Traditional visitors to Denali Park access the backcountry of the Park by bus. A landslide at Mile 42 has blocked vehicle traffic for the last 50 miles of the 92 mile long Park Road. Visitors who are willing to be “non-traditional” will be rewarded with some of the most amazing Denali Park experiences since the road was built a hundred years ago.

The Road through the wilderness of Denali, which in previous years has seen nearly a million visitors by bus annually, for the next few years will see no buses and few visitors.

It’s easier than you might think to be one of those few.

Going around the landslide in 2023 requires some planning and preparation. Taking one of the Denali National Park transit buses to the East Fork terminus will expedite the start. Allow about 2 ½ hours for the bus ride.

Once on the East Fork gravel bar, there will be multiple creek crossings. We recommend not making the trip until at least later in June, thus allowing the spring melt water levels to recede. The 4 to 5 miles of travel on the gravel bar should take about 2 to 3 hours.

Bike Denali has camping supplies available for riders going into the backcountry. Guidelines for camping in the backcountry as well as handling food and waste will be explained by both the Park Service Backcountry Rangers and our staff at Bike Denali.

The past several years have changed the world as we once knew it, and Denali National Park has not been an exception. In 2020, Covid made tourism in Alaska nearly non-existent for the season. 2021 and 2022 have seen a gradual comeback, but a small portion of the Park Road near Polychrome Pass which became troublesome beginning in 2014, became impassable with the August rains of 2021. The Park Road has been closed beyond the East Fork Bridge (mile 42) to bus traffic since then.

In 2022, Denali National Park administration and staff found a way to keep the Park accessible by installing a staircase down to the gravel bar of the East Fork, on the west side of the bridge. Using this stairway, hikers and bikers can easily access the gravel bar here and follow the braided river bed around the bluff for five miles, eventually re-joining the road at a tributary creek of the East Fork.

In 2022, Bike Denali outfitted many bikepackers to make the trip around the landslide closure, with great success. Those who have made the trip have returned with amazing tales of solitude in a vast wilderness. A solitude without interruption, yet with the convenience of a 50 mile highly improved road running through it.

For adventurous visitors to Denali Park, 2023 will be the opportunity of a lifetime. Members of the staff of Bike Denali, as well as clients, have been around the closure and have deemed the trip to be possible by most anyone who can ride a bike on a gravel trail and is willing to live out of a bike pack outfit for at least 48 hours. An overnight is necessary to make it worth while to go beyond the landslide. Visit our News Page again, as we expand upon this opportunity in more blog posts as the season approaches.

In May 2021, Emily Pennington published an article in Outside Magazine sharing her experience biking the Denali Park road on a mountain bike rented from BikeDenali.

In Emily’s words:

The view of the Alaska Range, the joyous feeling of wind on my cheeks, and a buoyant sensation of wild abandon are forever stitched in my memory as the perfect bookend to a perfect day in the park.

Photo by Emily Pennington

Read about her trip in the Outside Online Article: https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/national-parks/62-parks-traveler-denali/

Yes, we are open! We still have lots of bikes available for 2021! We are upgrading our booking platform and appreciate your patience with that. Due to COVID, there have been numerous changes to park operations and services. We encourage you to call Brian at 907-378-2107 to assist in your planning and transportation logistics. We will be taking reservations by email at bikedenalirentals@gmail.com. Please include the number of riders, names, heights and dates. We look forward to seeing you!

The solstice of the summer of 2020 has come and gone and we at Bike Denali feel this is a good time to bring a message to our customers, as well as other bikers.  Get out in the midnight sun.  It’s a message that resonates with any seasoned Alaskan, because this is our time of year to shine.  Many visitors, consumed with busy days of traveling, will remain on their normal schedule and miss this opportunity.  But you’re here and you want the genuine experience, so maybe stay up late,  at least one night.  When you do, get on your bike and ride.  In Denali Park, even on the well traveled road in the front country, you’ll find you have the road almost entirely to yourself.  It is spectacular in a way you must experience to understand.  But we don’t encourage missing sleep, so perhaps take an afternoon siesta.  And if you don’t know where to go or what to do?  Ask us when you’re here, we’ve got some good ideas.

All of the photos in this blog are from Denali Park on a biking trip with one of our bikes. Thanks to Ricky and his sons Thomas and Pharris from Franklin, Tennessee for these Denali National Park Wilderness bike camping photos!

Our photos to this point have revolved around a certain amount of wildlife, this time I’d like to monologue on that topic. Through various reports, sightings and personal experiences, I’ve come to know a few of the animals in the front country recently, and I’ve been offered some poignant lessons. None of this is meant to scare you, riding a bike in Denali National Park is no more dangerous than riding a bike in a city. Wildlife, however, is part of the traffic here and, as with any traffic, a lack of awareness can be hazardous.

On Tuesday June 9, I heard a report that a bear had killed a moose calf near the Park headquarters and Dog Sled Kennels on June 8 or slightly before. Late that night of the 9th, we got the chance to see what I’m pretty sure was the same bear cross the Parks Highway, 2.5 miles south of the Park entrance, travelling west to east. There are a number of moose that hang around the front country area of the Park and if you are there for a period of time you’ll get to know them. On the 9th and perhaps even the 8th, I noticed that one of the local cows that had two calves with her recently, now didn’t seem to have her calves anymore. Bummer, I was getting to like those calves, but I think I know what happened to them. What I hadn’t considered, however, are the ramifications behind this sort of local wildlife activity.

Let’s take a second and reflect on how we should behave in Denali National Park while riding a bicycle. Go slow. Check. When visibility is restricted by brush or landscape, talk loudly to alert animals of your presence so you don’t surprise them. Check. Here’s where I’d like to emphasize the last one on the list. Maintain situational awareness.

The morning of June 10th was a Bluebird Day in the Front Country of Denali National Park. On our morning ride, two of us riding on the bike trail past the railroad tracks, going toward the visitor center; I was engulfed in blah, blah, blah. Going slow, making plenty of noise, two out of three works, right? Until there’s that cow and she’s already charging. She brushed me on the turn around as I began a puckered cheek bellowing with a cat-like quickness. As she rear ended in preparation to kick me off of my bike, I could see she startled and balked, then sauntered off irritably. Or more likely, distressed.

This is an example of unusual moose behavior. Having added up the evidence surrounding the situation, it is obvious how this behavior resulted. Mama is distressed after losing her young ones. She’s lashing out at whatever is nearby and perhaps needs a therapist. But had we not been yaketty yaketty, I’m 100% sure we would have heard that moose, seen that moose, and been able to continue wearing the same pair of underwear.

This is an uncommon experience in the Park, but it does happen. The obvious moral is be aware. But we want you to know specifically, maintain that awareness even on a casual ride in the front country. It makes it more interesting and could save having to pull hoof splinters out of your behind.

I remembered some old lessons and learned a few more on this biking adventure, but I’m sure I’ll forget them again. Maybe these lessons will help you as you make your biking trip into Denali National Park this June. If they do, deny it, you’re better than this.

First of all, bring an extra SD card for your camera. While I was beginning to get tired of photographing these bears after 45 minutes, I finally rode away because I ran out of space on my SD card. The bears didn’t seem to mind.

If you read the last entry, I ended with a bit about decent raingear saving your life in Denali Park. So naturally, I got to have one of those days and learn just how low you can set the bar for decent. It rained all day. Turns out it was a $5 pouch emergency poncho that saved the day, making up for the inadequacies of the $100 designer rain/wind jacket. Don’t get me wrong, the jacket helped. But it’s not waterproof. And when it boils down to it, you need waterproof. I was wearing a pair of FrogTogg rain pants that I got in a suit packet that is compact. I did not bring the jacket, but I wished I had. I’m not endorsing a product, but this suit cost $20 and is compact and having this or something like it is essential for any trip in Denali Park unless you know the space age fabric you’re counting on is actually waterproof. It must be or you might get wet and not dry out.

With waterproof rain gear, however, comes the issue of sweating. When it is cold and rainy on a Denali Park bike ride, don’t sweat. This isn’t a race, most of my day yesterday I spent moving less than two miles per hour. I just never stopped. If I felt I might even start to sweat, I got off and walked. And no hill on the road is so steep that you can’t walk your bike up leisurely. I went 36 miles yesterday. I haven’t been biking much at all yet this season and I’m not sore today. Because I went slow. And I focused on staying dry.

June 2020 is the month for bikes in Denali Park. Keep checking our posts, we’ll try to keep you informed of situational developments, tips for trip planning, and personal biking experiences. Bike Denali is providing bear canisters to bike renters, 1 per party of 2. These will be free of charge to customers since the Park Service will not be providing them this month. You will need a handlebar cradle to carry it, $5 on-time charge, good for any length of rental term. We are working on providing tents and compact campstoves later in the month, stay tuned on those details. See our post from June 2,  for details on registering with the Park Service to drive the Park Road to the Teklanika gate, as well as getting a backcountry permit. Good riding and stay safe.