Denali National Park and Preserve, National park and preserve in Interior Alaska, United States
Denali National Park and Preserve is a protected area in Alaska encompassing the highest peak in North America and wide tundra plains that stretch over more than six million acres. Grizzly bears, wolves and caribou herds roam these open landscapes between glacier valleys and arctic plateaus.
The government created the protected area in 1917 as Mount McKinley National Park to preserve wildlife and landscapes from excessive hunting. Congress expanded the area considerably in 1980 and restored the current name.
The name Denali comes from the Dena'ina Athabascan word for "the High One", referring to the 6,190-metre summit the park surrounds. The Koyukon, Tanana and Dena'ina peoples lived in the region, and more than 84 archaeological sites, mostly hunting camps, have been recorded inside the park, the oldest at the Teklanika River, about 7130 BC.
A single road opens up the area for 92 miles (148 kilometers), with private vehicles allowed only on the first 15 miles (24 kilometers). Buses carry visitors deeper inside, where views of wildlife and mountains often become clearer.
The "Magic Bus" used in the 2007 film Into the Wild stood abandoned on the Stampede Trail inside the park; Christopher McCandless lived in it alone in 1992 and died after the Teklanika River snowmelt cut off his return. A US Army helicopter lifted the bus out in June 2020.
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