And at that, the byway is gravel and all but closed to private vehicles. In other words, Denali sees less traffic than many suburban streets. Mount McKinley Photo copyright Kennan Ward. Across the park's largely treeless expanse, the views are of a scale unknown in the Lower 48.
Rivers rush wide and milky white with rock pulverized by glaciers.
Flower-studded tundra spills away in all directions for tens of miles. Marquee wildlife like caribou, Dall sheep, moose, and grizzly bears roam freely. And, if the weather cooperates, Mount McKinley swallows the horizon. From base to summit, the mountain's vertical relief is greater than that of Mount Everest. On those rare occasions when its shroud of clouds rolls back, McKinley's grandeur will steal your breath away.