Active Pursuits

Learning About the Park

The Denali experience changed significantly with the completion in 2005 of magnificent new educational facilities in the front country. What once was a rudimentary stepping-off point for journeys into the park became something of a destination in itself, with superb exhibits and opportunities to learn about nature.

The 14,000-square-foot Denali Visitor Center introduces the park and its connections to the rest of the world in a building that takes stock of its surroundings. The structure is environmentally advanced, using solar power for electricity and clever design to save solar warmth. Inside, life-size models of cranes overhead lead to an enormous mural, 60X28 feet in size, showing the landscape types found at the park. The carpet simulates a flowing river of gray and brown, making a path to an exhibit area with recreations of Denali wildlife, including a full-scale moose stepping through deep snow. You will also find exhibits on the Athabascan people, mining, tourism, and scientific research. On the upper floor, a large topographic model of the park demonstrates the arbitrary nature of its boundaries and another exhibit shows the six-continent routes of migratory birds found at Denali. Drawers open to reveal discoveries: a cross section of Earth, or of different kinds of trees. An award-winning orientation film, Heartbeats of Denali, lasts 18 minutes. The photography is impressive and the narration says much with few words. Summer hours are daily 8am to 6pm; the center is closed in the winter.

The Murie Science and Learning Center (tel. 866/683-1269 or 907/683-1269; www.murieslc.org), supports research and offers programs about the park. It is located about a mile in along the park road on the right side. The lobby houses changing science exhibits. A variety of organizations participate in programming, with evening lectures, morning walk-in science presentations, youth camps, and natural history field seminars for adults and for families with older or younger children. Three-day courses are around $320 per person. Check topics and register well in advance on the website. The center is open summer 9:30am to 4:30pm, winter daily 10am to 4pm.

Ranger Programs in the Park -- Check the park newspaper, the Alpenglow, for ranger talks and slide shows that happen as often as several times a day in the front-country area (near the entrance) and at the Riley Creek, Savage River, and Teklanika campgrounds.

Mountain Biking

A bicycle provides special freedom in the park. Bicyclists can ride past the checkpoint where cars have to turn back, at mile 14 on the park road. Riding is gritty, however, as buses come frequently and kick up a lot of dust. Bikes are not permitted off-road. Park campgrounds have bike stands and, with enough prior planning, you can set up a trip riding from one to the next. The longest stretch on the park road between campgrounds is 52 miles. With a reservation, you can take a bike on the camper bus so you can ride one-way. The shuttle system lacks much capacity for bikes, however, as only two can fit on each camper bus (I'm not sure why they don't install racks). Given this shortage, it can be hard for cyclists to find room on buses returning to the park entrance; instead, get a reserved spot on an outbound bus and bike back. Groups larger than two must split up onto different buses. Pick up a copy of the bicycle rules from the Backcountry Information Center before you start. Denali Outdoor Center (tel. 888/303-1925 or 907/683-1925; www.denalioutdoorcenter.com) rents front-suspension bikes for $40 for 24 hours, $25 for 6 hours, with discounts for longer rentals. The center has an office in Glitter Gulch and headquarters near Healy, at Otto Lake Road and Parks Highway, Mile 247. On the highway in the Nenana Canyon, you can also rent a bike at the Denali Parks Resorts Activity Center (tel. 907/683-2591) for $15 for 4 hours, $30 for 8 hours.

Sled-Dog Demonstrations

In the winter, rangers patrol the park by dog sled, as they have for decades. In the summer, to keep the dogs active and amuse the tourists, they run a sled on wheels around the kennel, and a ranger gives a talk, normally at 10am, 2pm, and 4pm. Although it's no substitute for seeing dogs run on snow, you can get a sense of their speed and enthusiasm from the show. It was the highlight of my older son's trip to Denali when he was 3 years old. There's no parking at the kennels, near the headquarters at mile 3.4 on the park road, so take a free bus that leaves the Denali Visitor Center 40 minutes before each show. Times are listed in the Alpenglow park newspaper. The park service is considering charging a fee for the demonstration starting in 2008; in the past it has always been free.

Fishing

Fishing is poor at Denali. There are grayling in some rivers, but the water is too cold and silty for most fish. Those who don't care if they catch anything, however, do enjoy fishing in this wonderful scenery. You don't need a fishing license within park boundaries, but you do have to throw back everything you catch. Bring your own gear.

For a better chance of catching something -- and an opportunity to learn about fly-fishing, too -- go to a private lake outside the park with guide Rick McMahan of Denali Fly Fishing Guides (tel. 907/768-1127). He picks up clients at their hotels and takes them lake or stream fishing, on the bank or wading, mostly for Arctic grayling but also rainbow trout. The per-person cost is $150 for a half-day, $260 for a full day, lunch included.

Flightseeing

Getting a good, close look at Mount McKinley itself is best accomplished by air. Frequently you can see McKinley from above the clouds even when you can't see it from the ground. Best of all, some Talkeetna operators that fly mountaineers also land visitors on the mountain, a unique and unforgettable experience. Regardless of how close you approach the mountain, a flight shows how incredibly rugged the Alaska Range is.

Small planes and helicopters fly from the park airstrip, from private heliports and airstrips along the Parks Highway, and from the Healy airstrip. Denali Air (tel. 907/683-2261; www.denaliair.com) has an office in the Nenana Canyon area, and operates flights at mile 229.5 of the Parks Highway. An hour-long flight going within a mile of the mountain costs $325 for adults, $165 for children ages 2 to 12. Era Helicopters (tel. 800/843-1947 or 907/683-2574; www.flightseeingtours.com) has 50-minute flights for $269, including van pickup from hotels in the area. Their heli-hikes land for a 4-hour walk on a mountain ridgeline, the difficulty tailored to the customers' ability, for $359. A 2-hour glacial hike costs $469.

Rafting

Rafting on the Nenana River, bordering the park along the Parks Highway, is fun and popular. Several commercial guides float two stretches of the river: an upper portion, where the water is smoother and the guides explain passing scenery; and the lower portion, where the river roars through the rock-walled Nenana Canyon and rafts take on huge splashes of silty, glacial water through Class III and IV rapids. Guides take children as young as 5 on the slow trip (although I wouldn't let my kid go at that age); the youngest accepted for the fast portion is age 12. Whitewater rafting carries risks you shouldn't discount just because a lot of people do it, as a fatal accident on the supposedly easy tour confirmed in 1999. Each session takes 2 to 2 1/2 hours, including safety briefings, suiting up, and riding to and from the put-in and take-out points. Prices vary from $73 to $98 for adults, with discounted rates for children (from $10 less to half off). Denali Outdoor Center (tel. 888/303-1925 or 907/683-1925; www.denalioutdoorcenter.com) is a professional operation, offering rafting trips and instruction in river techniques. The firm also offers self-paddled inflatable kayaks, popular with those who want to take an active hand in their float. Its riverside office is located 2 1/2 miles north of the park entrance at Otto Lake Road, at Mile 247 of the Parks Highway; the company also has an office right in Glitter Gulch. Whoever you go with, plan a shower afterward -- the silt in the river water will stick to your skin and hair.

Horseback Riding

There is no riding in the park itself, but various companies offer rides in similar terrain outside the park's boundaries. One- to 2-hour rides cost from $79 to $125. Among the operators are Denali Saddle Safaris (tel. 907/683-1200; www.denalisaddlesafaris.com), which also offers pack trips and extended journeys.