An amendment to National Park Service regulations would allow up to 160 motor vehicles to travel on the restricted section of Denali Park Road per 24-hour period. This change aligns with the Vehicle Management Plan (VMP) for Denali National Park but marks a significant shift for federal regulations at the park, which previously allowed a limit of 10,512 motor vehicle trips during the core summer season – approximately 100 vehicles per day.
Built between 1922 and 1938, the 92-mile Denali Park Road is the primary gateway into the heart of the park and one of the most extraordinary wildlife viewing corridors in the world. Visitors to the road regularly observe grizzly bears, moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves, foxes and a wide variety of bird species against the backdrop of the Alaska Range.
Visitors to the park can generally access the first 15 miles the road. After the Savage River checkpoint, road access is restricted because it exists in an environmentally sensitive area. However, a slow-moving landslide has meant the road has effectively been closed beyond Mile 43 since 2021. The Interior Department allocated $25 million in funding in 2022 to address the damage caused by the landslide. That work is still ongoing.
The park’s VMP was finalized in 2012 and specified the 160-vehicle limit, which was “derived from traffic model simulation results and extensive scientific research on visitor preferences and resource condition.”
The VMP noted that the “change from a seasonal vehicle limit to a daily vehicle limit is not expected to affect visitors’ access opportunities to wilderness areas because it is anticipated that existing and foreseeable future demand can be accommodated within the maximum daily vehicle limits.”
“Denali is one of America’s crown jewels, and Americans should have every reasonable opportunity to experience it,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. “This proposed rule removes outdated restrictions, improves transparency, and ensures access decisions are driven by sound management rather than unnecessary bureaucracy.”
The VMP stated that vehicles along the road “would continue to adversely affect wildlife behavior, movement, and/or stress levels.” While some individual animals would avoid the disturbance areas along the Park Road, others would continue to become habituated to human presence. Habitat degradation would also be an issue due to vegetation trampling and development of social trails.
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