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Mount McKinley, Denali National Park & Preserve, Alaska (13:40, 3 July, 2009)
Author: Dave Bezaire & Susi Havens-Bezaire (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Denali National Park and Preserve is a park and preserve covering 9,492 sq mi (24,585 sq km) in Alaska. It contains 20,335-foot (6,198-meter) Denali, also called Mount McKinley, the highest mountin in North America.
The highest mountain in Alaska was named by local prospector William A. Dickey after William McKinley of Ohio in 1897, even though McKinley has no connection to Alaska. The name has been subject to local disapproval from the start, with the preference being Denali, which means "the high one" in the native Athabaskan language. The mountain is only known as McKinley outside Alaska.
Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Author: Jennifer (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
In 1907-08 conservationist Charles Alexander Sheldon visited Alaska. He became keen on the well-being of the native Dall sheep (Ovis dalli), whose grazing land was increasingly being threatened by human encroachment. He petitioned the people of Alaska and Congress to establish a wildlife preserve for the sheep. This led to the founding of Mount McKinley National Park on 26 February, 1917. That initial park covers only a small area and part of Mount McKinley, not including its summit. It was made an international biosphere reserve in 1976.
Dall sheep in Alaska Zoo, Anchorage
Author: David McMaster (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)
On 1 December 1978, a separate Denali National Monument was proclaimed by President Jimmy Carter. Meanwhile the name Mount McKinley National Park continued to receive local criticism, so when both that national park and Denali National Monument were merged on 2 December, 1980, a new Denali National Park and Preserve was established.
Denali National Park and Preserve covers 6 million acres, adjacent to Denali State Park on the southeastern side. The national preserve occupies 1,334,200 acres. On 2 December, 1980, Denali Wilderness covering 2,146,580 acres was also established within the park.
Alaska RR Denali Star rounding a curve near Denali
Author: Len Turner (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
Visiting Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Visit to Denali National Park is only available between late May and early September. Due to the severity of the weather, a Road Lottery is held, with drawing done in September. Winners of the lottery are given the chance to buy a day-long permit to drive on the Denali Park Road, as much as weather allows. Applicants must submit lottery application in June (and no earlier than 1 June) for the September Road Lottery.Vehicles used on the Park Road must be not more than 22 ft long by 8 ft wide by 12 ft high, inclusive of side mirrors and bumpers.
Park entrance fee is $20 per vehicle and $10 per person, valid for 7 days.
Wonder Lake, Denali National Park & Preserve
Author: njwilson23 (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic)
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