It offers a look at a people and culture more than a thousand years old, with inhabitants who even today depend on whale-hunting for survival. During the cold war, Barrow had a strategic value. Part of the Early Warning System was located there, antennas of which now lie seemingly abandoned on the windy, barren landscape like strange anachronisms. Denali National Park can be reached by both road and railway. In the summer months, Denali's more than six million acres of lush mountains, valleys, and plains are feeding grounds for various wildlife.
Visitors can enter the park on park tour buses, on foot, or in private cars.
Only a limited number of private cars are allowed, and only during certain days of the year. Road travel permits for cars are given by lottery. Traveling into the park even for a few hours on a tour bus virtually guarantees opportunities to photograph Dall sheep, moose, and frequently also grizzly bears. The majestic Mt. McKinley, North America's highest mountain, is also located within Denali. The largest city in Alaska in terms of population is Anchorage, a modern city with roughly 226,000 residents.