enali - "The Great One"

(photo � 1996 Barbara Logan)
Denali, Mount McKinley, August 23, 1996 photographed at Stony Hill Overlook

Mount McKinley in the Alaska Range is the highest mountain on the North American continent. The South Peak is 20,320 feet high; the North Peak is 19,470 feet. The mountain was named in 1896 for William McKinley of Ohio, who at the time was the Republican candidate for president. The earlier name, Denali, is an Athabascan word meaning "the big one" or "the great one." The state of Alaska officially renamed the mountain Denali in 1975 and the state Geographic Names Board claims the proper name for the mountain is Denali. However, the federal Geographics Names Board has not taken any action and congressional legislation has been introduced to retain the name McKinley in perpetuity.

(photo � 1996 Barbara Logan)
Denali National Park Entrance, August 23, 1996

Mount McKinley is within Denali National Park and Preserve (formerly Mount McKinley National Park). The park entrance is about 237 miles north of Anchorage and 121 miles south of Fairbanks on the George Parks Highway. The park is also accessible via the Alaska Railroad and aircraft. A 90 mile gravel road runs west through the park from the highway. Vehicle traffic is restricted, so most visitors take park shuttle buses into the park. Reservations must be made. The best time to see McKinley up close is on summer mornings, August being best, according to statistics from a park ranger of 13 years. The mountain is rarely visible the entire day. McKinley is popular with mountain climbers, and recently a pair completed the first successful winter climb. Many have reached the summit successfully. Many have also died in their attempts.

(photo � 1995 Don Logan)
Polychrome Pass in Denali National Park, July 1995

(photo � 1996 Barbara Logan)
Teklanika River in Denali National Park, August 23, 1996

The park is the most popular tourist attraction in Alaska. It is a wilderness area populated with abundant wildlife, including grizzly bear, wolf, caribou, moose and Dall sheep. In August 1996 we were able to see Dall sheep in the numerous mountains of the Alaska Range, (binoculars being very helpful) as well as numerous caribou, golden eagles, ptarmigan, arctic ground squirrels and grizzly bears. We saw a lone bear cross the road directly in front of the bus, and a sow grizzly with three cubs on a hillside near the road. A caribou was also in the road, departing as the bus went by. The buses will stop for a few minutes when animals are in the area, to allow for photographs to be taken. In June you can see an abundance of plants in bloom, covering the tundra and taiga with beautiful colors. In September the colors change to the reds, oranges and yellows of autumn as the plant die back in preparation for the cold winter months ahead. The park is closed from mid-September to mid-May.

(photo � 1996 Barbara Logan)
The Sanctuary River in Denali National Park, August 23, 1996

(photo � 1999 Barbara Logan)
Autumn vegetation near the Savage River, Denali National Park, September 6, 1999

The "tundra" is an area with cool temperatures, frequent winds and moisture-retaining soils. Tundra climates are harsh on plant species attempting to grow there. Stress is incurred as soils freeze around roots and winds wear away portions exposed above rocks and snow. Consequently, the three distinct types of Alaska tundra - wet, moist and alpine - support low-growing vegetation that includes a variety of delicate flowers, mosses and lichens. According to a report, every acre of Arctic tundra contains more than two tons of live fungi which survive by feeding on, thus decomposing, dead organic matter. Since the ice-age glaciers receded, a vegetative residue has built up a layer of peat three to six feet thick overlying the tundra. Taken from a Russian word meaning "land of little sticks", the name "taiga" is applied to the spindly white spruce and black spruce forests found in much of southcentral and interior Alaska. The Alaska Range is underlain by discontinuous permafrost. Permafrost, perennially frozen ground, is defined as ground which remains frozen for two or more years. The entire arctic region has permafrost to depths of 2,000 feet! It occurs continuously north of the Brooks Range of Alaska and in alpine regions of mountains including those in the "Lower 48" states.

(photo � 1999 Barbara Logan)
Low-Bush Cranberries dominate the tundra at Denali National Park, September 6, 1999.

You can learn more about Denali National Park and Preserve HERE.

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This page was last updated 4 July 2005 � Barbara Logan
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