Denali National Park and Preserve covers six million acres — roughly the size of Massachusetts — in the heart of Alaska, 237 miles north of Anchorage and 120 miles south of Fairbanks. No park in North America offers so complete a wilderness ecosystem accessible to the average visitor. Grizzly bears, moose, caribou, wolves, Dall sheep, and dozens of other species roam the tundra plains and boreal forests with almost no human infrastructure in the way.
The centrepiece is Denali itself (formerly called Mount McKinley) at 6,190m — the highest peak in North America. The Athabascan name means "the High One." The summit is obscured by cloud on average six or seven days out of ten; when it clears, locals simply say "the mountain is out," and the view across the tundra to that white pyramid is unforgettable. The mountain's vertical relief from its base at Wonder Lake is greater than Everest's.
A single dirt road runs 85 miles into the park interior to Wonder Lake. Private vehicles are only allowed on the first 15 miles; beyond that, visitors travel on park buses. This is the only way to see the backcountry without a multi-day backcountry permit. Wildlife is most reliably seen from the buses in the first 30 miles, particularly in the Sable Pass area. The park is open year-round but the road is only accessible in full from late May to mid-September.