Most ecosystems its size have suffered far more harmful human impacts and are governed by a maze of different management mandates. Although few visitors to the National Parks expect to see evidence of mining activities, at Denali past mining for gold and gravel has left behind scarred lands in need of reclamation. Some 200 acres of disturbance exist in the Kantishna Mining District alone. In some cases, unclaimed mines are causing contamination of surfacewater bodies. In other cases, stream dynamics have been altered drastically.
Natural recovery is very slow in the park's subarctic environment.
Although the park drafted a reclamation plan in 1994, reclamation efforts have been hampered by insufficient staffing and funds. As a result, the visitor experience continues to be marred by unrehabilitated streams and landscapes in mining districts. Although substantial amounts of resource information exist for the original Mt. McKinley National Park, important information voids exist for park and preserve lands that were added in 1980 under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act. Basic information on flora and fauna is needed, as is information about water and air quality for these lands. Many resource categories, such as wetlands, invertebrates, and furbearers, are generally understudied and underdocumented.