|
| |
Denali's Natural Elements
|
Denali National Park is located
approximately 300 miles south of the Arctic Circle; during summer solstice, the
Park has nearly 21 hours of sunlight. |
|
Summer temperatures in Denali are typically cool with average
highs in the mid-60s. Winters are extremely cold with temperatures falling to
-40F and below.
|
|
Denali National Park and Preserve in
Alaska is the very heart of the rugged Alaskan Interior. Denali National Park
and Preserve is home to six million acres of wilderness. North America's highest
mountain, Mt. McKinley. Glaciers and a sub-arctic ecosystem are found in Denali
National Park and Preserve. An internationally designated bio-sphere preserve,
Denali National Park and Preserve is home to abundant moose, caribou, Dall sheep,
grizzly bears and wolves
|
|
Denali National Park and Preserve is
a place with fascinating Native American culture and history. It is a place
where hearty adventurers panned for gold and dog sleds, backpacks and
mountaineering gear are common. Alaska is the place of the Midnight Sun. Denali
National Park and Preserve is a place where you can live out your Alaska travel
dreams, whether they be wild adventures or serene contemplations. Denali
National Park and Preserve is a must-see part of your Alaskan vacation.
|
Denali's Landscape
|
Denali National Park and Preserve has
over six million acres of extremely diverse terrain including the highest
mountain in North America --- Mount McKinley --- which rises 20,320 feet and
overshadows the surrounding mountain peaks of the magnificent Alaskan Range.
Despite harsh winters of eight to nine months, Denali is considered a sub-arctic
desert. Rare plant life --- taiga and tundra --- and flowering plants are
abundant. |
Denali's Natural History
|
Bands of Athabaskan, Ahtna,
Tanana and Koyukon were among the many Native Americans who lived and thrived in
Denali's unique environment. Goldseekers rushed to Denali in the late 1800s and
early 1900s. And Charles Sheldon, a railroad executive and avid outdoorsmen,
made it his mission to see that the incredible landscape and awesome wildlife
were protected. |
|
In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson established Mount McKinley
National Park with 1.9 million acres. Harry Karstens, an adventurous sort who
was a member of the first expedition to climb Mount McKinley, became the Park's
first ranger and superintendent. |
|
More than 25 years ago the United Nations recognized the Park as
an International Biosphere Reserve, a unique environment to be studied and
observed without human intervention. Six years later the size of the park was
tripled and renamed Denali National Park and Preserve. |
| |
|
