Denali
From WWR
Denali is a big mountain in Alaska, and is also known as Mount McKinley, being named after former U.S. president William McKinley. Denali means "the great one" or "the high one" in the Dena'ina Athabaskan language; and is the popular name, though not the official name. Denali is a part of the Alaska Range.
How big is it? 20,320 feet (6,194 metres) tall. Denali is the highest mountain in North America. Denali soars an impressive 18,000+ feet over a 2000 foot plateau.
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Traditional
Denali's history did not start with a park named after a president who never traveled to Alaska. It really goes back about 6.7-5.4 million years ago when the geologic uplift began.
For thousands of years the area has been utilized by traditional seasonal hunting and gathering. Many of Denali's glacier-fed rivers provided a transportation corridor for this activity, including: Susitna, Chulitna, Kahiltna, Yentna, Kuskokwim, Kantishna, Toklat, Teklanika, Nenana. Other people came from the Tanana, Yukon and the Copper River Basin.
Denali National Park and Preserve
The mountain is inside of Denali National Park and Preserve. Denali National Park is 4,740,906.73 acres (19,185.78 km²). The Preserve is 1,334,200 acres (543.09 km²). It is a favorite tourist destination in Alaska.
Mount McKinley National Park was established on February 26, 1917. The nearby Denali National Monument was proclaimed by Jimmy Carter on December 1, 1978. Both became the Denali National Park and Preserve by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) on December 2, 1980.
Tourism
Denali is Alaska's most popular attraction, with over 400,000 visitors annually. In 2005, the total population of Alaska was 663,661.
It is popular mountain with climbers, with an estimated 1200 climbers attempting a summit for the 2006 summer season. 2005 was a record year with 1,340 climbers attempting. On June 14, 2005; 101 climbers summited. About half of those who attempt succeed in reaching the summit. Climbers must register 60 days in advance of their climb. There is a fee.
Popular activities include: photography, wildlife viewing, geologic and glacier viewing, alpine plant identification, backpacking, rafting, camping, tours by air or bus, dog-sledding, skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling.
Regional
- The nearest half-way big town is Healy.
- Talkeetna
- Denali National Park & Preserve is accessable by the Alaska Railroad.
- There are many active seismic faults which are in the Alaska Range. Landslides and earthquakes are common in this region. There have been three historic regional earthquakes greater than magnitude 7.
Weather
