Denali National Park

Bull moose, fall color, Alaska.
Bull moose, fall color, Alaska.

Discover the wild heart of Alaska with our collection of backpacking adventures, trip reports, and photography stories from Denali National Park and Preserve. This archive brings together everything that captures the spirit, challenge, and beauty of wandering through North America’s largest undeveloped wilderness area.

Denali isn’t like a typical national park. Most of the landscape lies far off‑trail, with no established paths or maintained campsites. Backpackers here must choose their own routes, read the land, and make careful decisions: a recipe for true wilderness immersion and unforgettable alpine experience.

Inside this tag you’ll find stories of tundra travel, remote ridge‑line hikes, glacier‑fed river crossings, and nights under expansive stars. Plus practical guidance on permits, backcountry etiquette, and planning for variable mountain weather.

You might be chasing sunrise light on alpine ridges, watching wildlife emerge from spruce‑forest edges, or navigating river‑crossings and moraine fields. These posts are grounded in real experience and honest respect for the land.

If you’re dreaming of Denali’s vast wilderness – whether as a first backpacking trip or a return journey – this tag page is your hub. It’s built for inspiration, preparation, and understanding what it truly means to travel backcountry in Denali: remote, raw, and breathtaking.

"Denali", officially again known as Mt. Denali, the highest peak in North America, stands above the Alaska Range, a small kettle pond returning a perfect reflection. Denali National Park, Alaska.

Denali, Mt. McKinley, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska

After years of backpacking trips in Denali National Park, finally catching perfect light on the mountain. Stories of photographing Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley), failed attempts, and that one glorious week when everything aligned.

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The Heart of the Park, Wrangell St. Elias National Park backpacking trip.

Best Backpacking Trips In Alaska

Where in Alaska do YOU want to backpack? For me, it’s everywhere at once. If the weather is good.But my absolute Number one, FAVORITE place? .. read on ..

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An adult bald eagle flying against Chilkat Mountains Haines Alaska.

Specialize And Narrow Your Focus

Focus Your Photography Hey Folks Pick a subject, and work it. A shotgun approach to a trip of trying to shoot lots of different subjects is more likely to just yield a bunch of mediocre images. Spend time with your subject. The best images typically will take time. Give yourself that opportunity to really make […]

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Mt. Logan in Canada from Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Alaska.

Wildlife Photography Tips

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Mt Wrangell and Copper Glacier backpacking trip, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Alaska.

Requests and Asking for gear information

How to ask gear questions for a backpacking or outdoor adventure.

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Denali National Park weeklong hiking trip Alaska.

Alaska Hiking – Week Long Backing Trips

Week-long Alaska hiking trips require different planning than typical trails. The Goat Trail in Wrangell-St. Elias offers serious adventure without extreme difficulty. Denali’s Wyoming Hills demand flexibility with permits. Resurrection Pass provides road-accessible trails, while the Chilkoot crosses into Canada by train.

Best hike? My next one.

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Mt. Denali from a backpacking trip in Denali National Park.

Denali Photo, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Denali National Park hiking and backpacking. Photographing Mt Denali, or Mt McKinley, in Denali National Park.

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Denali National Park and Preserve backpacking adventure.

Bull and cow moose, Denali National Park, Alaska

A favorite moment from Denali: after days of brutal weather and little to show for it, a distant bull moose sighting turned into hours of tracking, photographing, and finally capturing a tender moment between a bull and cow. A hard-earned image from one of my most memorable days in the park.

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Arctic Skies, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska.

Grizzly bears on caribou carcass, Denali National Park, Alaska

A rare encounter in Denali National Park led to hours photographing a grizzly sow and her two cubs feeding on a caribou carcass. After a missed wolf sighting and a lucky break from the bus driver, the experience became one of my most memorable wildlife photography days in Alaska.

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"Denali", officially again known as Mt. Denali, the highest peak in North America, stands above the Alaska Range, a small kettle pond returning a perfect reflection. Denali National Park, Alaska.

Denali Summit, Denali National Park, Alaska

A 750mm alpenglow shot of Denali’s summit, and the story behind the names we give mountains. The Athabascan people named this peak for what it is: The Great One. We named it after a senator from Ohio. One honors the mountain. The other honors ourselves. There’s a lesson in that.

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Expeditions Alaska
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