“Sherwonit’s guide is a substantial tome of information about nearly every aspect of Alaska’s spectacular Mount McKinley, also known as Denali. Natural history to human history, it’s all here, along with driving and hiking routes, campgrounds, and notes on the plants and animals that inhabit this majestic region.”
-- ALASKA AIRLINES MAGAZINE
“If you’ve been thinking about a trip to Denali National Park, you can’t go wrong with Bill Sherwonit’s DENALI: THE COMPLETE GUIDE. Its approach is more conversational, exploratory and inviting than many guide books that dwell on minutiae. Two sections of color photographs put the park in visual perspective. . . . Denali is a park that demands preparation on your part. Let DENALI be your guide.”
-- EVERETT HERALD
From the Introduction: A PLACE CALLED DENALI
In the far northwest corner of North America, in the heart of remote Alaska, is The Mountain. It is not just "a" mountain, or one of several mountains, but very clearly THE Mountain: an enormous massif of rock, ice, and snow that towers massively above its neighboring summits and river valleys. Next to The Mountain, a peak the size of Washington's Mount Rainier or California's Mount Whitney looks like a house cat next to a mountain lion.
"The Mississippi is not so truly the father of waters as McKinley is the father of mountains," wrote Hudson Stuck, leader of the first expedition to attain the 20,320-foot summit of North America's tallest mountain. Although he occasionally used the name given to The Mountain by American explorers--Mount McKinley--Stuck argued forcefully for the use of the more lyrical and more meaningful name given the peak by the native Athabascan Indians: Denali, "The High One." Like Stuck and many other Alaskans, I choose the mountain name that best captures the essence of the peak and the region itself: Denali it shall be, through most of this book's pages.
Denali is the defining central point of the mountain range that stretches out from its massive base. Arching southwest-to-northeast across the region, the Alaska Range's jagged and steep-walled spine harbors slow-flowing rivers of ice that sculpt the land below. Acting as a gigantic barrier, the range separates the coastal climate of Southcentral Alaska from the drier, colder climate of Interior Alaska, just as it separates the Susitna and Copper Rivers, which flow south to the Gulf of Alaska, from the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers, which drain into the Bering Sea. It partitions, too, the ancient homelands of the Ahtna and Dena'ina Athabascan Indians from those of their Interior relatives, the Koyukon, Tanana, and Upper Kuskokwim tribes. In the vicinity of Denali, only one significant gap provides easy access through the range: the Nenana River Valley, through which both the George Parks Highway and Alaska Railroad pass to connect Anchorage to Fairbanks.
Along the range's northern edge, knife-ridged mountains descend to tundra-covered hills, and then to low-lying forest, lakes, and muskeg. To the south, the range drops steeply into forested valleys that hold murky rivers fed by enormous glaciers. The land does not rise gradually to its ultimate heights so much as it ascends gently to the mountains' base and then suddenly soars upward, like a wall reaching from floor to ceiling. Denali's presence infuses the entire landscape with magic and majesty, whether the great peak is brooding behind gray clouds, bathed in the pink alpenglow of summer's midnight sun, or standing out impossibly high and crystal clear in bright daylight.
Over the years, the name Denali has come to represent much more than The Mountain. In 1917, members of the United States Congress established a park that encompassed the high, open valleys and mountains on the north side of the Alaska Range. Following the lead of early explorers, they named it Mount McKinley National Park. Sixty-three years later, in 1980, Congress greatly expanded Alaska's first national parkland and renamed it Denali. More than three times larger than the original park, Denali National Park and Preserve encompasses 6 million acres, an area larger than either Massachusetts or New Hampshire. Within its boundaries is the entire Denali massif, as well as all its nearby satellite peaks and the major glaciers that flow down the range's southern flanks. Also protected are the low-lying forests and hills that stretch north and west of the old park boundary to the myriad lakes and ponds that dot the landscape near Lake Minchumina, 65 miles northwest of Denali's summit.
Denali National Park and Preserve's landscape is breathtaking in its scale and wild riches. Because it is traversed by a single narrow road and has only a handful of trails and structures beyond the entrance area, travelers feel immersed in a vast wilderness, connected by only the thinnest trappings of civilization to the urban and cultivated world far away. Those who go deepest into these wildlands may, at least for a short while, leave behind any sense of that developed world.
The land possesses a liveliness that comes in part from the always changing interplay of shadows and light, but even more so from the wanderings of the large northern animals this parkland protects. Denali National Park is one of the few places in the world where visitors can easily observe moose, caribou, Dall sheep, grizzly bears, and sometimes even wolves interact with each other and the many elements of their sub-arctic communities: other wildlife, shrubs, flowers, berries, soil, rock, rivers, and air.
Since the park's birth in 1917, a long line of rangers, managers, naturalists, and wilderness advocates have created a unique human community and culture inspired by the grandeur of Denali's wilderness, the unusual wholeness of its wild sub-arctic ecosystem, and the rigors of the far northern climate. In doing so, they have helped to make Denali unusual, even among national parklands. Rangers patrol the park by dog team during the long winter season, thus maintaining the traditions of early explorers, gold miners, and pioneer park rangers. In deference to the park's wilderness character, the backcountry has almost no maintained trails and hikers and backpackers must rely on their own skills and devices to find routes, campsites, and the way home. Visitors traveling into the park by road must leave their personal vehicles and board a shuttle or tour bus, a practice that preserves opportunities to see wildlife and experience a primitive road that leads into the immense wilderness beyond the edge of North America's road system.
On the south side of the Alaska Range, the national park boundary hugs the base of mountains, great glaciers, and deep granite gorges. Even farther to the south are rolling hills topped by tundra and broad river valleys and expansive lowlands more densely forested than those to the north. There is another Denali here: Denali State Park. Spread across more than 325,000 acres, Denali State Park would be a large park almost anywhere else. In the vast Alaskan landscape, it is dwarfed by its much larger federal neighbor. The state park is only one component of South Denali, a vast region that includes a patchwork mix of federal, state, local, and privately owned lands that lie in the shadow of The Mountain. Much younger than that of the national park, the vision for South Denali is still evolving, but it clearly is one that includes outstanding hiking and boating opportunities; a diverse natural wealth that ranges from rich salmon-spawning streams to glacially carved gorges; and an abundance of remarkable views that show The High One rising above lowlands and mountain neighbors.
I've made almost-annual pilgrimages to the Denali region since the early 1980s. Every trip has been memorable, whether for wildlife encounters, the views of Denali, or backcountry adventures. But one recent summer was especially rewarding. In researching this book, I spent weeks in the Denali landscape, hiking and backpacking in places I'd previously only dreamed about. I've watched wildlife from tour and shuttle buses, gone on ranger-led walks and discovery hikes, rafted the Nenana River, ridden the rails north from Anchorage, shared a remote valley with grizzlies and caribou and golden eagles, been entertained by evening interpretive talks and slide shows, and overnighted in four of the park's seven roadside campgrounds. And I've fallen more deeply in love with this remarkable place. Now it's my privilege to share what I've learned.
During the past century, dozens of books have been written about Denali. Many have focused on the mountain and those who climb it; others have considered the park's human or natural history. This book is the first to explore the entire "Denali experience," to provide an overview of the complete region and the adventures, encounters, sights, understanding, and inspiration that it offers to both residents and visitors.
Unlike most guidebooks, this one emphasizes discovery over directions. It shows the possibilities that await Denali visitors, who can then choose the destinations and adventures that most appeal. It's possible, for instance, to explore parts of the Denali region by bus, car, train, bike, boat, or foot. It's possible to raft whitewater rapids, pick berries, climb the continent's highest mountain, backpack through forest and tundra, watch grizzlies dig for ground squirrels beside the park road, share a ridgetop with Dall sheep, attend sled dog demonstrations, go on ranger-guided hikes, or camp in solitude within glacially carved valleys. In winter it's possible to ski, snowshoe, or drive sled dog teams across the darkened, frozen landscape and stand beneath the dancing northern lights.
This book is divided into two main sections. Part I, "The Story of Denali," tells how the landscape and the park came to be. A chapter on Denali's natural history considers the geological processes that shaped (and continue to shape) the region's landscape and the evolving nature of its plant and animal communities, from ancient times to the present. Next is a chapter on Denali's human history; it begins with a look at the region's indigenous residents, early non-Native explorers, gold prospectors, and miners, then moves to a discussion of the people and events that led to the creation of Mount McKinley National Park and its evolution to present-day Denali National Park and Preserve. Moving into more rarified air, a third chapter enters the realm of mountaineers and presents Denali's climbing history and present-day challenges.
Part II, "Exploring Denali," breaks the region into smaller areas and explains the experiences, natural features, and historical landmarks to be found in each. It begins with a chapter on the region's south side, with descriptions of Denali State Park and the highway and railroad approaches from Anchorage to the national park. Moving north of the Alaska Range, next is a chapter on Denali National Park's entrance area, a 14-mile-long corridor along the Denali Park Road that is a microcosm of the larger national park and preserve. This is also the area where interpretive activities and visitor facilities are concentrated. After the entrance area is a chapter on Denali Park Road, with its bus transportation system, outstanding opportunities for wildlife viewing, and, when the weather is right, mountain gazing. Then comes a chapter on Denali's backcountry wilderness: millions of acres of wild lands untouched by human development, where hikers and backpackers follow their own instincts, make their own travel choices. The sixth chapter in this section provides natural history descriptions of many of Denali’s mammals, birds, and plants. Part 2 ends with a chapter on the winter season and opportunities to explore the region during Denali's coldest, harshest months.
Following Parts 1 and 2 are appendices that list the mammals, birds, and plants of Denali. Also complementing the text are photographs, maps, and an abundance of visitor-friendly sidebars that provide information on such topics as seasonal weather, bus and campground reservations, naturalist programs, backcountry permits, backpacking essentials, "Leave No Trace" etiquette, and precautions to take while traveling in grizzly country.
Buy Denali: The Complete Guide at wavebooks.com
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