Denali National Park
Denali National Park, established in 1917, is Alaska's oldest national park and spans approximately 6 million acres, located 237 miles north of Anchorage. It is home to Mt. McKinley, known as Denali, which stands as the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet. The park features a diverse landscape marked by the Alaska Mountain Range, which is characterized by active volcanoes and a significant earthquake risk due to the nearby Denali Fault. This unique geography contributes to two distinct climates within the park, influencing the vegetation, which includes taiga and tundra ecosystems harboring a variety of flora and fauna.
Historically, Denali has been inhabited by Native American tribes such as the Athabaskan, Ahtna, Tanana, and Koyuko, who relied on local wildlife for sustenance. The park has been recognized as an International Biosphere Reserve, highlighting its importance for subarctic ecosystem research. With over 200 species of wildlife, including moose, grizzly bears, and wolves, Denali remains a sanctuary for conservation efforts. Annually, the park attracts more than one million visitors, many of whom attempt to climb its challenging peaks, drawn by the allure of its pristine wilderness and breathtaking landscapes.
Denali National Park
Denali National Park is Alaska's oldest national park, located 237 miles north of Anchorage. Established in 1917, the 6 million-acre park includes Mt. McKinley, one of the tallest mountains in the world and the highest point in North America. The mountain's South Summit stands at 20,320 feet, and the North Summit measures 19,470 feet high. According to geologists, the 1,300-mile Denali Fault, located just near the range and stretching from the Yukon to the Aleutian peninsula, continues to push Mt. McKinley to greater heights.
Landscape
Cutting across Denali National Park is the Alaska Mountain Range, which features active volcanoes and experiences thousands of earthquakes originating from the Denali Fault line. Dividing south central Alaska from the interior plateau, the mountains shield the interior from the moist air approaching from the Gulf of Alaska, creating two distinct climates in the park.
Sparse tree growth, called taiga, is found throughout Denali. In the southern region, spruce, willow, birch and aspen trees cover the mountainside, while fungus and dwarf trees cover the icier northern area of the park. Above the tundra lie the caps of the Alaska Range, covered by ice and snow. During the winter, temperatures in Denali fall to -40 degrees Fahrenheit, with winds of 150 mph.
History
For generations, Native American tribes, including the Athabaskan, Ahtna, Tanana and Koyuko, occupied the area that is now Denali National Park. A nomadic people, they survived on caribou, sheep and moose, moving to the valleys when weather conditions became severe in the winter. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, however, the region witnessed an influx of explorers in search of gold, threatening to disrupt the ecological balance established in the area.
When Charles Sheldon, a hunter and conservationist, traveled to Denali in 1906, he was accompanied by Harry Karstens -- the first man to climb Mt. McKinley. Sheldon returned a year later to survey the area, hoping to designate it as a national park. His efforts were soon rewarded. In 1917, Mt. McKinley National Park was established as a wildlife refuge. However, Sheldon had advocated calling the park Denali ("High One"), which was the local Native American name for the mountain. On December 2, 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed a bill changing the name to Denali National Park and Preserve.
Conservation
The United Nations also designated the park an International Biosphere Reserve, acknowledging its potential for subarctic ecosystems research, as a place untouched by human intervention. Denali has since been called "the greatest subarctic sanctuary in the world." Glaciers, tundra, 430 species of flowering plants, and more than 200 species of wildlife including moose, mountain sheep, red fox, pika, grizzly bears and wolves can be found in this diverse region.
Denali remains a unique subarctic ecosystem, where outbreaks of fire and disease have not been resolved by human intervention. The park offers geologists a chance to study climate, glaciers, and fire ecology, and park scientists continually monitor environmental conditions to protect the area's natural resources.
Today, Denali receives more than one million tourists annually, who arrive to enjoy the pristine conditions of an untouched wilderness. Many visitors travel to Denali in order to climb its forbidding peaks. A typical trek up Mt. McKinley takes about three weeks, and the journey is attempted by thousands of climbers each year.