Denali Park Road – A Stunning Alaska Drive

Polychrome Outlook on the Denali Park Road

Before my arrival in Denali National Park I had tried to fathom how on earth it was going to take seven hours to get to my lodging – Camp Denali, located at about the 90 mile marker on the Denali Park Road.

It didn’t take long once I was actually on the bus to put two and two together. The stunning 92 mile Denali Park Road is primarily a single lane dirt highway save for the first 15 miles which are paved and open to cars. From that point on its buses only – except for exceptions like government vehicles.

With wildlife and geology stops, bathroom breaks and picnic dinners along with bottlenecks on a few sections of the road- namely around the Polychrome Lookout, driving is slow going. But if you want to get deep into Denali National Park, the drive in on Denali Park Road is your only option.

NOTE: The closure of the Denali Park Road at Mile 43 will remain in place until partway through summer 2026 while they rework the Polychrome Area plan. Fortunately, there is still a lot of amazing hiking – both in the frontcountry and backcountry that you can do.

 You'll be on a school-bus of some sort to get past Mile 15
You’ll be on a school-bus of some sort to get past Mile 15 on the Denali Park Road

Denali Park Road – a nature lover’s dream

Fortunately, it’s a fascinating drive along Denali Park Road, especially as some of the bus drivers (scroll to the end of the post for more info) do double duty as naturalist guides.

The drivers/guides we had from Camp Denali were particularly knowledgeable about the park, the geology, and its wild inhabitants. They were also incredible at spotting wildlife – like wolves and Dall sheep that looked like mere rocks on the landscape.

Even when the bus stopped, I had a hard time finding the animals they saw while driving – though I did see the birds.

Merlin seen on the drive and many times during my four night stay
Merlin seen on the drive out – and many times during my four night stay

Denali National Park is a vast expanse of land thanks to President Carter who tripled the size of the park to six million acres when he left office in 1980. Some properties like Camp Denali that were once outside the park are now within the park boundaries.

The park is divided into wilderness, national park land and national preserve land though it’s unlikely these designations will influence your visit to the park. They certainly didn’t affect mine.

The parks name was legally changed by President Obama from McKinley to Denali.

We lucked out with big time Denali views near the start of the drive
We lucked out with big time Denali views near the start of the drive

Affiliate links ahead, which means I receive a small percentage if you purchase anything through them at no extra cost to you. This helps me provide free content on this site. 

***Before you go to Alaska I recommend picking up a copy of Denali National Park: The Complete Visitors Guide to the Mountain, Wildlife, and Year-Round Outdoor Activities.***

The wildlife experience in Denali National Park

Politics aside, Denali National Park delivers an incredible wildlife experience with a backdrop of stunning mountain scenery, including Mount Denali, the highest mountain in North America. You get that wildlife experience on the Denali Park Road drive!

The park has been described as an intact, un-manipulated ecosystem. Over the course of the long drive you can expect to see Dall sheep (probably up high in the mountains if you visit later in the summer), grizzly and black bears, wolves and caribou.

Bird life is also interesting with 162 species sighted in the summer – versus 10 species in the winter.

Reportedly park wildlife numbers look like this: 70-75 wolves. 2,100 Dall sheep, 1,000 barren ground caribou, 1,900 moose and 350 grizzly bears. Of course there are lots of smaller animals including Arctic hares, collared pikas, Arctic ground squirrels, hoary marmots, beavers, porcupines, minks, martens and lynx that you might see.

Video showing the vast landscape in Denali National Park 

The drive on Denali Park Road through delivered more wildlife sightings than on any trips I’ve done in North America

 First uncommon sighting - a hawk owl
First uncommon sighting – a hawk owl
Rolling hills through a mix of spruce forest and tundra

Buy food before you start the drive into Denali

The Denali Park Road follows an approximate east – west direction. It climbs four mountain passes between Igloo at Mile 33 and Eielson at Mile 66. Though the passes are under 4,000 feet they are all above treeline which in Denali is at approximately 3,000 feet.

There are designated rest stops with full bathroom facilities along the road but unless you are staying at a lodge like Camp Denali that provides a picnic dinner, you will need to bring your own food and water. There is nowhere to purchase food once you’ve left the park entrance.

A major bus stop at Mile 29 at the Teklanika River
A major bus stop at Mile 29 at the Teklanika River
Shortly after dinner we enjoy an up close caribou sighting
Shortly after dinner we enjoy an up close caribou sighting
Stunning landscape at the Polychrome Lookout
Stunning landscape at the Polychrome Lookout
More colourful mountains seen from the Polychrome Lookout
More colourful mountains seen from the Polychrome Lookout
Caribou just hanging out at the Toklat River bus stop
Caribou just hanging out at the Toklat River bus stop
Driving Alaska's Stunning Denali Park Road
The Denali Park Road can be a dusty one as most of it is on a gravel road
Driving Alaska's Stunning Denali Park Road
Feel the vastness in Denali National Park; its 6 million acres in size, equivalent in area to Switzerland
Driving Alaska's Stunning Denali Park Road
Beautiful lighting on the mountains
Multiple caribou sightings on the drive out along with wolf, moose, Dall sheep and a blond grizzly bear
Multiple caribou sightings on the drive out along with wolf, moose, Dall sheep and a blond grizzly bear
Sit on the right hand side on the drive in if heights make you queasy
If heights make you queasy sit on the right hand side of the bus on the drive in
The view from the Eielson Visitor Center
The view from the Eielson Visitor Center on Denali Park Road
On the Denali Park Road saw these caribou antlers
Male caribou shed their antlers every fall – females after giving birth in spring
Driving towards Wonder Lake via denali park road
Driving towards Wonder Lake on Denali Park Road
Wonder Lake - where there's a high likelihood of seeing common loons and moose
Wonder Lake – where there’s a high likelihood of seeing common loons and moose
Willow ptarmigans are one of the few birds that hang around Denali National Park in the winter
Willow ptarmigans are one of the few birds that hang around Denali National Park in the winter

The Camp Denali Difference

I consider myself very lucky to have stayed as a guest at Camp Denali – located around Mile 90 in the park. While everyone must take a bus after Mile 15, not all buses are of the same quality.

The Camp Denali buses are very comfortable as far as school buses go. They are extremely roomy with every second seat removed so it’s easy to bolt from one side of the bus to the other to get the animal shot.

Windows open laterally so you can stick your head out with your big lens! Also the speakers worked like a charm so I never had to strain to hear the driver/naturalist – and I was sitting at the back of the bus.

The other thing Camp Denali does really well is food. They produced an amazing lineup of salads, fresh homemade bread, cheeses, smoked salmon – all pictured below – and served about half way into the drive. Dessert was waiting on our arrival.

Read: The Camp Denali Experience in Alaska

On the Denali park Road hanging out near Igloo Creek while our picnic dinner is being prepared
Hanging out near Igloo Creek while our picnic dinner is being prepared
An amazing dinner spread of mostly Alaska grown or sourced foods
An amazing dinner spread of mostly Alaska grown or sourced foods including fresh bread with hand-picked, homemade wild blueberry jam

Useful information about the bus trip into Denali National Park

Types of buses: There are three types of buses in Denali National Park to choose from if you are not staying at Camp Denali, The North Face Lodge or at a couple of other small hotels in Kantishna.

Shuttle buses: They’re free but they only travel the first 15 miles into the park on the paved part of Denali Park Road. They do allow access to the trails around the Savage River.

Tour buses: They are the tan coloured ones. You get the full narrated experience along Denali Park Road with a driver/naturalist. The first ones start on May 9 and they continue until September 19th. You can choose from a 4.5 hour tour ($80) to Teklanika River (Mile 27),  a 7 – 8 hour Tundra Wilderness Tour ($136) to Stony Lookout (Mile 63) or the full 12 hour Kantishna Experience ($208). Children are half the price of an adult.

Transit buses: There are also green transit buses that don’t offer a narrated experience but do allow you to get on or off anywhere along Denali Park Road.

Tickets: They can be purchased online or by phone – 800-622-7275 or at the Denali Bus Depot.

Park fees: Park entrance fees are extra.

More information: Visit the Denali National Park website.

Train: To get to Denali National Park from Anchorage or Fairbanks – consider taking the train.

Click on the photo below to bookmark to your Pinterest board.

Driving the stunning, wildlife-rich Denali Park Road in Alaska

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