Denali National Park and Preserve in Denali Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)

Road to Wildness

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 20, 2024

1. Road to Wildness Marker

Inscription.

"A main artery road through the passes is the park's most urgent need."
— Mt. McKinley National Park Superintendent Harry Karstens, 1921

Harry Karstens realized a national park needed to be accessible to its visitors. However, he may not have pondered the impacts large numbers of visitors and vehicles would have on wildlife and the wilderness experience.

Completion of the George Parks Highway in 1972 made it possible for large numbers of visitors to drive to the park. Anticipating a dramatic increase in visitation, road access restrictions and the shuttle bus system were established that same year.

Aboard buses, visitors can still enjoy the wildlife and scenic beauty of Denali without the traffic, noise and pollution thousands of individual vehicles would create. By using the bus system, today's visitors help preserve the park's wilderness character, relatively unchanged since Karstens' day.

[Background photo caption reads]
Road construction at Mile 69 on the Denali Park Road, taken prior to 1938.

[Inset photo caption reads]
Constructed between 1922 and 1938 as a joint project between the Alaska Road Commission and
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the National Park Service, the park road extends ninety miles to the mining community of Kantishna. Access to the gravel portion beyond the Savage River at Mile 14 is limited to buses and those with special permits.
[Sub-caption reads] "The Truck Drivers"

Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Parks & Recreational Areas • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1921.

Location. 63° 43.179′ N, 149° 15.761′ W. Marker is in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, in Denali Borough. It can be reached from Park Road. Marker is along the short Savage Cabin Loop Trail, near Park Road milepost 13 in Denali National Park and Preserve. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Denali National Park AK 99755, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Alaska Railroad Corridor,

in the Athabascan Region,

and in Interior Alaska.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Pacific Rim,

the Western Hemisphere,

the

<i>Road to Wildness</i> Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 20, 2024

2. Road to Wildness Marker

On the Savage Cabin Loop Trail

Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Russian Empire.

Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Wilderness Guardians (within shouting distance of this marker); Step to the Wild Side (within shouting distance of this marker); Against the Wind (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Denali National Park and Preserve (about 400 feet away); Living, Breathing History (about 500 feet away); Ice Age Hunters (approx. 4.7 miles away).

Shuttle Buses for Visitors image. Click for full size.

Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 20, 2024

3. Shuttle Buses for Visitors

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 152 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 26, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.