Denali National Park and Preserve
The nearly 24,585 km ² Denali National Park ( Denali National Park and Preserve ) is located in central Alaska (USA). The name derives from the Indian word denali ( the high ) for the highest mountain in North America from which is located on the territory of the National Park (Mount McKinley, 6193 meters).
The park was established as Mount McKinley National Park on February 26, 1917 and renamed on December 2, 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in Denali National Park and expanded to almost 10,000 km ². The expansion areas have allowed the lower protection status of a National Preserve in them is hunting. In 1976 the area was designated as an international biosphere reserve. Today, the park is visited annually by over 400,000 people and is known for wildlife viewing, mountain climbing or hiking. The Park Street (and thus the audience operating in the park) is open until mid-September by mid-May.
The park entrance is reached by the Alaska Railroad, plane or on the path from Anchorage and Fairbanks George Parks Highway. Ins Park Inner performs about 100 km long road to Kantishna, which branches off from the George Parks Highway and runs in an east-west direction along the Alaska Range. Only the first 15 km of the road are attached and may be traveled by private vehicles. Into the interior of the park visitors of one of the many shuttle buses that travel the park road until September regularly from May, on foot or by bicycle. Up to certain campgrounds may also be driven with a camper.
Only in the entrance area of the park and at the Eielson Visitor Center there are paved paths. Except for a few permanent or temporary restricted areas of the park is easily accessible. To stay in the wilderness outside of the few designated campsites on the park road, it requires a ( free ) permit and a briefing by the park rangers, addressing in, among other things right behavior towards bears. At the end of the park road of Wonder Lake, which in clear weather a good view of Mount McKinley offers lies.
The vegetation in Denali is in the lower regions of mixed forest, at medium altitudes from tundra and in the high altitudes of glaciers such as the Ruth Glacier and rocky with little vegetation. In summer ( the American way, the so-called "Moose" ), caribou and wolves can be observed in Denali grizzly bears, moose. On the mountain slopes, particularly at Polychrome Pass, you can see Dall sheep up close.
In winter there are opportunities for dog sledding, cross-country skiing or snowmobiling.
The subarctic climate in Denali is characterized by extremely long cold winters and short warm summers. Even in summer rainfall can, albeit rarely, falling as snow. Due to the location just 300 kilometers south of the Arctic Circle, it is late June / early July in Denali not dark, but the daylight hours in late December are extremely short.