Denali Photo copyright Kennan Ward. A smaller cousin to Denali National Park, this state-managed area is located 50 miles south of its larger relative on the Parks Highway. This area is too brushy for bushwhacking, but does boast a few maintained trails, featuring one 36-miler that travels along the crest of K'esugi Ridge with a spectacular view of Denali to the west on a clear day. Fishing is fairly good in the streams of this park, with runs of red, pink, and silver salmon arriving in mid- to late summer, and a few resident rainbows providing fishing throughout the year. This gravel highway makes its way through miles of untrammeled BLM land in the heart of the Alaska Range, providing many opportunities for the adventurous backpacker.
Habitats vary from spruce bog to open tundra, with dense underbrush along some of the major rivers.
The far western part of the highway, near the headwaters of the Susitna River, as well as the MacLaren River area, provide especially pleasant tundra hiking without the crowds associated with some of the more developed parks. Fishing can be good in clear-flowing rivers and streams, and improves as you travel farther from the road. The former site of one of Alaska's largest gold mines, Hatcher Pass is nestled among the craggy massifs of the Talkeetna Mountains on the Fishhook Road between Palmer and Willow. The area in the immediate vicinity of the pass has several maintained trails for day hikers and backpackers, both at the historical park encompassing the mine site and in the surrounding valleys. Gold panning is allowed here, and pans are available on loan from the visitor center.