The Eielson Visitor Center is one of the many Denali viewpoints from the Park Road.
Attempting to see North America’s highest peak should be on every visitor’s itinerary. Denali’s weather can be temperamental and seeing the mountain isn’t guaranteed. Summertime visitors only have about a 30 – 40 percent chance of seeing the mountain. It’s possible to spot the 20,310-foot peak from many places around southcentral Alaska. All glimpses of the mountain are beautiful but some views are superior to others. Plan to stop at these Denali viewpoints, and if the weather cooperates you’ll get a beautiful view and some excellent pictures.
Denali Viewpoint South
This popular stop is at mile A 134.8 of the Parks Highway. The area has viewing scopes, interpretive boards, a day-use parking area, and camping. It is only about 40 miles from the mountain itself. Some say this viewpoint is the best view of Denali from the road system.
K’esugi Ken Campground and an interpretive center are less than a mile up the road. The area also has picnic tables and some hiking trails.
Talkeetna Spur Road
There’s a Denali viewpoint about 13 miles up the road to Talkeetna. It is a large, paved area with interpretive signs and incredible views of Denali, Mount Foraker, and the Alaska Range above the Susitna River.
Many Denali adventures, including most climbing expeditions, launch from Talkeetna. The mountain looms large and is visible from some parts of the town.
Denali Park Road
The park road heads into the heart of Denali National Park and is full of opportunities to see the mountain. The public can drive the first 15 miles of the road, up to Savage River, during the summer. Take a tour on one of the park buses to see views of the mountain as close as 25 miles from the peak.
Fairbanks
View the north side of Denali from Fairbanks, which is about 150 miles away from the mountain. The best of the Denali viewpoints in the city is from the Alaska Range Overlook on the University of Alaska campus. The parking area is just east of the Museum of the North. Visitors can see a large section of the Alaska Range, including three peaks called the Three Sisters. Denali is much farther to the right, toward the southwest.
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