ben Creek, Sam Creek and Fourth of July Creek all supported gold mining efforts in the early- to mid-twentieth centuries.

Eagle, Alaska was founded in 1897, reportedly by a disgruntled prospector from Dawson in an attempt to break way from the law abiding atmosphere maintained by the Northwest Canadian Mounted Police (now called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or “Mounties”). Today, Eagle boasts a population of around 125 people. It has several small stores, a restaurant, a motel and a number of bed-and-breakfasts. The Eagle Historical Society and Museums Association maintain the largest museum (based on actual area covered) in the state. It is housed in five separate buildings. Eagle, Alaska was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975. Eagle is reached via the Taylor Highway 165 miles from Tetlin Junction on the Alaska Highway or via a combination of the Top of the World Highway to the Taylor Highway if you are coming from Dawson City in the Yukon.

Millions of years ago, two crustal plates shifted along the Tintina Fault causing super-heated water to carry readily soluble mineral, including gold and silica, toward the surface. As the water cooled in a myriad of cracks formed in the fault zone, silica precipitated out forming quartz. Impurities such as gold trapped in the quartz concentrated as well.

Pockets of gold existed in the rock around the fault zone until erosional forces tore the gold from the quartz’ grip and sent it tumbling down mountain streams. As the gold churned with other rocks it gradually settled to the bottom. Placer mining has been the method used for recovering this gold since prior to the Klondike Gold Rush.

The Tintina Fault divides the preserve into two distinct geologic areas. The Tintina Fault is a strike-slip fault that runs parallel to the Yukon River corridor six to twelve miles south of the river. This fault is one of the great fault systems in western North America, extending 600 miles from northeastern British Columbia into Alaska.

Northeast of the Tintina Fault, the greatest bedrock diversity occurs in a triangle formed by the Nation and Yukon Rivers and the Canadian border. This triangular area is the only portion of east-central Alaska thought to be part of the original North American plate and it comprises a sequence of unmetamorphosed sediments (Precambrian, Cambrian, Ordovician, Silurian, Devonian, and Mississippian periods). These sedimentary rocks were once part of a continental margin and contain an outstanding record of marine faunal evolution that includes ammonites, trilobites, brachiopods, and corals. The oldest known microfossils from northwestern North America are also found in this triangular area.

The area southwest of the Tintina Fault is a sequence of complex igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary and volcanic rocks. These were probably metamorphosed and reformed when several small plates collided to form Alaska during the Cretaceous period.

The rocks north of the Yukon and overlying the Tintina Fault record in almost unbroken succession the history of the area from about 800 million years ago to the Cenozoic Era – about 40 million years ago – an incredible and perhaps unparalleled 760 million years.

The two most striking features of Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve are its two namesakes, the Yukon and Charley Rivers. The Yukon River traverses the preserve from east to west for approximately 145 miles of the river’s total 1800 mile length between Eagle on the eastern end and Circle on the western. Historically the river served as a transportation corridor for indigenous peoples, and later, into the nineteenth century for sternwheelers carrying the hopeful gold seekers first to the Klondike, then down river to Nome, and later throughout interior Alaska. Heading at approximately 4,000 feet elevation, the Charley River empties into the Yukon at only 700 feet above sea level. The preserve encompasses not only the entire 106 river miles of the Charley, but also its entire 1.1 million acre watershed. The preserve is bounded on the south by the Mertie Mountains with the Ogilvie Mountains in Canada to the northeast.

Other significant rivers within the preserve include the Tatonduk, Nation and Kandik Rivers all entering the Yukon from the north while the Charley enters from the south. The streams on the south side of the Yukon are also the source of a great deal of placer deposited gold. Creeks such as Coal Creek, Woodchopper Creek, Ben Creek, Sam Creek and Fourth of July Creek all supported gold mining efforts in the early- to mid-twentieth centuries.

Taiga, or boreal forest, reaches it’s northern limit at about latitude 67° 30′ N, which is just north of Yukon-Charley. This extensive forest thins into scattered stands of spruce mixed with hardwoods that follow the river valleys into the mountains to an elevation of about 2,100 feet. This spruce-hardwood forest takes two forms. White spruce usually in association with scattered birch or aspen is commonly found on moderate south-facing slopes. Heaths, such as bearberry, crowberry, Labrador tea, blueberry and cranberry are common as are willows. Lichens and mosses cover the forest floor along with a variety of herbs. Some large, pure stands of white spruce occur along rivers such as the Kandik, Nation and Charley.

Alpine tundra communities occur in mountainous areas and along well-drained rocky ridges. The soils tend to be coarse, rocky and dry. A community of low, mat-forming heather vegetation is characteristic of much of the area. Exposed outcrops of talus sustain sparse islands of cushion plants, such as moss campion and saxifrage, interspersed with lichens. The low-growth forms of these plants protect them from snow and sand abrasion in the windswept environment. Other important plants include dryas, willows, heather, lichens and especially reindeer lichens. Grasses, sedges and herbs are also present.

Moist tundra is found in the foothills and in pockets of moderately drained soils on hillsides and along river valleys. Cotton grass tussocks, 6-10 inches high, predominate in these areas. Tussocks form as a cotton grass clump, which grows, then dies back each year, accumulating dead leaves that decompose slowly in cold temperatures. Moses and lichens grow in the moist channels between the tussocks. Other plants include grasses, small shrubs (dwarf birch, willow and Labrador tea).

A number of species of fish are found within the preserve. These include arctic grayling, northern pike, and several species of salmon that make their annual migration up the Yukon River to spawn. Fishing is relatively poor on the Yukon due to the very silty water. The Yukon River is a brown, silt-laden river in the summer. Therefore, anglers will find the best fishing areas are at the mouths of or up the clear-flowing tributaries of the Yukon. Tributaries are good sources for arctic grayling, northern pike, sheefish, burbot, and whitefish. Other species found in this area, but rarely caught are arctic lamprey, least cisco, arctic cisco, Dolly Varden, lake chub, longnose suckers, and slimy sculpin.

Historically the Yukon River has been used as a major transportation route in both summer and winter. Today, rafting, kayaking and canoeing are popular on the Yukon River. The river is silt laden in summer due to glacial runoff, and it is completely clear in winter when glaciers are frozen. As the river enters the preserve near Eagle, it flows across a narrow floodplain flanked by high bluffs and heavily forested hills. The bluffs become less prominent as the river leaves the preserve near Circle. Many people start in Eagle and end in Circle, either arranging to be picked up, or to be flown back to Eagle. Longer trips, from Dawson or Whitehorse to the lower Yukon or even the Bering Sea, are also popular ways of traveling the Yukon through the preserve.

The journey from Eagle to Circle is 158 miles long with most visitors traveling from late May through September. The Yukon River flows at an average speed of 5 to 8 miles per hour. Trip length varies depending on weather conditions, type of boat, and whether visitors continually float during long daylight hours or if they stop to camp and explore. Visitors who float approximately 30 miles a day and camp each night usually take around 5 days to reach Circle. Extra supplies should always be taken in case trip time is extended due to weather or other unplanned events.

The Charley River is a cold, clear, intermediate free-flowing stream. Maximum stream flow occurs in late May and early June. The boating season usually begins in June, and there are generally sufficient flows to accommodate small boats through August. During periods of low water, it may be necessary to drag or portage a raft or kayak over shallow riffles and exposed rocks or gravel bars. The Charley River flows from its headwaters at approximately 4,000 feet elevation to its confluence with the Yukon at about 700 feet. With an average gradient of 31 feet per mile, the upper two-thirds of the river provides a challenging white water experience. When water levels are lower, maneuvering becomes a constant necessity, and some rapids require scouting to determine the best channel. Most of the Charley is rated as class II (intermediate) water on the international scale of river difficulty, with limited areas rated as class III (more difficult). During periods of high water on the upper sections of the Charley, boaters can encounter class IV rapids. Extra caution should always be exercised during these less common conditions. Inflatable rafts are recommended due to the difficulty maneuvering through boulder laden areas and because they are easily transported by air. Kayaks, open canoes or other vessels are not recommended. Visitors are urged to evaluate their level of experience before considering vessels other than rafts.

Most visitors to the Charley River charter a flight from Fairbanks, Circle, or Tok to the headwaters of the Charley, float downriver to the Yukon, and take out at Circle. Average float time from the headwaters of the Charley at Gelvin’s airstrip to the Yukon River (approximately 75 miles) is six days. An additional two days are needed to float the Yukon River to Circle (a distance of 70 miles). There are no rapids on this section of the Yukon. The Charley River basin (designated as part of the National Wild and Scenic River system) is managed as a wilderness area. The 1.1 million acres encompassed by this region are representative of un-disturbed ecosystems of Interior Alaska.

The Fortymile River, although not within Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, is part of the National Wild and Scenic River System. The river is well-known for excellent whitewater boating opportunities and good road access. The Fortymile and its many branches run across land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), through the Yukon Territory and into the Yukon River upstream from Eagle. Popular trips begin at any of the Fortymile crossings of the Taylor Highway and end at Eagle.

There are no roads into the preserve and most trails are used only in the winter. There are no maintained trails in the preserve. Game trails and some old mining trails provide limited hiking opportunities. Most people find summer hiking best above timberline (3000′ – 3500′) because of fewer insects, less brush, improved vistas and less chance of surprising bears.

Hunting is permitted in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. However, you must follow state and federal hunting regulations. Yukon-Charley contains three game management subunits, 20E, 25B, and 25C. Each game management subunit could have different season lengths and bag limits, so it is important to be familiar with the regulations for the species that you are pursuing. The preserve contains areas of private land and Native corporation land where hunting is only allowed with the permission of the land owner. Hunters must also be careful not to inadvertently cross the international border between the United States and Canada. Contact Yukon-Charley staff for land status and boundary questions. Most hunters access the Yukon-Charley by driving to Eagle or Circle and boating into the preserve on the Yukon River. The majority of hunting camps are along the Yukon River where access is easier and visibility along the river is less restrictive. A few hunters fly and land in the preserve, and some float the Charley River by raft.

Jet boats have been the preferred mode of transportation by many hunters accessing the Kandik, Nation, Tatonduk, and lower Charley Rivers. Water levels on all of these rivers are extremely variable from year to year, but they are usually quite low by September. Water levels on the smaller rivers can drop quickly as the temperatures in the higher elevations of the drainage approach freezing. Traveling by jet boat on these narrow and winding rivers can be extremely challenging even for the seasoned veteran.

An annual average of 20,000 acres burns each year at Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve, and nearly all fire ignition sources are natural starts. The preserve encompasses over 2.5 million acres, 95% of which is managed as a Limited Management Option. While human life and specific resources are protected, fires that start on these designated lands are not aggressively attacked but allowed to burn so that fire continues to play its natural role as a dynamic natural process within this fire dependent ecosystem.

Geographic and climatic factors at Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve enable wildland fire to ignite and burn. The preserve lies within an interior basin, surrounded by mountains to the north and south. This area experiences high lightning occurrence, low precipitation and high temperatures in the summer months. Wildland fire has been an inextricable component of this ecosystem for thousands of years.

As visitors travel the Yukon and Charley Rivers, the two main thoroughfares, they witness a history of fire on the landscape, burned and unburned islands of vegetation, a fire mosaic. The aspen and birch reveal recent burns while spruce indicates a lack of fire activity for 200-300 years. Without the routine occurrence of fire, organic matter accumulates, the permafrost table rises, and ecosystem productivity declines. Vegetation communities, wildlife habitat, and wildlife become less diverse. Fire, the agent of change, removes some of the insulating organic matter, elicits a warming of the soil, and maintains and rejuvenates these systems.

Weather can often be extreme, with winter bringing temperatures to minus 60 degrees F, while summer can bring temperatures to 90 degrees F. Summer thunderstorms are common, and high winds can produce whitecaps on the Yukon. Self- sufficiency in all respects must be the guiding rule. Quality clothing that can be layered, sturdy camping and rain gear and good insect repellent are essential.

http://www.weather.com/outlook/recreation/outdoors/overview/US0003?from=search_vert

There are no commercial facilities of any kind located within the preserve. Visitors should always carry all necessary supplies with them whether boating, camping or backpacking. Float times vary depending upon weather and water conditions. The Eagle Visitor Center personnel will be happy to file a backcountry hiking plan for you to help add to the level of security for your trip but, always remember that in the backcountry, you must be self sufficient. Carry plenty of water. Satellite phones and GPS units are often quite helpful in the backcountry. Safe storage of food supplies will deter wildlife advances and protect visitors from unnecessary loss of food and equipment. It is advisable for a good backpacking list to bring a tent with rainfly (if not staying in one of the cabins), repair kit, backpack, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, compass, topographical map, signal mirror and/or whistle, water filtering system or tablets, collapsible water container, 1-2 quart water bottle, food, bear-proof container, flashlight with extra batteries and bulb, sunscreen, sunglasses, insect repellent, campstove, waterproof matches, magnesium fire starter, tightly sealed emergency rations, cooking pots and utensils, GPS, extra clothes and socks, garbage bags to carry out trash or protect your things from water, first aid kit and extra medications, two-way radio, and/or personal ELT.

The land on either side of the Yukon River between Calico Bluff, near Eagle, and just below the mouth of the Tatonduk River is privately owned. Hungwitchin Native Corporation asks that visitors refrain from camping along this 16 mile section of their lands.

Visitors are urged to exercise caution when floating the rivers in the preserve. Variable weather conditions and water levels can create unexpected hazards. Water temperatures are consistently low, even in the summer, posing a severe hazard of hypothermia. Life jackets are a minimum safety precaution and should be worn at all times while on the water. Helmets are recommended. Rivers are dynamic systems, and their routes may not always follow the course on river maps. Ranger patrols on the Charley River are infrequent at best. Visitors must be safety conscious, well prepared, and self-sufficient. Although permits are not required for floating the Charley River, it is strongly recommended that visitors file a voluntary float plan and notification of trip completion. To file a float plan, contact the Eagle field office or visitor center (907) 547-2233. Most visitors to the Charley River charter a flight from Fairbanks, Circle, or Tok to the headwaters of the Charley, float downriver to the Yukon, and take out at Circle. Average float time from the headwaters of the Charley at Gelvin’s airstrip to the Yukon River (approximately 75 miles) is six days. An additional two to three days are needed to float the Yukon River to Circle (a distance of 70 miles). There are no rapids on this section of the Yukon. Personal watercraft such as jet skis are not allowed.

There is no direct road access into the Charley River basin. The region surrounding the Charley River basin is accessible, however, by the Taylor and Steese highways, which terminate at Eagle and Circle respectively. Access to the river is gained either by boat (running and lining up-river from the Yukon) or by aircraft. Fixed wing aircraft with short takeoff and landing capabilities can land on primitive, unmaintained gravel airstrips at Gelvin’s, Three Fingers, or Joseph. The most popular airstrip is Gelvin’s, located in the upper portion of the Charley just above Copper Creek. Visitors beginning at Three Fingers or Joseph run a high risk of forced portaging or dragging boats.

Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve is one of those famous places that “you can’t drive there from here.” But you can get close. Two highways serve towns near the preserve boundaries. Driving to Eagle, Alaska along the 161-mile Taylor Highway begins at Tetlin Junction on the Alaska Highway and ends on the bank of the Yukon River, 10 miles upstream from the preserve. The Steese Highway begins in Fairbanks and travels 162 miles to Circle, 14 miles downstream from the preserve boundary. Check locally about road conditions before setting out and always bring sufficient emergency gear with you. It is recommended that you carry warm clothing, a first aid kit, food, water and two spare tires, just in case. No emergency kit is complete without the Alaskan’s favorite fix-all, a roll of duct tape.

Most visitors to the Charley River charter a flight from Fairbanks, Circle, or Tok to the headwaters of the Charley, float downriver to the Yukon, and take out at Circle. Average float time from the headwaters of the Charley at Gelvin’s airstrip to the Yukon River (approximately 75 miles) is six days. An additional two to three days are needed to float the Yukon River to Circle (a distance of 70 miles). There are no rapids on this section of the Yukon.

The Charley River basin (designated as a National Wild and Scenic River) is managed primarily as a wilderness area. The 1.1 million acres encompassed by this region are representative of some of the little-disturbed ecosystems of Interior Alaska. Local plants and wildlife are the full-time residents of this area and should be treated with respect. Peregrine falcon eyries may be encountered along the narrower sections of the river and should be avoided. Visitors are encouraged to practice minimum impact camping guidelines.

Due to low moose densities, the hunter success rate is usually less than 20%. Hunting regulations are enforced by National Park Service Rangers and Alaska Fish and Wildlife Protection Troopers. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also conduct hunting patrols along the international border. For more information contact: Alaska Department of Fish and Game (800) 478-2376; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (800) 478-1456; or Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve (907) 547-2234.

Sport and subsistence fishing are permitted in Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. However, you must follow state and federal fishing regulations. For regulation booklets and general information, visit, call, go online, or write to state and federal agency offices.

For state regulations, visit the Alaska Department of Fish and Game homepage at www.state.ak.us/adfg/adfghome.htm. Sport fishing licenses may be purchased at a local license vendor in Eagle, by mail from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, P.O. Box 25525, Juneau, AK 99802-5525, or online. For more information call toll free (877) 9FISHAK.

Alaska residents may subsistence fish in Yukon-Charley for customary and traditional uses. Salmon are primarily harvested using gillnets and fish wheels. Spawning populations of chinook (king) and chum salmon in the upper Yukon River have declined in recent years, and subsistence fishing was closed by emergency order for most of the 2000 season. A permit is required for subsistence fishing on this section of the Yukon River and must be obtained from and returned to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game with catch information after permit expiration. For a subsistence permit, write to Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, 1300 College Rd., Fairbanks, AK 99701, or call (907) 459-7274. For federal subsistence fishery regulations visit their website, write to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Subsistence Management, 3601 C Street, Suite 1030, Anchorage, AK 99503, or call (800) 478-1456.

Within Yukon-Charley National Preserve’s 2.5 million acres are many examples of Alaskan fauna. These run the gamut from microscopic invertebrates to charismatic mega fauna such as wolves, Grizzly and Black bears, sheep, caribou and moose. During the summer of 2000 even a solitary wayward muskox was spotted several times along the Yukon River hundreds of miles from its normal range. Yukon-Charley is home to a number of wolf packs. Although rarely seen, these beautiful animals range throughout the preserve and into the Fortymile area to the south. Moose populations in the eastern interior are considered by biologists to be low, approximately one moose per four square miles. Within the preserve there is the highest nesting density of peregrine falcons in North America. Many birds spend their summers in the area before flying south to winter in South America.

A number of species of fish are found within the preserve. These include arctic grayling, northern pike, and several species of salmon that make their annual migration up the Yukon River to spawn. Tributaries are good sources for arctic grayling, northern pike, sheefish, burbot, and whitefish. Other species found in this area, but rarely caught are arctic lamprey, least cisco, arctic cisco, Dolly Varden, lake chub, longnose suckers, and slimy sculpin.

There are black bears and grizzlies present as well as moose. See Wildlife Precautions page for further information on animal encounters.

There are no fees for this preserve.

Backcountry camping is permitted on any federally owned land within the preserve. Select a durable surface for your campsite. Gravel bars are recommended as campsites because they are breezy, discouraging insects and also provide a good view of potential animal encounters such as bears. Make sure to camp above water level in case the river rises. Bring what you need. Do not trench for tents or cut branches for beds. Use lighter soled camp shoes to lessen your impact. Keep all food, and trash and petroleum items in the cooking area. Please practice low impact camping techniques and leave camping sites free of refuse. Pack everything out and leave no garbage. Before you leave make every effort to return the campsite to a natural appearance.

The National Park Service maintains a number of public-use cabins located on the Yukon. These can be found at Nation Bluff, Glenn Creek, Washington Creek, the Kandik River and Coal Creek. They are all rich with history about the enterprising men that built them. It is a tradition in the northland that when a traveler is in need of shelter and warmth while traveling they can make use of any cabin they come across. It is expected however that they leave the cabin in the same condition, if not better then when they found it and that they fill the firewood box and leave the fixings for a fire near the stove. They are available at no cost on a first come, first served basis. However be aware that if others arrive you may have company, particularly in emergency situations.

Campgrounds and waysides operated by the Bureau of Land Management are located along the Taylor and Steese Highways. Both Eagle and Circle have small campgrounds located in or near the community.

Scheduled air taxis from Fairbanks serve Eagle and Circle, located up river and down river of the preserve, respectively.

Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve is primarily a wilderness. There is no road access. Two highways serve towns near the Preserve boundaries. The 161-mile Taylor Highway begins at Tetlin Junction on the Alaska Highway and ends at Eagle, 12 miles from the preserve. It is usually open from mid-April to mid-October and is suitable for cars, trucks and RVs. The Steese Highway is open year round. It begins in Fairbanks and travels 162 miles to Circle, 14 miles from the preserve. In good weather it takes about five hours to drive either of these gravel roads. Check locally about road conditions before setting out.

Eagle Ranger Station (Field Office), P.O. Box 167, Eagle, AK 99738
- or – National Park Service ( Fairbanks Hqrts), 201 First Avenue, Fairbanks, AK 99701

Visitor Information (907) 547-2233 (EAA)

Visitor Information (907) 547-2234 (EAA)

Headquarters (907) 457-5752 (FAI)

Fax (907) 547-2247

Map

The Wrangell-St. Elias Visitor Center is open year round 8-4:30 M-F, with summer hours 8-6 daily. The kennicott Visitor Center is open summertime 9-5:30 daily. The Slana Ranger Station is open all year with summer hours 8-4:30 daily and winter by appointment only. All McCarthy/Kennecott visitors are encouraged to visit the Ranger Station at Chitina, open daily during the summer months between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Remember that Chitina is the last place to obtain fuel and supplies before heading out.

It was proclaimed as Wrangell-St. Elias National Monument Dec. 1, 1978; established as a national park and preserve and a wilderness on Dec. 2, 1980; and designated a World Heritage Site Oct. 24, 1979. The park is part of a World Heritage site with Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, and Kluane National and Tatsheshini-Alsek Provincial Parks in Canada. The World Heritage site contains 24 million acres recognized for exceptional interest and universal value. Research activities and many researchers from all over the world conduct their work in the virtually untouched and remote areas here.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is named for Baron von Wrangell (the territory’s Russian Governor) and St. Elias (the day the range was viewed by Bering during his exploration of interior Alaska). It encompasses four mountain ranges including nine of the 16 tallest peaks in the United States. Since it is remote, the park has had little human occupation. Early caribou hunters began visiting the region about 8,000 years ago but the first known settlements appeared in the last 1,000 years with the arrival of the Ahtna Indian Culture. Game was always sparse in the region.

The spelling of Kennecott varies according to author, subject, and context. USGS geologist Oscar Rohn named the Kennicott Glacier in 1899 for Smithsonian naturalist Robert Kennicott, who died of heart failure while surveying near Nulato, Alaska in May 1866. The Park is the largest park in the National Park System, spanning over 13 million acres.

Local residents later applied that name to the Kennicott River. Both are spelled with an “i.” The Kennecott Mines Company (and its most famous successors, the Kennecott Copper Corporation and Kennecott Minerals Company) took its name from the glacier as well, but unaccountably spelled it with an “e.” Nevertheless, in the early 1950s the USGS decided to correct the company’s “error” by spelling the site’s name with an “i” on its topographical maps, and most local residents subsequently adopted that spelling. Still later, the National Park Service chose to recognize the importance of the site’s rich mining history by restoring its original spelling. Consequently, all NPS documents spell Kennecott with an “e.”

The Nabesna Road was originally built in 1933 by the Alaska Road Commission to supply Nabesna Mine and to ship out its ore. Today, the Alaska Department of Transportation maintains the Nabesna Road and, generally, the road is passable by most two-wheel drive vehicles. However, higher clearance and/or four-wheel drive are occasionally needed beyond Mile 29 due to stream crossings. Wet conditions such as spring run-off and heavy rain can make these stream crossings impassable. The last four miles of the road are not maintained and may be deeply rutted and wet. Vehicle travel on this portion of the road is not recommended.

Animal populations in Wrangell-St. Elias have always been scarce and the human history in the basin has been sparse. Caribou were the dominant ungulate in the area with populations throughout what is now the park. Moose and other game were less plentiful but still form an important part of a subsistence diet for communities in the basin. Along the coastal zones of the park, the Tlingit peoples hunted seals in Disenchantment and Icy Bays. These populations are thought to be declining and yet are still considered an integral part of the Tlingit subsistence diet. Other mammals exist in the Copper River Basin that forms much of the lowlands around the southwestern side of the park and preserve.

The park and preserve encompasses four mountain ranges including nine of the 16 tallest peaks in the United States. The four ranges, the Chugach along the southern coast; the Wrangell in the south central region; the Saint Elias that crosses into Canada; and the end of the Alaska Range on the northern borders, include some of the world’s largest glaciers and North America’s most remote wilderness.

The park’s coastal resources include the Yakutat area (Icy and Disenchantment Bays) and the Malaspina Forelands. Wrangell-St. Elias has over 1,000 acres of inter-tidal communities and over 125 miles of coastline.

The 61-mile McCarthy Road offers Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve visitors a unique opportunity to explore the wilderness of interior Alaska. National and historic wonders await those visitors willing to accept travel and access on Alaskan terms. Driving this road is an Alaskan adventure. Its gravel and dirt surface makes for slow travel-it can take 3 hours or more. At the end of the road, you will find parking areas and two foot bridges that cross the Kennicott River and lead to McCarthy and Kennecott. Access to McCarthy is by foot, bike, or shuttle. Traveling the McCarthy road provides access to incredible hiking, fishing, and camping, as well as the wonderful historic communities of McCarthy and Kennecott.

Beyond Chitina, the 60-mile gravel road follows the abandoned Copper River and Northwest Railway bed to the Kennicott River. You will experience spectacular views, high narrow bridges, dust, bumps, and real Alaska! Most people spend a minimum of two days exploring the McCarthy/Kennicott area. A Park Service kiosk is located 1 mile before the end of the road (mile 60). Primitive campsites and parking are available near the kiosk.

The Nabesna Road is a 42-mile gravel road from Slana to Nabesna that traverses the headwaters country of the Copper and Tanana drainages. It is a dusty, gravel, dead end road that is short on services but big on wilderness! The Nabesna Road offers Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve visitors a unique opportunity to explore interior Alaska. The drive is an adventure in the midst of the Wrangell, Mentasta and Nutzotin Mountains. Camping, hiking, wildlife viewing, fishing and hunting are just a sampling of the activities available just off of the road.

Begin your journey on the motor trail, Nabesna Road, by stopping at the Slana Ranger Station, mile .5, to check current road conditions and to pick up a Nabesna Road Guide brochure. Generally the road is passable by most 2-wheel drive vehicles. Occasionally, higher clearance is advised beyond mile 29 due to stream crossings. The maintained portion of the road ends at a private hunting lodge at mile 42. The road offers access to lowland tundra, habitat for moose, caribou, wolves and bear. The clear creeks and lakes are teaming with waterfowl and fish. The abrupt highlands of the Mentasta and Wrangell Mountains offer opportunities to spot Dall Sheep. Activities such as hiking, camping, fishing, mountain biking, flight seeing, and hunting are available. Backcountry access by off-road vehicles on established trails is allowed with a permit obtained from the Slana Ranger Station. Hikers may venture out on the trails but need to keep in mind that trails can be very muddy. Better hiking is available on the trails and routes that lead into the Mentasta Mountains north of the road or past mile 36. Another option for backpackers is to contract a short flight into the high country with an air taxi.

A hiking trip can be an exciting and rewarding wilderness experience if you are prepared for the difficulties and hazards of traveling through rugged, undeveloped land. Here, you will experience solitude, self-reliance, and unaltered nature to an extent seldom found elsewhere. Because there are very few maintained trails within the park, travel through dense brush, along steep scree slopes, and across fast and cold glacial streams and rivers should be expected.

For your fishing pleasure, when hot weather increases water temperatures then insect activity should be at its peak for the fly fishing enthusiast. Mayfly, stonefly and caddis imitations will take even the wariest grayling. The Gulkana River is a good place to try when the king salmon season winds down resulting in fewer salmon fishermen on the river. Fishing behind rocks and next to cut banks should produce the best results. Another good place to try is the Little Nelchina River on the Glenn Highway. Lake trout have moved into deeper water and trolling with large spoons and plugs with downriggers will be necessary to get the lure to the proper depth. Large colored jigs are also good bounced off the bottom. Paxson and Summit lakes, as well as the Tyone River drainage lakes of Lake Louise, Susitina and Tyone lakes are the primary lake trout fisheries in the area. Lakes stocked with rainbow trout to try are Van, Silver and Sculpin lakes off the McCarthy Road, Ryan, Tex Smith and Buffalo lakes off the Glenn Highway, Crater, Old Road and Round lakes off the Lake Louise Road and Squirrel Creek Pit and Pippin Lake on the Richardson Highway. Slow, erratically retrieved flies and small spoons or spinner’s are among the most productive lures. Fishing with salmon eggs suspended from a bobber can be equally productive. All 5 species of Pacific salmon are found within the Park; king (chinook) salmon, silver (coho) salmon, red (sockeye) salmon, pink (humpy) salmon and chum (dog) salmon. Kokanee salmon are also found in Copper Lake, but there is little opportunity in the park itself to catch salmon. The best place for kings and reds is the Gulkana River. Grayling, whitefish, Dolly Varden, lake trout, rainbow/steelhead trout, cutthroat trout, sculpin, burbot, lamprey, smelts, and suckers are all found in the park. You will need an Alaskan fishing license for anyone over 16 years of age.

Mountain biking opportunities are limited in Wrangell-St. Elias. Lack of maintained roads and rough, boggy conditions make riding difficult. Both the McCarthy and Nabesna Roads are appropriate for mountain bikes. Both offer spectacular scenery. Bikers should be prepared for wet, muddy, dusty, uneven, and rocky biking conditions. Dry creek beds along the Nabesna Road suitable for mountain biking include Lost Creek and Trail Creek. Suggested routes along the McCarthy Road include the Kotsina Road and the Nugget Creek Trail. From McCarthy one can ride to the ghost town of kennicott and to the Nizina River. There are also a number of trails in the Glennallen, Copper Center-Chitina area that you might also enjoy.

Sport hunting is only allowed within the national preserve and must be conducted in accordance with Alaska State Law. An Alaska State hunting license is required for all hunters age 16 or older. Bag and possession limits vary by species and by area. Always check current hunting regulations. Off-road vehicles (ORV), including all-terrain vehicles (ATV), may be used on established routes only. Sport hunters are required to obtain ORV permits at any Ranger Station or the Park Headquarters. Hunters and trappers using the park and preserve should be familiar with the park and preserve boundaries and regulations concerning the use of areas. Maps can be obtained from the park upon request. There are opportunities to hunt bear, Dall sheep, mountain goat, muskoxen, moose, waterfowl, and caribou.

Since 1900, four huge tidewater glaciers have retreated to form Icy Bay on the coast of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. The protected, blue waters surrounded by spectacular glacial scenery and an abundance of wildlife are ideal for sea kayaking. The coastline of the park stretches 150 miles from Icy Bay (approximately 40 miles north of Yakutat). Most of this coastline is wild and exposed to the open waters of the Gulf of Alaska or Yakutat Bay except for the relatively calm waters within Icy Bay. Icy Bay is composed of four separate fjords resulting from the retreat of Guyot, Yahtse and Tyndall Glaciers. It is a dynamic glacial system. Calving tidewater glaciers, icebergs and barren rugged landscapes are predominant in the northern portion of the bay. Most kayakers access Icy Bay by chartering a small bush plane to drop them off at Kageet Point on the eastern edge of Icy Bay or Pt. Riou, located on Chugach Alaska Native Corporation land southeast of Icy Bay. Before flying into Pt. Riou, visitors should request permission by writing Chugach Alaska Corporation, 560 E. 34th Ave., Suite 200, Anchorage, AK 99503. Since access to Icy Bay is restricted to small bush planes only, most parties use collapsible kayaks. A few parties have traveled from Cordova and Yakutat by hard shell kayak. This requires traveling across the rough, open waters of the Gulf of Alaska and is not recommended. At this time, there are no folding kayaks available for rent in the area. Permits are not required for private trips although voluntary backcountry registration is recommended for your safety. Contact the Yakutat Ranger Station for forms.

Winters are cold and dark, with nighttime temperatures dropping to possibly 50 below zero! Average daily high temperature is from 5 to 7 degrees. Days are usually clear and northern lights dance overhead on most nights. Average snow cover in winter is two feet. In the spring, clear skies, increasingly longer days, and warming temperatures break winter’s hold on the land with dramatic quickness. Average highs are 40-50. Lows may still dip into the teens and single digits. Wildflowers and mosquitoes peak in June and July. Consider bringing a head-net. June and July are also the warmest months, with highs reaching near 80 on some days, but it can snow any month of the year in the high-country. The prime backcountry season is June 20 to August 20 due to snow depths at higher elevations. Drizzling rains are not uncommon throughout the summer and, in general, rainfall increases in August and September, especially along the coast. Fall can be delightfully clear, spectacular, and mosquito-free, but the season is short. Be prepared for rain, because September is sometimes cool and wet.

+ Rules, Regulations and Safety

+ Wildlife

+ Wildlife Warnings

+ Fees

+ Camping

+ Transportation

+ Contact the park

+ Mapquest

+ Rules, Regulations and Safety

+ Wildlife

+ Wildlife Warnings

+ Fees

+ Camping

+ Transportation

+ Contact the park

[DDET + Mapquest]

Map