Denali National Park is the third largest national park in the United States, sprawling an eye-popping 6 million acres across the interior of Alaska. However, despite its massive size, the park only has 35 miles of established hiking trails in its footprint. Accordingly, even if you only have a few days in the park, you can cover a LOT of ground here.
My husband, Justin, and I spent a week exploring all of the best things that this beautiful corner of Alaska has to offer. We put together this list of the 7 best hikes in Denali National Park, helping you see the tallest mountain in North America!
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Best hikes in Denali National Park
1. Savage Alpine Trail
- Length: 4.3 miles
- Elevation gain: 1,463 feet
- Difficulty: Hard
If I only had time to hike one trail in Denali, it would be the Savage Alpine Trail, which winds through a beautiful boreal forest and climbs up to the top of a ridgeline of a craggy mountain. From here, you’ll have some of the best views of Mount Denali and the surrounding Alaska Mountain range in the entire national park.
The trail is hiked point-to-point, meaning you start and end at different spots in the trail (the trailheads are located at the Mountain Vista picnic area or the Savage River).
We decided to start at the trailhead, located by the Mountain Vista picnic area, and hiked north towards Savage River.
We are SO glad we hiked the trail in this direction. Since we were hiking this way, we were climbing towards Mount Denali’s snowy peak for the entire latter half of the trail, instead of with our backs to it. The elevation gain is also much more gradual this way AND you can tack on the Savage River Loop Trail at the end of your hike, if you’ve still got a bit of energy left.
This is also a decent trail to spot wildlife—we saw some very cute Arctic ground squirrels near the main viewpoint!
Insider tip: If you can swing it, try to plan your visit to Denali National Park on a clear day. There’s an elusive membership in the park known as the “30% Club”. Given Alaska’s seemingly omnipresent cloud coverage and the unique weather systems that gather around the mountain’s massive peak, its summit is obscured by clouds approximately 70% of the time.
We camped in our RV outside of the park for an entire week, waiting out perpetually rainy weather. We eventually got blessed with several days in a row with crystal clear skies and views of the tallest mountain in North America!
If you don’t have quite as much flexibility, not to worry—the park is still GORGEOUS, even if you can’t see Denali. Additionally, the clouds move quickly here, so give yourself some buffer time at viewpoints, in case the summit clears for a bit—you might get lucky and score a spot in the 30% Club, even on a cloudy day!
2. Savage River Loop Trail
- Length: 2.2 miles
- Elevation gain: 564 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
If you’re looking for an option that’s a bit more family-friendly (or a chill addition to the Savage Alpine hike), you should definitely consider the Savage River Loop Trail, following a gentle pathway along the rushing river.
Along this trail, you’re hiking through a deep valley, so you unfortunately don’t get views of Denali or the other surrounding mountains. However, you do get to enjoy vistas of the river, the surrounding mountain slopes, and cool, rugged rock formations, especially the further north that you hike.
Again, this is a good spot to see wildlife—we saw more Arctic ground squirrels and some willow ptarmigans hanging out near the river. While we only saw smaller creatures, I’ve also read reports of other hikers spotting Arctic foxes, caribou, and even grizzly bears on the surrounding mountain slopes!
This trail is a loop—since the pathway consists of gentle rolling hills in either direction, I don’t think it matters too much which way you hike.
For what it’s worth, we hiked the trail counter-clockwise, which worked out great. This direction directly connected with where we ended the Savage Alpine Trail and the pathway will spit you out a bit closer to the shuttle stop that you can use to get back to either the Visitor Center or Mountain Vista (we include more information on Denali’s shuttle in the How to Get Around Denali National Park section below).
3. Mount Healy Overlook Trail
- Length: 4.9 miles
- Elevation gain: 1,725 feet
- Difficulty: Hard
The Mount Healy Overlook Trail gets the award for the second best view of Mount Denali in the national park (in my opinion, anyway!), offering sweeping vistas of the Great One’s iconically white summit poking out behind the layers and layers of the Alaska Mountain Range.
The pathway for this trail starts pretty flat, winding through a pine tree forest, but quickly starts climbing up the slopes of Mount Healy.
The incline here is STEEP, gaining over 1,700 feet over 2.4 miles, and, to be honest, there aren’t a ton of views along the first half of the trail or so, since you’re primarily climbing through a dense forest.
However, once we popped out of the treeline, about a mile and a half or so into the trail, we enjoyed SPECTACULAR views of the Nenana River Valley and the Alaska Mountain range. The views get better and better with each step you climb and, at the trail’s endpoint, you’ll be rewarded with expansive vistas of the visitor center, the Nenana River, and the rugged mountains surrounding you.
We decided to stop at the trail’s official endpoint, but there is an unmaintained pathway to the top of Mount Healy if you’ve got a bit more energy or want to escape the crowds!
Speaking of crowds, this is one of the most popular hikes in Denali National Park, in large part, because it’s within walking distance from the Visitor Center. Accordingly, if you want to enjoy the trail in relative peace and quiet, I’d suggest starting the trail on the early side.
4. Horseshoe Lake Trail
- Length: 2.2 miles
- Elevation gain: 416 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
This is another great trail for beginner hikers or families.
The Horseshoe Lake Trail leads downhill through a dense forest to the shores of its namesake lake. The trail follows a gentle pathway that loops around the lake and along the Nenana River, winding through a forest of spruce trees.
This trail is supposed to be one of the best hikes in Denali to see wildlife. It passes two beaver dams, and a mama moose has been spotted here a number of times with her calves. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any wildlife along the trail, but, next time, we’d love to come here around sunrise to see if we can spot any animals (sunrise is also supposed to be a great time to catch reflections on the lake’s water!).
Horseshoe Lake is the most popular hike in the park, due to the fact that it’s within walking distance from the Visitor Center and its accessibility for most hikers. Accordingly, be prepared to share the trail with others or, if you’d prefer to enjoy it in relative solitude, arrive here on the earlier side!
5. Discovery hike
The length, elevation gain, and difficulty of this trail changes everyday!
One of the most unique things to do in Denali is to join a discovery hike, which is a daily ranger-led hike through an unmaintained section of the park.
Denali is a bit unique—as mentioned above, despite its massive size, the park only has a handful of established hiking trails.
Accordingly, it’s one of the only national parks that encourages you to actually hike off trail here. And, if you’re like us and anxious about wandering off into the wilderness of Alaska on your own, a discovery hike is an excellent way to immerse yourself in the backcountry, with a knowledgeable ranger by your side.
The location and pathway of the discovery hike changes every day. But, given that you’ll be hiking in the wilderness, these hikes can be a bit more technically challenging than maintained trails in the park, such as requiring you to wade through knee deep water, bushwack through dense vegetation, and scrambling up scree fields.
Even if that doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, getting to hike with a knowledgeable ranger is 100% worth it—you’ll learn SO much about the surrounding plantlife, the history of the park, and, with any luck, some of the wildlife that you’ll see. Plus, when we went on a discovery hike in the park, there was a really cool “team” kinda vibe with the other hikers, since you spend all day together as a group!
To join a discovery hike, you need to sign up at the visitor center one or two days before the date you want to hike (i.e., if you want to hike on Saturday, you’d have to sign up on Thursday or Friday), with every member that wants to go hiking in your group present. They usually fill up sooner versus later, so I’d recommend trying to soon up as soon as you can!
Signing up for a discovery hike is totally free, but you are usually required to take one of the park’s transit buses to and from the starting and ending point. Roundtrip tickets for these buses cost $33.50 for people 16 years and older.
6. Rock Creek Trail
- Length: 5.2 miles
- Elevation gain: 1,020 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
If you’re looking to escape the crowd, the Rock Creek Trail is super underrated, in my opinion, winding through a lush pine tree forest, with tons of funky mushrooms and, in late summer, bushes that are thick with blueberries along the way.
Most of the trail is shaded and through the forest, but there are a few sections that climb above the treeline, with beautiful views of the snow-capped Alaska Mountains in the distance.
My favorite aspect of this hike is that it leads to and from the kennels for Denali’s sled dog team (i.e., the only sled dog team in the U.S. National Park Service!). You’re allowed to visit the kennels to meet the dogs, and there’s even free daily demonstrations (at 10 am, 2 pm, and 4 pm) in the summertime, where you can learn about the team’s century-long history and watch them pull a ranger on a specialized cart.
During this timeframe, parking of private vehicles at the kennel isn’t allowed, so the only way to get there is by taking one of the park’s free hiker shuttles—or by hiking this trail! Accordingly, this is a nice way to stretch your legs AND get to the kennels a bit before the hiker shuttle so you can snag a good spot for the sled team demonstration.
Justin and I hiked from the Visitor Center to the Dog Kennel and then, after the demonstration, took the hiker shuttle back, cutting the mileage in half!
7. Mountain Vista Trail
- Length: 0.7 miles
- Elevation gain: 82 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
If you’re looking for an easy trail that won’t take too long, the Mountain Vista Trail is the best option in the park for beginners to see views of Mount Denali on a clear day. In fact, this trail, located at Mile 12 on the Park Road, is really the first place in the park where you get views of Mount Denali—hence, its name!
Along the way, there’s educational signs about the Savage River settlement and a handful of benches to take a rest if you need to.
While I think this is a great option for travelers with mobility challenges (it’s ADA compliant!), I otherwise wouldn’t rank this as necessarily a must-do hike in the park.
However, the Mountain Vista area serves as a great basecamp if you want to explore around this section of the park, with one of the largest parking lots outside of the Visitor Center, restrooms, a picnic area, and a shuttle stop. So, if you’re parking here (for example, to hike the Savage Alpine Trail), this hike is absolutely worth doing while you’re here!
When to visit Denali National Park
The best time to visit Denali National Park is from late May through early September, when the roads are open, the shuttles are running, and the trails are clear of ice and snow.
We visited in July and had a LOVELY time (other than the fact we had to wait for a week for the rainy weather around Healy to clear up). The temperature was PERFECT for hiking, we didn’t encounter any snow or ice on the trails, and, while it was certainly busy, it didn’t have the crazy crowds that we’ve encountered at other national parks, like Yosemite or Yellowstone.
You can absolutely visit Denali outside of these months, but hiking in the national park will definitely look a bit different.
From October 15 through mid-February, the Park Road (i.e., the only road that leads through the park) is closed past Mile 3, and, from mid-February to mid-April, the road is closed past Mile 13. Additionally, many of the park’s services, like its shuttles and discovery hikes, will be unavailable.
There are certain trails (and the Park Road) that are open for cross-country skiing or snowshoeing during this timeframe. Just be sure to check in at the Murie Science and Learning Center, which serves as the park’s visitor center in the wintertime, to chat with rangers about the current trail conditions.
What to pack for hiking in Denali National Park
One of my favorite things about hiking is that you don’t need too many crazy gadgets or equipment to hit the trail. However, there are some things that will make your experience in the park more comfortable and safe!
Insect repellent
You know that old joke about how mosquitoes are the state bird of Alaska? We honestly didn’t find the bugs too terribly bad in most of Alaska—but Denali was definitely pretty buggy!
Water bottle
We’re always of the mindset to bring along more water than you think—some of the hikes in Denali are TOUGH. We each have one of these comically enormous Nalgene bottles that we bring with us on every hike that we LOVE.
Sunscreen
It feels like you won the jackpot if you get a sunny day while you’re in Denali—you should be able to see its namesake mountain, after all! But the sun here can be surprisingly intense, with lots of the hiking trails not having a ton of shade along the way. So be sure to bring along plenty of sun protection, including sunglasses, sunscreen, and a hat.
Hiking boots
Most of the trails in Denali have uneven terrain, which can range from rocky to SERIOUSLY muddy after some rain. I definitely would recommend wearing proper waterproof hiking boots here, which provide extra support and traction on the trail—here are the ones that I have and here are the ones that Justin uses.
Trekking poles
Some of the trails (I’m looking at you, Savage Alpine and Mount Healy Overlook!) can be STEEP.
We love trekking poles, which helps give our knees a bit of a break when we’re climbing anything steep—we are in our 30s, after all!
Rainjacket
As someone who lived in Seattle for several years, I thought I was pretty accustomed to rainy weather. But Alaska truly gets some PROPER rain.
Be sure to pack along a rainjacket (here’s the one that I use and here’s the one that Justin uses), even if the forecast doesn’t necessarily call for it—you never know in Alaska!
Satellite phone
In full transparency, if you’re hiking on the established trails in the summertime, I generally don’t think you strictly NEED a satellite phone, given how busy the hikes in Denali are. If something happens while you’re hiking, there’s a good chance you’ll run into someone on the trail that can go get help, if necessary.
But, if you’re planning on hiking in the backcountry by yourself, you should absolutely bring along a satellite communication device. There’s no cell service in the park and endless things that could possibly go wrong in the vast wilderness here.
How to get to Denali National Park
Denali National Park is located near the town of Healy, Alaska. The entrance fee is $15 per person, which is valid for up to a week, or you can show a valid interagency pass, like the America the Beautiful Pass, to get up to four people into the park.
There are a few different ways that you can get here.
Driving
If you’re picking up a rental car and doing an Alaska road trip, Denali is 4 hours and 15 minutes north of Anchorage or two hours and 15 minutes south of Fairbanks. The roads leading here from either direction are paved and well-maintained—no 4WD or high clearance vehicle needed here!
Taking the train
Another popular method of getting to Denali is to take one of the scenic train routes, offered by Alaska Railroad, from Anchorage up to a train station that actually stops right within the national park.
Specifically, the Denali Star route departs from Anchorage at 8:20 AM daily, from mid-May through mid-September, and reaches Denali at 3:40 PM in the afternoon. The park’s train station is about a half mile walk down the road from the Visitor Center, which has free shuttles that you can use to get around.
Shuttles
If you don’t want a rental car and are looking for a more affordable option, there are also shuttle transfers that you can take from Alaska’s major cities to the park like this option from Anchorage or this option from Fairbanks.
How to get around Denali National Park
While I was planning our trip to Denali, I was frankly a bit confused about getting around the park, between its road closures, limited parking, free hiker shuttles, and paid buses. So, if you’re feeling unsure, here’s how it works.
There’s really only one road that goes into and out of the park, called the Park Road, which is broken down into mile markers across its 92 miles.
With just one road, you’d think it would be pretty straightforward to get around here, but, unfortunately, there was a massive landslide in 2021 that severely damaged it around Mile 43, which has complicated things a bit.
More specifically, the road is closed at Mile 43. And, before that mile marker, there are some areas you’re allowed to drive to on your own, some areas that you can only take a bus to, and some areas that you can only drive to if you’re camping in a certain campground.
Sounds confusing? It is! But here’s the breakdown per mile marker.
Up to Mile 2
All visitors generally drive up to Mile 2, where the Denali Visitor Center and the park’s largest parking lot is located.
You can park your car here and catch the free hiker shuttles that depart from the Denali Bus Depot that go to various destinations throughout the first 15 miles of the park, like the Sled Dog Kennels or the Savage River.
You can check the routes and schedules for these shuttles here.
Additionally, there are narrated and non-narrated buses that you can purchase tickets for that go beyond the first 15 miles if you want to go deeper into the park to enjoy the landscape or spot some wildlife.
Up to Mile 15
You are allowed to drive your private vehicle up to Mile 15 (i.e., the Savage River).
However, there’s limited parking at most trailheads, especially on weekends or at peak times, like from 10 AM to 2 PM, on weekdays.
So, if you want to be able to drive your car to any of the trailheads here, like for the Savage Alpine or Savage River Trail, I’d strongly recommend getting to the park early (around 7 AM or so) to ensure you can snag a spot.
If early wake up calls aren’t your jam, I’d suggest parking at the Visitor Center and relying on the free hiker shuttles to get around.
From Mile 15 to Mile 43
Private vehicles are generally not allowed to drive past Mile 43.
This section of the park doesn’t really have any established hikes. So, visitors mostly come here to enjoy scenic bus rides or to try their hand at offtrail hiking.
To explore this area of the park, visitors will need to take either:
- Narrated bus: On these tours, visitors will sit on a bus and listen to a naturalist as they point out interesting things about flora, fauna, and geology of the surrounding area. You’re not allowed to disembark the bus, other than stops that the guide decides to make.
- Non-narrated bus: Conversely, this option, also called transit buses, does not have guides, although they do stop to observe any wildlife that you might come across along the way. The main purpose of these buses is to help visitors that want to do offtrail hiking to get anywhere from Mile 15 to Mile 43 of the park. You can get off wherever looks good to you and simply hitch a ride with another transit bus when you’re ready to head back.
There is a slight caveat to the rule that no private vehicles are allowed past Mile 15. Campers that are staying at the Teklanika River Campground, located at Mile 29, for at least three nights are permitted to drive their RV or car back to the campground.
However, you’re not allowed to stop along the way as you’re driving to the campground and you can’t move your vehicle once you’re there, so you’re really only getting to make a one-time roundtrip drive from Mile 15 to Mile 29.
We actually made reservations to stay at the Teklanika River Campground, because it sounded novel to be able to stay in a part of the park that most visitors don’t really get to see. But we wound up canceling them, because not being able to use our car to get around Denali sounded like a drag—and I think we made the right decision!
Where to stay near Denali National Park
Despite being a fairly remote area, there’s a variety of hotels and campgrounds to choose from around Denali.
Hotels
There are no hotels in the national park itself, but there are several hotels in the nearby town of Healy.
Here are some of my recommendations:
- Denali Tri-Valley Cabins: If I had to pick one place to stay near Denali, it would be these adorable log cabins that are located about 15 minutes from the park’s entrance. Most of the cozy rooms have a kitchenette and there are grills for all of the guests to use. Plus, it’s a great place to spot moose!
- Denali Park Hotel: The Denali Park Hotel is tucked away from Healy, but even closer to the park than the Tri-Valley Cabins. The lobby is housed in an antique railway car (which we love!) and, although the rooms are admittedly a bit dated, they’re still cozy and squeaky clean.
- Denali Rainbow Village Motel: If you want something a bit more in the heart of the action, this motel is just steps away from some of the restaurants in downtown Healy. You can choose from either a standard motel room or a cabin, some of which come with well-equipped kitchens. I think the best part of the property, though, is that there’s a free shuttle directly to the national park right across the street!
Campgrounds
There are five campgrounds that are currently open in Denali National Park:
- Riley Creek (located at Mile 0.25) is accessible via car and open to tent and RV campers.
- Savage River (located at Mile 14) is accessible via car and open to tent and RV campers.
- Sanctuary River (located at Mile 22) is accessible only by bus and open only to tent campers.
- Teklanika River (located at Mile 29) is accessible by bus or car if you stay at least three nights and open to tent and RV campers.
- Igloo Creek (located at Mile 35) is accessible by bus only and only open to tent campers.
Reservations at these campgrounds, especially for Riley Creek, Savage River, and Teklanika River, book up months and months in advance for the summer months. So, if you want to stay here, I’d recommend making a reservation as soon as possible.
There are no electrical or water hook-ups at any of the campgrounds in the park. If you’re someone who needs hookups, there are a handful of RV parks in Healy that offer them, like the Denali RV Park. However, just be aware that pretty much all of these parks have TERRIBLE reviews on Campendium!
I hope you enjoy trying out some of the best hikes in Denali National Park—it’s definitely an epic way to see North America’s tallest mountain! Do you have any questions about these trails? Let us know in the comments below!
