Alaska's Denali National Park & Preserve, home to North America's tallest peak, has only one road, and about half of it has been closed for years.
An active landslide prompted officials to close the 92-mile-long Denali Park Road at mile 45 in August 2021, cutting off vehicle access to a huge chunk of the park's western end.
Affected sites include the Eielson Visitor Center, the lodges and tour operators in the Kantishna area, and, perhaps most notable of all, Wonder Lake, the famed spot (pictured at the top of this page) where a mirror image of Denali often reflects off the surface of the water.
Due to the road closure, the visitor center was forced to shut down temporarily. Tourism businesses that have stayed open have had to fly in staff members and guests, according to the Anchorage Daily News.
Fortunately for those folks and for anybody else interested in experiencing the park in all its glory, the completion of a new bridge finally reconnects the eastern and western portions of the road, restoring access to areas that had required a helicopter for the last 5 years.
The new bridge that makes half of Denali National Park reachable again
Instead of repairing the portion of the road that went directly over the still-active landslide, the National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration opted to span the troubled area by constructing the roughly 475-foot-long Pretty Rocks Bridge.
The $230 million project "required engineers and construction crews to overcome steep terrain, complex geology, permafrost conditions, a remote work site, and a limited Alaska construction season," the park service explains in a news release.
Following the completion of the bridge last month, the western half of the park road reopened to hikers and cyclists immediately.
Full public bus service, meanwhile, is expected to resume for the 2027 summer visitor season.
How to visit the western end of Denali National Park via the new bridge
Because an ordinary park visitor is only allowed to drive a short distance into the park, as Afar explains, "buses are the primary way to travel deeper into the park."
And thanks to the new bridge, those buses will now be able to go the full length of the Denali Park Road again for the first time since 2021.
You will need a ticket to use the transit bus system. Rates for 2027 haven't been announced yet, but rides on the eastern half of the road cost $33.50 per adult this year.
The park's bus and campground reservations for the 2027 season open Dec. 1, 2026.
To make a reservation or get more info about transit at Denali National Park, go to ReserveDenali.com.