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Although Alaska is the US鈥� largest state, spanning approximately 1.7 million square kilometers, it is the third least-populated state. Much of the land is protected as preserves, national parks, national historic parks, and monuments. The state accounts for about 30% of the US wilderness areas, with more than the country鈥檚 national park land area located there. Alaska hosts six of the US鈥� seven largest national parks, with only the Death Valley (5th largest national park) located outside the state. Denali National Park and Preserve is the state and country鈥檚 third-largest national park, after Wrangell-St. Elias and Gates of the Arctic (both located in Alaska).

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The Denali National Park and Preserve are located in Alaska鈥檚 central region, also known as Interior Alaska. Its main attraction is the Denali, North America鈥檚 highest peak, at 6,190 meters above sea level. The national park and the surrounding protected areas cover approximately 24,464 square kilometers, slightly larger than West Virginia and nine other US states. It contains the Denali Wilderness area, which stretches 8,687 square kilometers. The national park covers about 19,186 square kilometers, with the preserve covering the rest.

Naming

For years, the Koyukon Athabaskans referred to the mountain as 鈥淒enali鈥� or 鈥淒inale鈥� for 鈥渢all鈥� or 鈥渉igh.鈥� However, the Russians referred to it as 鈥淏olshaya Gora鈥� for 鈥渂ig mountain.鈥� In 1896, President William McKinley鈥檚 supporter and a gold prospector, William A Dickey, named it McKinley Mountain. The state officially adopted the name when President McKinley assented to an Act establishing the Mount McKinley National Park in 1917. However, Denali National Monument was combined with the national park and the combined unit named鈥� Denali National Park and Preserve.鈥� Alaska鈥檚 Board of Geographic Names also changed the mountain鈥檚 name to Denali.

Geography And Wildlife

The national park and preserve straddle Matanuska-Susitna and Denali Boroughs. The park is approximately 400 kilometers north of Anchorage (Alaska鈥檚 largest city) and 1,350 kilometers off Juneau鈥檚 northwest. Denali National Park and Preserve is not only famous for its high peak. It also hosts numerous plants and animal species and offers numerous fun activities, including rafting, biking, camping, fishing, and hiking. It is home to 37 mammal species, including marmots, lynx, foxes, snowshoes hares, and Arctic ground squirrels. About 450,000 people visit the national park and preserve annually, especially between May and September. 聽 聽

The Denali National Park and Preserve encompass Alaska Range鈥檚 central, highest section and the glacial valleys on the south. On the north, the park and preserve include the Foraker, Toklat, and McKinley river valleys and Wyoming and Kantishna Hills. The park鈥檚 entrance is 18 kilometers off Healy鈥檚 south, with the park鈥檚 headquarters and visitors center located inside the entrance. The Preserve borders the park on the west side and comprises two parcels of land. The first parcel covers areas like Muddy River and Highpower Creek, while the second parcel covers areas around Mount Dall.

Brief History And Establishment

The Denali Region was inhabited as early as over 11,000 years BP, with archaeological evidence dating back 8,000 years BP. Teklenika River site is the park鈥檚 oldest site, dating back to 7130 BC. The Athabaskan people have inhabited the area since 1,500 years BP or even earlier, with prominent groups including Tanana, Koyukon, and Dena鈥檌na people.

In the early 20th century, Charles Alexander Sheldon came up with the idea of creating a national park to preserve the Denali Region. In 1906, he presented the plan to the fellow Boone and Crockett Club members, who thought that Congress would not take any action as the political climate was unfavorable at the time. In October 1915, the matter was presented to the Boone and Crockett Club鈥檚 Game Committee, where it was endorsed. The committee presented the plan to James Wickersham, Alaska鈥檚 delegate, on December 15, 1915, for approval. Finally, the Club approved the plan and presented it to the Interior鈥檚 Assistant Secretary, Stephen Mather, who also gave his approval. Wickersham introduced the bill in the House in April 1916, while Key Pittman (Nevada Senator) introduced it in the Senate. The bill was passed on February 19, 1917, and signed into law on February 26 by President Woodrow Wilson, effectively establishing Mount McKinley National Park.

Geology

Denali National Park and Preserve covers the central portion of Alaska Range, a 650-km long mountain range in southcentral Alaska that runs between Lake Clark (US) and the White River (Canada). Denali, the range鈥檚 main geologic feature, is North America鈥檚 highest mountain, at 6,190 meters above sea level. However, its base-to-peak height (vertical relief) is 5,500 meters, the 海角社区鈥檚 highest. Denali gains 1 mm annually due to the Pacific and North American plates convergence and has retained much of its height because of the granite composition.

The park also contains some old rocks, most of which originated from the Pacific Ocean as sediment deposits over 400 million years ago. The oldest rocks belong to the Yukon-Tanana terrane, while the next oldest rocks are part of Farewell terrane, dating back 250-300 years ago. Other terranes include Chulitna, McKinley, and Pingston. The park鈥檚 youngest rocks are part of the Kahiltna terrane, deposited during the mountain formation鈥檚 early stages.

Approximately 16% of the park and preserve鈥檚 total area is under a glacier, with the range鈥檚 southeastern portion having more snow than other places. Some of the largest glaciers on the south are Ruth, Tokositna, Kahiltna, and Yentna. Ruth Glacier is about 1,200 meters thick. However, Muldrow, located on the north, is the park鈥檚 largest glacier, measuring 51 kilometers long.聽