Denali is big, not only in the aggregate but in its particulars. Glaciers dozens of miles long, rivers a mile wide, moose that stand 2.1 metre at the shoulder. More than 2 million of its acres are wilderness, and nearly all of the remaining 4.2 million acres likewise show little evidence of human presence. It is no wonder grizzly bears and wolves thrive here.

For thousands of years Athabascan had hunted in the area but with a light touch that maintained healthy wildlife populations. In 1903, gold seekers rushed in, market hunters followed and began killing game at an unsustainable pace to provide meat to the stampeders.

The front country holds its own charms, evident even amid the sprawl of roadside services near the entrance. Several tour operators offer guided excursions into the park and surrounding wild lands via plane, helicopter, raft , jet boat, bus and foot.