Parking
Use the roadside access where the track leaves the north side of the Denali Highway near MP 85.5. No developed parking area or capacity is documented.
Overview
About Alaska Range Viewpoint Trail
Why go
- A short climb reaches a broad Alaska Range and Susitna valley view.
Heads up
- No developed trailhead facilities or route markers are documented.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Denali Highway map
Full mapElevation2,651–2,808 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Denali Highway Tour Guide
Your drive to Alaska Range Viewpoint Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Denali Highway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Denali Highway audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Alaska Range Viewpoint: A Short Hill Walk0:00 / 0:23
“You're nearing the start of the Alaska Range Viewpoint walk, an informal hill climb from the north side of the highway near mile eighty-five and a half.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Denali Highway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Basket Made from Bark
- Why a Swan Paddles in Place
- A Bird with Two Summers
- Valdez Creek Mine Viewpoint: The Settlement Called Denali
- 96 audio storiesacross Denali Highway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Moose, Caribou, Bald Eagle, and 10 more
- Works offlinemaps, 18 trails, 27 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Alaska Range Viewpoint Trail
A short climb with a wide viewAlaska Range Viewpoint Trail is an informal out-and-back from the Denali Highway to a low hill…
Alaska Range Viewpoint Trail is an informal out-and-back from the Denali Highway to a low hill above the Susitna River valley. Follow the mapped track about 0.29 mile uphill, then return the same way for roughly 0.58 mile round trip. Allow about 30 minutes, including time at the crest. It is a slight climb, with around 150 feet of rise in the elevation profile; go for the broad mountain view rather than a long hike.
Finding the startThe track leaves the north side of the Denali Highway near MP 85.5.
The track leaves the north side of the Denali Highway near MP 85.5. This is a roadside access, not a named developed trailhead; no formal lot, toilets, water or other facilities are documented. The route is described as an informal summer walk, so do not expect maintained markers or a built surface.
The view from the hillA dirt path through low shrubs reaches an open crest facing the Alaska Range.
A dirt path through low shrubs reaches an open crest facing the Alaska Range. Mount Deborah, listed at 12,339 feet, and Mount Hess at 11,940 feet rise across the Susitna valley. The Susitna flows south from the Alaska Range, bends west through the Talkeetna Mountains and continues toward Cook Inlet. At the top, frame the peaks with a little foreground scrub to show the scale of the open country.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Denali Highway
56 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
37 sightingsCaribouMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
26 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
33 sightingsTrumpeter SwanMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
25 sightingsBeaverMost seen around 9 PMSighting map
17 sightingsPorcupineMost seen around 10 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Denali Highway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
