Holidaying near Mt. McKinley

Mount McKinley, or Denali, to give it one of its Native American names, is the highest mountain both in the United States and North America. Located in Alaska, Denali Mountain is one of the most iconic landmarks in that vast state. It is also the key location of the Denali National Park and Preserve.

Activities

Denali National Park provides visitors with the chance to participate in many exciting outdoor activities close to the mountain. While the main focus is on exploring the region's beautiful scenery and opportunities to see wildlife, there are also historical and sociological opportunities on offer. Visitors can experience the lives of local Natives, in an environment where subsistence food production activities still occupy a central place in the local economy. There are also relics of Alaska's frontier past, with old mining facilities still dotted around the park, and a fascinating museum provides insights into the region's history. Winters in Alaska are very cold indeed, but the snow means that skiing, snowboarding, dog sledding and other winter sports are common in the state. The isolated conditions help to provide an extra level of challenge to more intrepid visitors. As summer changes into autumn, the chances of seeing a stunning display of the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) increase.

Key locations

Climbing Denali itself may be beyond the skills of many visitors, but the mountain itself provides extremely fine opportunities for some of the world's best climbers and survival experts to test their skills. A handbook is available from the National Park which should be read as it gives a comprehensive summary of conditions, likely possible set-backs and a range of mountaineering information specific to Mt McKinley. The key location for any holiday in the region of the mountain is therefore, the Denali Visitors' Center.

Travel

The Park Road provides the solitary vehicle access to the heart of the Denali National Park, and there are buses available to carry visitors along this route. Obviously, the harsh Alaskan winters mean that access to the inner areas of the park can be impossible during this time. The ploughing of snow from roads usually begins in April.

Acommodation

Unfortunately, there are no National Park Service (NPS) operated accommodations in Denali other than camp sites. Some privately-owned lodgings do exist within the national park boundaries, but these are not affiliated in any way to the NPS. Most visitors to the area stay in one of the nearby towns, which have a range of facilities on offer to travellers, as well as variety of accommodation. The nearest towns are Healy, which is situated about 11 miles north of the park entrance, and Cantwell, some 30 miles south of the park entrance.