Denali National Park and Preserve, located in Alaska, is renowned for its vast and rugged landscape, diverse wildlife, and North America’s tallest peak, Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley), which stands at 20,310 feet. The park covers over 6 million acres, encompassing a wide range of ecosystems, from lowland forests to alpine tundra.
There is 1 main road in this park and you generally have to take a park bus, not your own car once you want to get past mile marker 15. The bus travels along the road with multiple stops to see the mountain and view any wildlife.
We drove the beginning and then took the bus the next day to see Denali. We got lucky and saw the mountain, as only about 30% of all visitors actually see the mountain due to clouds and fog.
The views of Denali are breathtaking.
We saw animals including a few bears.
We did hike the Savage River Loop Trail. It was nice, but nothing extraordinary. Given that you have to take a bus to really get into this park it didn’t seem like a major hiking park unless you get a back country permit.
The bus ride wasn’t the most comfortable and it was long. But necessary.
Outside the park, there were some cute places to eat.
