Alaska is home to some out-of-this-world national parks and Denali National Park is just one of them. This park requires a bit of a trek for non-Alaskan residents, but it is certainly worth the journey to get there.
How to get there?
For travelers who don’t reside in Alaska, you’ll have to make the trek up north to see this park. RVers can either fly to Alaska and rent an RV or you can drive up from the lower 48. In order to drive, you’ll need significant time to get there and back. Check out this post about driving the Alaskan-Canadian highway—it’s a good reference point from which to start planning your trip.
The entrance to Denali National Park is located on the Parks Highway. The closest major cities are Fairbanks (2 hours away) and Anchorage (4 hours away). If you’re driving up from Anchorage, I recommend stopping at the Denali south viewpoint off Parks Highway, close to Trapper Creek. If it’s a clear day, this is a great spot to get your first glimpse of Denali as well as other mountains in the Alaskan range.
Where to camp?
Outside of the official Denali National Park territory, there is a decent amount of dispersed camping to be found. One well-known spot that can accommodate large rigs is off of Otto road, only a short drive from the entrance. However, if travelers can get a reservation spot within the park, it’s highly recommended. There is only one road in and out of the park and non-Denali-official vehicles can only drive in the first few miles. The campgrounds within the park that can accommodate RVs include Riley Creek, Savage River, and Teklanika River. RVers can look for reservations here.
What to do?
As mentioned before, private vehicles can only drive into the park for the first few miles. The single road that goes through the entire park is 98 miles. So, if you don’t go explore more into the park, you’re really missing a lot.
However, there are a few things you can do without actually getting on the Denali Park bus. The Savage River area is accessible to explore by private vehicle and you can also visit with sled dogs.
For those who have the time, getting on one of the buses that go further into the park is well worth it. This can be time consuming, but the views of the mountains and wildlife make it well worth your time. A helpful hint is that the road is long and can be rough, so bring snacks. If anyone in your traveling party has a tendency for motion sickness, sit toward the front of the bus and try snacking on some ginger or whatever works best to settle your stomach.
Those who have a lot of time to explore the park and are looking for adventure should spend one night deep in the park at Wonder Lake—it’s really a once in a lifetime camping experience. Wonder Lake is the closest established campground in the park to Denali. On a clear day in the summer, you can get an out-of-this-world view of the mountain and spend the day hiking around the lake picking blueberries.
If it wasn’t obvious already, the state of Alaska is the ultimate RV destination in the summer and I highly recommend checking it out.
You can start planning your trip to Denali National Park with a cool ready-to-rent rig from Outdoorsy today.
