The park was established as Mt. McKinley National Park on Feb. 26, 1917. The original park was designated a wilderness area and incorporated into Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980. The Park was designated an international biosphere reserve in 1976. It is a park which contains an extraordinary variety of wildlife, in its vast tundra and taiga expenses, more than any other in the United States. Denali National Park and Preserve is home to Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America as well free-roaming bear, wolves, moose, sheep, caribou and beaver. Even if Mt. McKinley is often obscured by clouds, the majestic surroundings and grizzly families make this park popular.

In Denali Park you have the option of stopping only for a few hours and catching a shuttle service back to hotels and campgrounds outside the park, or, with proper permits, backpacking further into the park's interior. If you want to see this beautiful area from another perspective, charter plane and helicopter flights are available from several nearby locations. It's more than a mountain. Denali National Park & Preserve features North America's highest mountain, 20,320-foot tall Mount McKinley. The Alaska Range also includes countless other spectacular mountains and many large glaciers.