The Best Hiking in Denali National Park and Preserve

McKinley Bar Trail is a 5 mile roundtrip hike that is located 1/4 mile before Wonder Lake Campground. This hike is a great way to stretch your legs out after a long bus ride. This easy trail meanders through a spruce forest and past many small ponds before reaching the McKinley Bar on the McKinle...

Camp Ridge Trail is an out-and-back where you may see local wildlife located near Denali National Park, Alaska.

Tundra Trail Spur is an out-and-back trail that takes you past scenic surroundings located near Denali National Park, Alaska.

To get to this trailhead, you are going to have to take the Denali Park shuttle bus to the Eielson Visitor Center. The shuttle system is great, but it's also the only way you're going into the park in the summer months. Once you're on the bus, you can get out at any point, go for a hike, and catc...

Gorge Creek is an out-and-back trail that takes you by a river located near Denali National Park, Alaska.

Thorofare Ridge Trail is an out-and-back trail where you may see beautiful wildflowers located near Healy, Alaska.

Mount Thorofare Ridge Loop is a loop trail where you may see beautiful wildflowers located near Cantwell, Alaska.

Byers Lake Trail is a loop trail that takes you by a lake located near Talkeetna, Alaska.

The Byers Lake Loop Trail begins in the Byers Lake Campground. If you're not planning on camping, you can park in the day use area (the first right hand turn, off of the campground entrance), pay the $5 fee, and walk towards the campground loops. At the bottom of B loop, there is a sign which sim...

The best time of year to do this is when the weather is cold and the river is low. I have had the best luck in late spring and early fall. If it's raining or really hot this hike won't be doable because the river will be impassable without a pack raft or a high skill level of river crossings. Sta...

From the Toklat contact station walk east back across the bridge (crossing the river) and drop down onto the river bar heading north. Walk for about 75 yards north hugging the cliffs on the right. Eventually you will reach an area where the tundra comes all the way down to the river bar. This is ...

From the Toklat Contact Station look due west and that is the mountain you are about to climb. Directly across the from the tent there is a drainage. Walk up the drainage hugging the right side until you are above the treeline (about 300-400ft). Once you are above the trees climb out of the drain...

The Toklat East Branch Trail doesn't require any stream crossings, making it a preferable backpacking location. Wildlife such as grizzly bears, wolves, caribou, and sheep are often sighted. Be aware of the temperature drop and high winds at night if you are camping. Make sure to secure a permit. 

Kesugi Ridge is a 27.4 mile point-to-point trail from Little Coal Creek to Byer's Lake in Alaska's Denali State Park. To get to the trailhead from Anchorage, take the Park's Highway north to the parking area at Little Coal Creek Trailhead at milepost 163.9. The trail quickly climbs about 1,750 f...