Alaska’s most overlooked park sits next to Denali and you don’t need a single permit

Alaska’s best-kept secret sits right next door

Most people blow right past it. They’re heading to Denali National Park, eyes on the prize, and they never slow down for the 325,240 acres of wilderness running alongside the George Parks Highway.

Denali State Park sits right next to its famous neighbor, about 147 miles north of Anchorage, and it holds some of the best views of North America’s tallest peak. No permits.

No reservation-only buses. Just the mountain, the tundra, and a lot of open sky.

“The Ancient One” watches over “the High One”

The park took shape in 1970 and grew to its current size in 1976, tucked between the Talkeetna Mountains to the east and the Alaska Range to the west.

The Dena’ina Athabascan people have deep ties to this land, and the names reflect that. Denali comes from the Koyukon word for “the High One.”

K’esugi, the name of the park’s central ridge, is Dena’ina Athabascan for “the Ancient One.”

The landscape shifts from lowland streams to alpine tundra as you climb, and Curry and K’esugi Ridges form a 35-mile alpine backbone running north to south through the middle of it all.

A 20,310-foot mountain and a 30 percent shot at seeing it

Denali rises 20,310 feet above sea level, and on a clear day, you can see both its north and south summits from multiple points inside the park.

The honest truth: clouds cover the mountain about 70 percent of the time, so your odds on any given day sit around 30 percent. Two roadside pullouts give you the best shot.

Denali Viewpoint South at Mile 135.2 and Denali View North at Mile 162.7 put you right in front of the Alaska Range. Park, get out, and wait a few minutes before giving up.

Thirty-seven miles of ridge trail above the treeline

The K’esugi Ridge Trail runs about 37 miles across an alpine ridgeline, topping out around 4,500 feet. Four trailheads give you a way in: Little Coal Creek, Ermine Hill, Byers Lake, and Upper Troublesome Creek.

Unlike the knife-edge peaks of the Alaska Range across the valley, K’esugi rolls gently through tundra dotted with small lakes and wildflowers, which makes it approachable for backpackers who aren’t technical climbers.

No permits and no fees. You just show up, pick a trailhead, and go.

Curry Ridge’s new connector opens up 50 miles of backcountry

Work on the Curry Ridge Trail started in 2016 as part of the South Denali Project. It leaves from K’esugi Ken Campground and climbs about 1,100 feet over roughly 3.5 miles.

The treeline breaks at 1,500 feet, and from there the views of Denali and the Alaska Range open up wide.

In 2024, a new Curry Connector Trail linked Curry Ridge to the K’esugi Ridge Trail, creating a roughly 50-mile backcountry route that runs mostly above the treeline.

That’s a serious trip, but you can do smaller pieces of it too.

Paddle a motor-free lake and watch salmon run the bridges

Byers Lake sits at Mile 147 of the Parks Highway, and gasoline motors are banned on the water, so the lake stays quiet. Kayaks and canoes are available to rent on-site during the season.

The 5.3-mile Byers Lake Loop Trail circles the water and crosses three bridges, including a long suspension bridge. In July and August, you can stand on those bridges and watch spawning salmon move below you.

The lake holds rainbow trout, lake trout, grayling, and burbot, and public-use cabins on the lakeshore are available to rent by the night.

Camp with Denali sitting right outside your tent

K’esugi Ken Campground opened in 2017 at Mile 135.4 and ranks as the park’s most modern setup, with 32 RV sites with electric hookups, 10 walk-in tent sites, public-use cabins, and an interpretive center.

Several sites look straight at the Alaska Range. A few miles up the road, Byers Lake Campground has 73 wooded sites plus six walk-in lakeshore spots and additional cabins.

Denali View North at Mile 162.7 adds 20 more sites with mountain views, and Denali Viewpoint South at Mile 135.2 rounds things out with nine sites.

Brown bears, moose, and 130 bird species share the trails

Brown and black bears both live here, along with moose and marmots in the higher areas. Down in the lowlands, you’re more likely to cross paths with beavers, muskrats, red foxes, and porcupines.

More than 130 bird species use the park for breeding or during migration.

Willow ptarmigan, Alaska’s state bird, lives here year-round alongside gray jays and boreal chickadees. During migration, Arctic terns, lesser golden plovers, and ruby-crowned kinglets move through.

Keep your eyes up as much as you keep them on the trail.

Five salmon species and clear-water fishing across the park

The Susitna and Chulitna rivers on the park’s east side run all five species of Pacific salmon. Dolly Varden and Arctic grayling move through the rivers and creeks as well.

Byers Lake and the nearby Troublesome and Little Coal Creeks hold rainbow trout, grayling, and Dolly Varden. Byers, Spink, and Lucy lakes carry small populations of lake trout.

Most of the fishing happens in clear streams where you can see straight to the bottom. The setting alone makes it worth the cast.

Five concrete panels face Denali on a hill above the lake

The Alaska Veterans Memorial stands at Mile 147.1, on a rise above Byers Lake Campground. Alaska was the only state in the country without a dedicated veterans memorial when construction began in 1983.

The finished structure, dedicated in 1984, has five 20-foot concrete panels arranged in a semicircle, each representing a branch of the military.

Two statues of Alaska Territorial Guards stand at the entrance, binoculars raised toward Denali.

A staffed visitor center and bookstore run from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and the memorial opens each year with a Memorial Day ceremony.

Skis, fat bikes, and snowshoes take over come winter

The park stays open all year, though the campgrounds close once winter moves in.

March, April, and sometimes May bring outstanding cross-country skiing on K’esugi and Curry Ridges.

Fat-tire biking and snowshoeing have followings here too, and winter camping draws people who want the park entirely to themselves.

Snowmobiles get access when snow depth hits 16 inches or more, enough to protect the vegetation below.

The east side of the park, quiet even in summer, opens up through the Alaska Railroad’s Hurricane Loop flag-stop service.

One of the last flag-stop trains in the country runs right through

The Alaska Railroad’s Hurricane Turn train is one of the last flag-stop trains still running in the United States, meaning you can wave it down from the side of the tracks and it will stop for you.

It runs out of Talkeetna and drops you on the park’s remote east side, where development is almost nonexistent.

The George Parks Highway runs the full length of the park between Mile 135 and Mile 164, connecting all major trailheads and campgrounds.

Talkeetna sits about 40 minutes south and Cantwell, both small Alaska towns worth a stop.

Visit Denali State Park in Alaska

Denali State Park runs along the George Parks Highway between Mile 135 and Mile 164, about 147 miles north of Anchorage and a two-and-a-half-hour drive.

You can also reach it by Alaska Railroad from Anchorage, Talkeetna, or Fairbanks. The visitor contact station sits at the Alaska Veterans Memorial at Mile 147.1.

Most campgrounds open in May and close in September, and you can make reservations through the Alaska State Parks website. The nearby town of Talkeetna, about 40 minutes south, works well as a base.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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