Alaska Trails

Denali Highway

Cantwell, Alaska (Denali County)

Last Updated: 11/24/2022

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Trail Information

Highlights

Connecting the outside world to Denali National Park for over a decade, the Denali Highway provides spectacular views of Alaska's interior. Stretching from the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains to North America's tallest summit, Denali, at 20,310' is surrounded by the Alaska Range. This historic route is guaranteed not to disappoint. Sprawling over three different river drainages to include: Susitna, Tanana/Yukon, and Copper, this dirt road provides spectacular views and river crossings of narrow wooden-decked single-lane bridges. This route really is special with its scenery and guaranteed to carve a special place in your heart that only Alaska can fill. Several different lodges are found along the way and are worth grabbing a warm meal and friendly company along your journey. Wildlife Viewing is a common attraction along the 135-mile stretch, so keep an eager eye, and you may find some of Alaska's wildlife looking back at you!

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Kyle Todd

Official Crew

Trail Navigation

The Denali Highway was the only way into Denali National Park from 1957 to 1971 before the Parks Highway (Wasilla to Fairbanks) was created. Routing through some of Alaska's most beautiful scenery, this road is mostly unpaved gravel and dirt with a few miles of pavement at both ends. The BLM Brochure shows some of the popular attractions that are shown below. The route is 135 miles and may be easily completed in a few hours, although spending a week or more for overlanding, exploring, and hiking is highly recommended, Almost any passenger vehicle is capable of driving the Denali Highway in its entirety from June through late September, but beware, many vehicle rental policies do not allow travel on the Denali Highway - verify if applicable. The highway is closed every winter due to snow, so check Alaska DOT for updated conditions and current road status.

No cell reception, gas, or services are available for the majority of this 135-mile, mostly dirt road. Bears, caribou, moose, and other wildlife are common along the route, so plan and act accordingly.

1. Denali Highway Beginning (Historical End) (0 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 1: Denali Highway Beginning (Historical End)

This is the beginning of the Denali Highway from Cantwell. Historically, the Denali Highway ended at Denali National Park, which is now accessed by a quick jaunt up the Parks Highway, which was eventually completed in 1971. Until the Parks Highway was completed, the Denali Highway was the only way to drive into the Denali National Park for approximately 15 years.

2. Gravel Road Begins (2.65 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 2: Gravel Road Begins

This is the end of the paved section along the Denali Highway when starting from Cantwell. The Reindeer Hills are just north of here.

3. Lake Pullout (7.91 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 3: Lake Pullout

A large pullout with a magnificent view of an unnamed lake (approximately 1% of Alaska's approximately 3,000,000 lakes are named). No permit is required for dispersed camping here along the road.

4. Ahtna Campground (8.17 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 4: Ahtna Campground

Ahtna owned and maintained campground with picnic tables and fire pits, but no bathroom at this time. A Ahtna Permit Application must be completed to camp here. At the time of writing, some blank forms were left in a dropbox on site.

5. Nenana River (14.39 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 5: Nenana River

The Nenana River comes up to the side of the Denali highway. The Nenana Glacier primarily feeds this river and, as such, is quite cold even in the summer months. It is a tributary of the Tanana River and is approximately 140 miles long, which eventually flows into the Yukon River before heading to the Bering Sea. This is a popular river for rafting due to its rapids, but it is not known for its fishing due to such a high glacial silt load.

6. BLM Plaque (18.28 mi)

A large pullout with scenic views and a plaque provided by the BLM that covers the history of the Denali Highway and its construction in the 1950s.

7. Seattle Creek Crossing (22.79 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 7: Seattle Creek Crossing

A large pullout to the side of the Denali Highway is a great place to stop and stretch or disperse camp.

8. Brushcana Creek Campground and Crossing (29.18 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 8: Brushcana Creek Campground and Crossing

Brushkana Creek Campground has potable water and pit toilets. A fee is required to camp here, and a hiking/ATV trail heads right out from the middle of the campground.

9. Sand Dunes (30.11 mi)

A small sand dune is present along the side of the road. Sand dunes pop up around Alaska in various places but are quite rare for the most part. The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes is a massive set of dunes in the Kotzebue region encompassing 30 square miles..

10. Mountain View Pullout (30.98 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 10: Mountain View Pullout

A little bit of a bumpy steep climb to this flat pullout offers great views of the 400-mile long Alaska Range to the north and the smaller Talkeetna Range to the south. This would be a great place to park for the night and stay in a vehicle-mounted RTT or ground tent.

11. Clearwater Mountain Lodge (39.43 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 11: Clearwater Mountain Lodge

Clearwater Mountain Lodge is the only lodge along the highway on this side of the Susitna River. Check their website for more information. The dumpsters out front are for public use and are free to use.

12. Susitna River Crossing (53.32 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 12: Susitna River Crossing

This is the mighty Susitna River. This bridge offers spectacular views and has made its way into many Alaska travel videos, including the 2016 Nitto JK Experience. The river is 313 miles long and is the 15th largest river in the United States which winds its way through the Alaska Range, then through the Talkeetna Range before eventually emptying into Cook Inlet near Anchorage.

13. Alpine Creek Lodge (64.94 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 13: Alpine Creek Lodge

The Alpine Creek Lodge is open 365 days a year and offers some excellent food at reasonable prices. Check out their website for more info on what they can offer to enhance your trip, including lodging, hunting, excursions, gold panning, mountain biking (they even have bikes to rent too), and more.

14. Scenic Lookout (73.8 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 14: Scenic Lookout

This is a great spot to photograph the Clearwater Mountains reaching up to 5781'. These mountains are part of the greater Alaska Range (which includes Denali) that begins near Lake Clark and terminates near the Alaska/Canada border that follows the Denali Highway. This is a great spot to stop and look for bears, moose, and caribou as well.

15. Clearwater Creek Crossing and Rest Area (77.54 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 15: Clearwater Creek Crossing and Rest Area

This crossing offers pit toilets and a large pullout with several fire rings for visitors to enjoy.

16. Maclaren River Lodge (91.02 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 16: Maclaren River Lodge

The Maclaren River Lodge offers many services to help you partake of Alaska and to help you on your way. Check out their website to see what they can offer you.

17. Maclaren Summit (96.19 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 17: Maclaren Summit

This large sign and pullout offer great views of the surrounding area. Hiking and ATV trails are plentiful from here to Paxson. Maclaren Summit is at 4,086' and forms the second-highest highway pass in Alaska, only surpassed by Summit Pass at 4,250'.

18. Glacier Gap Trailhead (102.51 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 18: Glacier Gap Trailhead

This is one of the hiking and ATV trails that are plentiful from Maclaren Summit to Paxson.

19. Tangle Lakes Lodge (111 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 19: Tangle Lakes Lodge

Tangle Lakes Lodge is the last lodge before reaching the Paxson side of the Denali Highway.

20. Tangle Lakes Campground (112.24 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 20: Tangle Lakes Campground

The Tangle Lakes Campground is a large campground with potable water, boating, pit toilets, hiking, and more. The nearby Tangle Lakes Lodge is a great place to get a warm meal from after a day of adventure.

21. Swede Lake Trail (117.98 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 21: Swede Lake Trail

A popular trail amongst the ATV community and the hunting community for access to caribou and moose habitat, the Swede Lake Trail offers loading ramps, pit toilets, and an extensive parking area just off the highway. The ATV trail is quite wet and marshy even into June and July.

22. Rest Area (127.46 mi)

This rest area with pit toilets is the last prominent stop along the Denali Highway before reaching the Paxson side. A bathroom stop here is recommended as not many facilities offer a public restroom in Paxson.

23. Denali Highway End (Historical Beginning) (135.34 mi)

Denali Highway - Waypoint 23: Denali Highway End (Historical Beginning)

This is the end of the Denali Highway! The Denali Highway terminates here at the Richardson Highway. Historically, this is where people would embark on their expedition into Denali National Park before the Parks Highway (connecting Anchorage to Fairbanks directly) was completed in 1971. Since the Parks Highway opened, this route is much less traveled.

Trail Reviews

4.7/5 (4 reviews)

Todd

Official Crew

104650

Seasonal Closure

Visited: 11/24/2022

Closed for the season! See you next year!

Kyle Todd

Official Crew

5450

Open

Rated 4/5

Visited: 09/14/2021

Difficulty Accuracy: Spot On

The road was in decent condition with seemingly less potholes than normal. A little too late for berry picking though.

Trail Review: Denali Highway - Kyle Todd

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Kyle Todd

Official Crew

5450

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 09/05/2020

Amazing fall colors and blue berries were plentiful once found. I did spend the night in the area and it did freeze but did not pose any problems. The road was very pot holed in many parts.

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Kyle Todd

Official Crew

5450

Open

Rated 5/5

Visited: 06/06/2020

My wife and I went for a mini couple weekend retreat with our 4Runner on the Denali Highway and Denali National Park. We had an amazing time on our trip and are planning other trips soon.

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Denali Highway

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Trail Navigation

1. Denali Highway Beginning (Historical End) (0 mi)

2. Gravel Road Begins (2.65 mi)

3. Lake Pullout (7.91 mi)

4. Ahtna Campground (8.17 mi)

5. Nenana River (14.39 mi)

6. BLM Plaque (18.28 mi)

7. Seattle Creek Crossing (22.79 mi)

8. Brushcana Creek Campground and Crossing (29.18 mi)

9. Sand Dunes (30.11 mi)

10. Mountain View Pullout (30.98 mi)

11. Clearwater Mountain Lodge (39.43 mi)

12. Susitna River Crossing (53.32 mi)

13. Alpine Creek Lodge (64.94 mi)

14. Scenic Lookout (73.8 mi)

15. Clearwater Creek Crossing and Rest Area (77.54 mi)

16. Maclaren River Lodge (91.02 mi)

17. Maclaren Summit (96.19 mi)

18. Glacier Gap Trailhead (102.51 mi)

19. Tangle Lakes Lodge (111 mi)

20. Tangle Lakes Campground (112.24 mi)

21. Swede Lake Trail (117.98 mi)

22. Rest Area (127.46 mi)

23. Denali Highway End (Historical Beginning) (135.34 mi)

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Kyle Todd

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