Things to do
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Denali National Park and Preserve
Ride a green transit bus as far as it goes and step off where you like: past Savage River the road belongs to buses, and the bears, caribou and sheep along it have learned to ignore them.
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Museum
Denali Visitor Center
Next to the railway depot near the park entrance, this summer-only centre holds exhibits on the park's wildlife, landscape and history, plus a film shown through the day. Rangers at the desk answer questions on buses, trails, backcountry permits and the weather on the mountain. Several short trails start from the building, including those to Horseshoe Lake and the Mount Healy Overlook.
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Lake
Horseshoe Lake
Cut off from the Nenana River when the channel moved, this oxbow lake lies below the bluffs a short walk from the visitor centre. A trail of about 5 km round trip drops through spruce to the shore and circles the water, past dams and lodges built by the beavers that live here. Moose feed in the shallows, and the river runs just beyond the far bank.
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Viewpoint
Mount Healy Overlook Trail
Starting near the visitor centre, this is the steepest of the marked trails at the park entrance, climbing about 520 m in roughly 4.3 km through spruce and alder to an open ridge of rock. From the overlook the view takes in the Nenana River valley, Horseshoe Lake and the hotels of the canyon strip far below. The round trip takes most of a morning.
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Other
Nenana River
Running north out of the Alaska Range along the park's eastern edge, this glacial river is grey with silt and only a few degrees above freezing. Through the canyon by the entrance strip it drops through rapids of class III and IV, run in summer by rafting outfitters who supply drysuits. A gentler float upstream suits families, with moose and the occasional bear on the banks.
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Other
Savage River Loop
About 24 km in along the park road, where the pavement ends and private cars turn back in summer, a level loop of about 3 km follows both banks of the Savage River through a rocky gap. Arctic ground squirrels and marmots live among the boulders, and Dall sheep sometimes graze the slopes above. A free shuttle runs out from the entrance area all season.
