Park Archives: Denali National Park and Preserve

Charles Sheldon had a dream. Standing on a rise in the Kantishna Hills in January 1908, he pulled out his field glasses—more important to him than his hunting rifle—and looked around. Everything his eyes feasted on could one day be a premier national park, the Yellowstone of Alaska, preserved and protected for one reason above all others: to celebrate restraint as an expression of freedom, our rare ability to save a place so it will one day save us. He studied the ocean of land, storm-tossed by mountains and glaciers, waves of rolling tundra, a landscape like no other, vast, intact, winter-white. and holding its breath, so still yet dynamic, epic and epoch in its dimensions, the America that used to be. Such a grand ambition. More than a dream, it was a spark of idealism, a vision. Could Sheldon do it? Could one person with help from a few committed colleagues and friends successfully campaign for the creation of a national park?

Thomas Jefferson had said it would take 1,000 years for Americans to civilize their emerging continental nation and build cities on the Pacific coast as they had on the Atlantic. It took 50 years. The so-called "myth of superabundance"—that we would never run out of fish and bison and bears and so much else—was rapidly becoming just that: a myth. A Yale man who preferred to be in the wilderness, Sheldon decided to dedicate himself to the conservation cause of President Theodore Roosevelt. He journeyed to Alaska when the young US territory had no roads and only 30,000 people (fewer than five percent of what it has today), and found his way to the mountains.

Due south of him rose the icy granite massif that gold miners in Kantishna and Fairbanks called Mount McKinley but that Sheldon simply called "the mountain," or "Denali," the Athabascan name meaning "the high one." Certainly a mountain like that could take care of itself, being the highest in North America. But what of the magnificent wild animals that embroidered it, the grizzlies, caribou, wolves, moose, Dall sheep, and others that moved over the land with ancient grace? Market hunters were coming into the country with an aim to kill wild game to feed gold miners and railroad workers. It had to stop. Sheldon spent 10 months in the Denali region, then headed back east with one purpose: to make a wild dream come true.

Adolph Murie had a theory. Wolves were not bad or evil. They were keen predators that helped to maintain healthy populations of prey species by taking out the old, sick, and injured. Wolves, in fact, were beneficial. They made everything around them stronger, healthier, more agile, and alert. This was heresy in the 1930s, when books, films, and legends demonized the wolf, the wild dog that thousands of years ago had refused our obedience training yet remained our four-legged shadow, a ghost of the hunter we used to be. A wildlife biologist who had studied coyotes in Yellowstone, Murie found great inspiration when he came north to what was then Mount McKinley National Park.

Here was a dream come true, a park signed into law in February 1917 by Woodrow Wilson after nearly 10 years of campaigning by Charles Sheldon and other activists. Here was a once-upon-a-time land, the most accessible wilderness in Alaska, a park to protect wild animals by protecting the place where they lived, the first national park created after the creation of the National Park Service in August 1916.

The world was changing and Murie wanted to be part of it. "Ecology" and "wilderness" were beginning to find their way into the American vocabulary. Nature wasn't a commodity people owned, it was a community they belonged to. Over-civilized people needed nature—big, mysterious, wild—to find themselves and lose themselves and find themselves again, to rewrite the definitions of progress and wealth, and be reminded what it meant to be truly alive.

For three years, 1939-41, Murie lived with his family in a cabin on the East Fork of the Toklat River, in the heart of the park, and studied Dall sheep, caribou, and wolves. His young daughter sometimes joined him on the tundra, field glasses in hand, like Charles Sheldon, to watch wolf pups play near their den. A single 90-mile-long road had been built through the park, and while traffic was light, it increased steadily and then jumped in 1972 after a highway was built between Anchorage and Fairbanks.

People were coming to see the once-upon-a-time land, the America that used to be.

As big as the park was, it wasn't big enough. Murie and others wanted to protect its ecological integrity. And so they campaigned, and hoped for a president one day who would be as conservation-minded as Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson.

Jimmy Carter had a final act. In December 1980, with only weeks left in his presidency, he signed into law legislation that established over 100 million acres of new national parks, preserves, and wildlife refuges in Alaska. Mount McKinley National Park, enlarged from two million acres to six million, became Denali National Park and Preserve, with new boundaries to encompass entire watersheds and the home ranges of wildlife populations.

Today, hundreds of thousands of park visitors travel by bus every summer on the single road through the park. The bus system (versus private vehicles) reduces traffic and roadside disturbances so you can better see what you come to see. A single wolf or a bear, breathtakingly close, is priceless. An entire bus goes quiet, cameras softly clicking, as a mother grizzly and her cubs eat blueberries only 20 meters away. Later, everybody talks with new animation, enchanted like children, alive with stories to last a lifetime.

Imagine. Here's a place we did not harvest or plunder or otherwise conquer but allowed it to enrich and to inspire us over many generations. Not only did we care about the place, we cared for it. We defended it, and still do.

There will always be a good economic argument to overcrowd an experience until we redefine what a good economy is. National parks don't happen by accident. They are established—and preserved—by great force of character, heroic at times, often tedious and downright hard. This is stewardship.

Challenges remain. Wolves are routinely shot and trapped in Alaska, some near Denali. The climate shifts, the air grows warmer, permafrost melts, habitats disappear. Every year thousands of people want to climb "the high one" or fly around it. Dedicated people rise to meet the management challenges, to save the wild essence and character of Denali: A Charles Sheldon here, an Adolph Murie there. A few committed citizens can bring about big, thoughtful change for the common good. It always works that way. Now it's your turn.

Check the park website or our free newspaper to plan your trip and learn about park programs, safety guidelines, and regulations.

By Road The main park entrance is 237 miles north of Anchorage and 120 miles south of Fairbanks via George Parks Highway, AK 3, open year-round. Bus companies provide service to the park in summer.

By Train The Alaska Railroad offers daily summer passenger service to the park from Anchorage and Fairbanks. Service is limited in winter. Contact www.alaskarailroad.com.

Transportation In summer private vehicles are restricted beyond Savage River (Mile 15). To protect wildlife viewing, Park Road traffic is limited.

The courtesy shuttle from the park entrance to Savage River is free. For a fee, transit bus service runs mid-May to mid-September from the Wilderness Access Center to Toklat River (six hours round-trip), Eielson Visitor Center (eight hours), and Wonder Lake (11 hours). You may get on and off along Park Road to hike, except in wildlife closures.

Reservations For all reservations of campsites, tours, and transit bus tickets, contact the park concessioner, Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture or www.reservedenali.com.

Food Service No food service is offered beyond the park entrance area. Bring food, drink, warm clothes, and raingear.

Be Prepared Most people visit between mid-May and mid-September. Summer is cool, wet, windy, and possibly snowy. Bring clothing for temperatures from 35 to 75°F. Hat, mittens/gloves, and raingear are essential. Sturdy footgear, insect repellent, binoculars, and a camera may also help.

During winter and shoulder seasons local services are limited. Riley Creek Campground near the park entrance is open all year. Park Road stays open to Park Headquarters at Mile 3.4 and could be open farther into the park depending on weather conditions. Reach the backcountry by snowshoes, skis, or dogsled. Check for road status, weather conditions, and backcountry permits at the winter visitor center.

Entrance Fee The $10-per-person fee is collected year-round and valid for seven days. Most fee money stays in the park to improve visitor services and facilities. The Denali Annual Pass and Interagency Federal Recreation Passes (Annual, Senior, US Military, and Access) are valid for entry.

Pets and Wildlife Pets may be walked along Park Road, in parking lots, on campground roads, along the Bike Path from the park entrance to the visitor center campus, and on the Roadside Trail between the visitor center campus and Park Headquarters. Pets must be leashed with a six-foot or shorter lead. Do not leave a tethered pet unattended. Owners must collect and dispose waste.

Wildlife activity may require areas to be closed to all entry for a few days to several months.

Biking Biking is allowed year-round in some areas of the park. Some buses have bicycle racks. Check the visitor center or park website for more information.

Hiking Denali has trails for novice and experienced hikers. Join ranger-led walks or take longer cross-country hikes on your own. Some of the best routes are on durable surfaces along ridgetops or gravel riverbars. Sturdy footgear is essential. Streams can be cold, swift, and dangerous to cross. Hikers are responsible for knowing current closures.

Overnight backpacking trips require careful planning and a backcountry permit, which is available only after an in-person orientation with a ranger at the Backcountry Information Center. There is a quota system for backcountry units. Descriptions of units are available online. Many units require hikers to use bear-resistant food containers (provided). Pack out all garbage.

Camping The park has six designated campgrounds. Stays are limited to 14 nights total. Group sites are available by reservation for nine to 20 people. Camping is prohibited in parking areas and on roadsides. Campfires are permitted only in certain campgrounds.

Food Storage Campers must store all food and scented items. including sealed cans and bottles, in bear-resistant food lockers found in campgrounds, or in closed, hard-sided vehicles.

Sport Fishing and Hunting Hunting and fishing are allowed in some park and preserve locations, regulated by federal and state law. Discharging weapons is strictly prohibited in many areas. You are responsible for knowing and complying with firearms laws and regulations. For firearms regulations check the park website. For more information check with a park ranger or at a visitor center.

Mountaineering Denali and Mount Foraker climbers must register 60 days prior to the start of their ascent and pay a special use fee. Contact the Talkeetna Ranger Station, Box 588, Talkeetna, AK 99676.

At the Denali Visitor Center, 1.5 miles from the park entrance, you can explore the exhibits, talk to park rangers, and see the award-winning park film Heartbeats of Denali. A bookstore, the Morino Grill, and the Murie Science and Learning Center are nearby.

The Eielson Visitor Center, 66 miles inside the park, exemplifies the park's commitment to sustainable practices. You can reach the Eielson Visitor Center by transit bus.

Wilderness Safety Denali is true wilderness. Before you venture into the park, read the safety messages in the free visitor guide. Grizzly bears and moose are dangerous. Crossing glacial rivers can be treacherous.

The contents of brochures, site bulletins and trading cards (denoted with a colored caption) can be viewed by clicking on the cover. Most modern-day brochures, however, are cover only (denoted by a white caption) due to photograph copyrights. These items are historical in scope and are intended for educational purposes only; they are not meant as an aid for travel planning. The dates under each brochure do not reflect the complete range of years that a particular brochure was issued.

1927		cover only 1929		cover only 1930
1931		1932		1934
1935		1936 (HTML)		1937
1938		cover only 1939		1940 (HTML)
1941 (HTML)		1942		cover only 1948
1950		1951		1953
1958		cover only 1963		cover only 1964
1965	1966	cover only 1969	1970	1972	1974
1975	1976	1978	cover only 1981
1984-1989		cover only 1990		cover only 1996-1999
cover only 2000		cover only 2001-2004		cover only 2005-2011
cover only 2012		2013-2019

Gold Rush Centennial 1898-1998 1998	Grizzly Bear - Friend or Foe Date Unknown	Avoiding Close Encounters Date Unknown		Keep Wildlife Wild Never Feed or Approach Wildlife Date Unknown	Vehicle Management Plan Date Unknown
Ecology of Golden Eagles 2010		Bear Encounters Date Unknown		Eielson Area History Date Unknown
Grizzly Bears Beware 1978		Large Mammals...How many are there? 01/02		Snowmobile Regulations Date Unknown
Subsistence: A Vital Connection Date Unknown		Sustainability at Eielson Date Unknown		The Long and Winding Road: A History of the Denali Park Road Date Unknown
Featured Trails Date Unknown		Backcountry Camping Guide 2006		Backcountry Camping Guide Date Unknown
Fact Sheet 2006		Fact Sheet 2007		Fact Sheet 2008
Fact Sheet 2009		Denali: People and the Land Date Unknown		Working Toward Providing Universal Access 2007
cover only Summer Guide Date Unknown		cover only Summer Guide Date Unknown		cover only Summer Guide 2020
cover only Summer Guide 2021		cover only Summer Guide 2022		cover only Summer Guide 2023
cover only Summer Guide 2024
cover only Winter Guide Date Unknown		cover only Winter Guide 2019		cover only Winter Guide 2021
cover only Winter Guide 2022		cover only Winter Guide 2020		Winter Activities 2009
cover only Outdoor Activity Guide Date Unknown		The Alaska Railroad "Mt. McKinley Park Route" 1934	Horseshoe Lake Nature Trail Date Unknown		Bird Checklist for Denali National Park 1980
Wolves in Denali Date Unknown
Trading Cards
(©Jefferson National Parks Association)	(©Jefferson National Parks Association)

The following visual bibliography is just a sampling of the handbooks and books which have been published for this park. NPSHistory.com does not endorse these, but are merely presenting them for informational purposes only. As most are copyrighted, we are only able to provide the covers, and not contents, of these publications.

cover only Mammals of Mount McKinley National Park, Alaska Adolph Murie 1962	cover only Birds of Mount McKinley, Alaska Adolph Murie 1963	cover only A Geologic Guide to Mount McKinley National Park Wyatt G. Gilbert 1979	cover only Bird-Finding Guide to Denali National Park Kenneth Kertell and Alan Seegert 1984
cover only The Denali Road Guide Kim Heacox 1986	The Grizzlies of Mount McKinley Adolph Murie 1987	The Wolves of Mount McKinley Adolph Murie 1987	cover only Mammals of Denali Adolph Murie 1994
cover only The Wilderness of Denali Charles Sheldon 1939, 2000