Why Most Guided Hikes in Denali Do Not Take Place Within the Park
While planning your trip to Denali, you may have noticed a common theme - most guided hikes do not take place within the National Park Borders. Why is that? Great question. While the park has lots of hiking - I mean, 6 million acres seems like you wouldn’t run out of space, right? Well, technically that’s true, there are a few reasons for tours taking place outside of the park.
National Park Limitations
The National Park Service has firm, government-enforced limitations on private commercial operations within the park. For a private company, i.e., Northern Epics, to operate tours within park limits, it must obtain - and maintain in good standing - a commercial use authorization (CUA) permit. There are a few varieties of CUA permit that different companies may need to lead trips in different areas or at different times of year.
Denali, specifically, contains most tours to specialized mountaineering or educational programs. Also, a few trails are restricted from CUA permits. One of those is the Savage River Trail, which is one of our favorites, and if you are comfortable without a guide, I would highly recommend it.
There are several reasons the National Park Service limits the commercial use permits and where they can operate. One is to protect the park. National Parks are National Parks for a reason, and the park service is there to protect the land. If they were to allow companies to operate tours anywhere within the park, the volume of people traversing all over the park may increase significantly. If there were to be an increase in people, certain trails would wear down faster, wildlife could be disturbed, and the ecosystem in certain areas could be negatively impacted. This would, in turn, ruin the experience for many visitors and defeat the purpose of the National Parks' goal to preserve and protect the land. Additionally, it’s important to the park service to provide the opportunity for guests who want an isolated and unique experience in the park to be able to travel deep into the park without encountering a single other human being!
Access and Quality Outside of the Park
Many trails outside of the park may be better for you and much easier to access. Such as trail length, steepness, views, drive time and more.
Denali National Park is surrounded by (and part of) the Alaska Range, which is definitely not lacking in hikes, views or peaks. It stretches from the Alaska-Canada border all the way to the Alaska Peninsula. While you are staying in the Denali area, the mountains you are looking at are part of the Alaska Range. The majority of the Alaska Range is owned by the State of Alaska and the National Park Service. Parts of it are owned by Alaska Native Corporations, boroughs and some areas are privately owned. If you are curious about land ownership and rights in Alaska, I suggest this article by the NPS: Land Ownership in National Park System Units in Alaska and Possibilities for Mining and Other Developments.
For borough land we must obtain a permit called a commercial land use permit every year. This is much easier and simpler than obtaining a commercial use authorization from the park. It also gives us the freedom to take guests to the best hikes and areas around without trail restrictions. We operate three-fourths of our tours on borough land.
The Alaska Range is filled with fantastic hikes, and, in my opinion, ones that are better than those within the park. Many of these trails and areas are easier to access, which cuts down on drive time during your time here.
Difficulty Levels
Trails within the park range from easy walking paths to intense backcountry off-trail expeditions. While this provides guests with lots of options, the middle-ground trails are few and far between. Many of the longer “moderate” trails are still mostly flat. The only two trails that are easily accessible and provide real alpine views are the Mount Healy Overlook Trail and the Savage Alpine Trail (and CUA permits do not allow tours to run there). For day hikes, the majority of trails outside the park are a much better distance, elevation gain, and difficulty-wise. They also provide alpine views that most trails within the park do not have.
Also, there are very few marked trails within the park limits. The trails that are marked are only within the first few miles of the entrance making the area of land available for tours even smaller.
Of course, you can always explore the backcountry via the transit bus within the park. Day tickets are $33.95; ages 15 and under are free. The bus runs to mile 43 of the park road, where it is closed due to a landslide. You can get off anywhere you choose and flag down any other non-narrated bus for your ride back. The National Park Service also offers guided tours you can join that go beyond the CUA limits. These tours can only be signed up for in person and must be done one to two days in advance. Times and locations are posted in person at the visitor center at Denali National Park.
Plants and Animals don’t know Boundaries
A major part of Denali National Park, and Alaska in general, is the wildlife and local plants! However, the plants and animals that are found within the park boundaries are also found outside of them. The land just beyond the park lines is the same as the land within, and the animals do not know these boundaries. There is nothing keeping them in or out of the park, so your chances of seeing wildlife are just about as equal as if you were within the boundaries.
Whether you choose to go on a guided hike or not, we recommend getting out and exploring! Here are the best hikes in and around Denali National Park: The Northern Epics Denali Hiking Hub.
Enjoy your Alaskan adventure :)
