The Great Name Debate
On August 31, 2015,
President Obama declared a winner in a long-running fight between Alaska
and Ohio. The cause of the 40-year dispute? The name of the highest
mountain in North America.
It all began in 1896 when a gold
prospector passing through central Alaska decided to name the
20,237-foot mountain he “discovered” Mount McKinley, after the Ohio
governor who had just been elected President. The name stuck, even
though the Athabaskan people native to the area had been calling it
Denali, which in their language means “High One,” for hundreds of years.
In
the decades that followed, the thousands of tourists who began pouring
into the area around the mountain, which in 1917 became a national park,
had no idea that it had ever been known by another name.
Alaskans,
however, would never forget, and continued to use to what they
considered to be its true name. In 1975, the Alaska Legislature
requested that the United States Board on Geographic Names change the
name to Mount Denali.
Ohio politicians immediately acted to block the
proposal, and over the next 40 years used a series of legislative
tricks and intimidation tactics to prevent the name from being changed.
Finally,
in January 2015 Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski reopened the debate by
submitting a new bill calling for the name to be changed, which caught
the attention of the President. The battle is far from over, though, as
House Speaker John Boehner (from Ohio) and other powerful figures have
slammed the change. Even Sarah Palin, Alaska’s notorious former
governor, announced her disapproval. However, she did acknowledge the
divide that still exists by saying that she has one niece named McKinley
and another named Denali.
Planning Your Trip
No
matter its name, the mountain is one of the most breathtaking sites in
the United States, and, as a bonus, is surrounded on all sides by even
more natural beauty. Visiting Alaska without taking a cruise may sound
daunting, but reaching Denali National Park and Preserve, which surrounds the mountain, is surprisingly easy. The park is a five-hour drive from Anchorage, the State’s largest city, and two hours from Fairbanks,
the second largest. The drive itself is part of the adventure, as no
less than six scenic highways pass by the Park. If driving yourself
doesn’t sound like much of a vacation, think about taking the
world-famous Alaska Railroad,
which stops at the Park on its way from Anchorage to Fairbanks and has
domed glass cars to allow you to view the stunning scenery from all
angles. Another alternative is to travel with one of the many companies
offering package tours that leave from both cities and include
activities and lodging in and around the Park.
When it comes to planning your trip, the National Park Service website
is your one-stop-shop for all things Denali. From the best activities
for kids to Wi-Fi connectivity in the wilderness, you will never have a
question that this site can’t answer. The Park Service also publishes a newspaper,
which is so extensive and well organized that you can save money by
printing it out and using it instead of a guidebook when you are in the
Park!
The Park Service also runs Facebook and Twitter pages for Denali, which provide information on special events and highlight top attractions, and also has YouTube and Flickr
accounts that feature Pinterest-worthy photos and clips of animals so
cute they could go viral. The state of Alaska also has a fantastic app
that uses your location to recommend nearby food, attractions, lodging,
and services, and also features suggestions made by fellow travelers.
The app even contains an entire library of guides, photos, and videos,
allowing you to have all the information you might need right at your
fingertips wherever you are.
Getting There
Mount
soon-to-be-Denali has the highest base-to-peak rise of any mountain
completely above sea level, making it visible almost anywhere within the
Park. The most common way people get their prefect view (and photo op,)
though, is by taking a shuttle bus.
The busses, which have a retro look and are used by nearly all visitors
since most of the Park’s only road is closed to private vehicles, are
one of the hallmarks of any trip to Denali. One of the stops, Stony Hill
Overlook, offers breathtaking views of the entire height of the
Mountain which will make you understand why the word Denali can also
mean “Great One.” The very best way to see the Mountain is to get up
close and personal in a small plane on a flightseeing tour. These
excursions are pricey, but the only other way you’ll get anywhere near
the top is if you climb there yourself.
Around and just outside of
the Park are hundreds of other opportunities for exhilarating outdoor
fun. The shuttle bus, which runs along hop-on-hop-off routes to four
different sections, is great not only for seeing the mountain, but also
offers picture-perfect views of the tundra landscape and wildlife most
people will only ever see in a zoo. If you are interested in a
particular part of the Denali experience, the Park Service also offers guided bus tours, which focus specifically on themes such as natural history or gold mining.
An Alaskan Adventure
There
are dozens of easily accessible marked hiking trails, and if you’re
looking for a real Alaska experience you are also allowed to venture
off-trail nearly wherever your curiosity takes you. The Park website
and newspaper list everything from family-friendly paved loops to
multi-day mountain climbs, ensuring that everyone can find a hike that
fits their preferences perfectly.
The on-site sled dog kennels
are a favorite attraction for all ages. Park rangers give free
demonstrations and allow you to interact with the dogs, who actually
pull the rangers around on sleds as they check up on remote sections in
the winter! There are also a number of companies offering
adventure-packed day trips, such as whitewater rafting on the wild Nenana River. The Park Service provides a list of recommend outfitters, who offer glacier landings, sled dog tours, and more.
