Much of the ground in Alaska's Denali is losing its top layer of permafrost, resulting in landslides and a sometimes-blocked park road.
A single, mostly gravel road connects 600,000 visitors a year with the 6 million acres of Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve. Most visitors ride park buses to marvel at grizzly and black bears, wolves, caribou, moose, and Dall sheep—the “Big Five” wildlife species—and hope for a peek at North America’s tallest mountain—20,310-foot Denali—which is often shrouded by clouds.
Thawing permafrost prompts Denali National Park to reimagine its future
A single, mostly gravel road connects 600,000 visitors a year with the 6 million acres of Alaska’s Denali National Park and Preserve. Most visitors ride park buses to marvel at grizzly and black bears, wolves, caribou, moose, and Dall sheep—the “Big Five” wildlife species—and hope for a peek at North America’s tallest mountain—20,310-foot Denali—which is often shrouded by clouds.
Thawing permafrost prompts Denali National Park to reimagine its future