Denali National Park staff is working to make it easier to visit the park in winter and during shoulder seasons/NPS file

It likely will get easier to visit Denali National Park during the shoulder seasons and in winter thanks to plans adopted by the National Park Service.

The park's Winter and Shoulder Season Visitor Services Environmental Assessment aims to:

• Allow private vehicle access to the Denali Park Road (Park Road) west of Headquarters to the Teklanika rest area as weather and road conditions allow
• Plow a portion of the Park Road during winter months, up to approximately mile 12 beginning in February
• Install a seasonal footbridge near Mountain Vista to facilitate access to traditional winter routes
• Create a connector trail for mushing access at the Mountain Vista rest area
• Allow commercial guiding for non-motorized winter recreation in some areas of the Denali wilderness
• Groom trails in the park entrance area, and potential trails in the Nenana River area
• Allow concessioner transit and tour bus service starting early to mid-May
• Allow parking on the Park Road in identified locations west of the Savage River for private vehicles during the shoulder seasons
• Open the Savage River and Teklanika campgrounds earlier in the spring and later into the fall
• Install minor facility improvements at the Teklanika rest area including parking lines, signs, and informational kiosks
• Provide seasonally specific detail to established desired conditions by adopting the desired conditions outlined in the 2019 Winter and Shoulder Season Plan