Denali opens 30 miles of road to private vehicles starting Friday

Starting Friday, drivers can take their own vehicles 30 miles into Denali National Park — twice as far as the summer limit — as far as the Teklanika Rest Area, weather permitting.

The extended access runs through Oct. 15. After that, private vehicles can get as far as Mountain Vista, about 13 miles in, until the road closes for winter. None of it is guaranteed: the drivable stretch may shift as snow and ice build up, sections can open or close with little notice, and access can end early if the road shuts near park headquarters. The Park Service advises checking conditions before heading out.

Expect snow, ice and mud in shaded stretches, and watch for wildlife, park employees and heavy equipment on the road.

The campgrounds are winding down this week. Bus access to Sanctuary and Igloo ends Wednesday, Teklanika on Thursday, and Savage River closes Sunday. Bear activity has already forced Igloo shut for the season and limited Teklanika to hard-sided vehicles — no tents — with existing reservations moved to other campgrounds at check-in.

From Monday, the Bear Loop at Riley Creek Campground becomes free and first-come, first-served, with no water or trash service. Visitors need to bring their own water and pack out what they carry in. At least five sites stay open all winter.

Deeper access remains years off. Vehicles have been stopping at East Fork since the Pretty Rocks landslide in 2021. The bridge built to get past it — a 475-foot span costing roughly $230 million — was finished this month, but bus service to Eielson, Wonder Lake and Kantishna isn't expected to resume until 2027.