Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Published: December 17, 2025
Denali National Park and Preserve expands over six million acres of wildlands, mountains, and glaciers, and is one of Alaska's premier sites for viewing wildlife. In 1916, controversy arose over the park's name, but on February 26, 1917, Mount McKinley National Park officially came into existence as legislation (39 Stat. 938) was signed into law. Originally created to protect the Dall sheep , Congress later expanded the boundaries of the park, included protection of Mount McKinley, and provided a place for wilderness protection. Source: National Park Service (NPS)
Despite the official decision to use “Mount McKinley” as the name of the peak and the national park, the debate continued. The name of the mountain has changed through legislation and executive actions. In 1975, the State of Alaska petitioned to officially change the name of the mountain to Denali. In 1980, after the expansion of the area, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1979 (94 Stat. 2371) changed the park’s name to the Denali National Park and Preserve. The official name of the mountain remained Mount McKinley until 2015, when President Obama and the Secretary of the Interior officially changed the name to Denali, restoring the traditional Koyukon Athabascan name, which means “the tall one.” In 2025, President Donald Trump issued Executive Order 14172 to change the name of the mountain back to Mount McKinley. The name of the park remains Denali National Park and Preserve.
On September 2, 2015, the mountain's elevation was also revised. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced that Denali’s summit had a new, official elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 meters)—10 feet shorter than surveyors had determined in the 1950s. According to the USGS, the mountain has not shrunk, but instead, the technology for obtaining measurements has improved.
Image: Denali National Park and Preserve - Alaska (NPS Poster) available through the U.S. GPO Government Bookstore.
Additional Resources
- Take a look at the Department of Interior's publications "A History of Mount Mckinley National Park, Alaska" (1953) , and "The Grizzlies of Mount Mckinley Alaska" (1981) on GovInfo.
- Learn about the geology and ecology of Denali National Park on the United States Geological Survey (USGS) website.
- Find tips on planning your visit on the National Park Service's (NPS) website.
- Read about the first ascent of Mount McKinley in 1913 , and view a 2012 time-lapse compilation of the Denali Park Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) on the NPS website.
- Since 1922, the park has collaborated with canine teams to preserve its vast wilderness. Read more about the kennel's history, and how the role of the kennel has evolved over the years on the NPS website.
Image: A dog sled team traveling along the Tanana River (February 23, 2022). Source: NPS