Parking
The trailhead is at Eielson Visitor Center on Denali Park Road (Mile 66). Access beyond Savage River is restricted and may require an authorized park bus or vehicle permit; check current NPS access rules before travel.
Overview
About Gorge Creek Trail
Why go
- Direct access from Eielson Visitor Center to Gorge Creek and the Thorofare River bars
- About 600 feet of descent delivers a dramatic gorge and river-bar destination
- Provides access to additional off-trail dayhiking opportunities beyond the maintained end
Heads up
- The 600-foot descent becomes an equally demanding climb on the return
- Soil footing can be uneven and loose, especially near the river bars
- The maintained trail ends at the river bars; beyond it, route-finding and a creek crossing may be required
Starting at Eielson Visitor Center on Denali Park Road, this established trail descends to Gorge Creek and the Thorofare River bars. It is about 2.0 miles total (round-trip), with roughly 600 feet of descent on the way down and the same climb on the return. The route reaches the maintained trail's river-bar terminus and offers access to dramatic gorge scenery, broad gravel bars, and further off-trail dayhiking opportunities.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy hike itMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Denali map
Full mapElevation3,127–3,629 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Denali alert
- InfoDenali Park Road open to Mile 30; heavy equipmentThe Denali Park Road is open to Mile 30 (Teklanika River); stay alert for heavy equipment traveling on the road. Check current park conditions before traveling.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Denali Tour Guide
Your drive to Gorge Creek Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Denali National Park. 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 audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Eielson Visitor CenterListen
“You'll soon be at the Eielson Visitor Center, which for my money has the best views from anywhere on the Park Road. On a clear day, the sight of Denali and the Alaska Range from here is just spectacular.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Denali Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Sentinels of the Tundra: Arctic Ground Squirrels
- Nature's Rock Gardens: Patterned Ground
- Heat Traps and Shivering Bees
- Stony Hill Overlook
- 113 audio storiesacross Denali’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Wolf, Canada Lynx, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 17 trails, 60 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 Gorge Creek Trail
What to expectThe route is an out-and-back on a soil trail.
The route is an out-and-back on a soil trail. The descent is sustained and can feel steep; the return climb is the demanding part of this short hike. The mapped corridor is approximately 0.87 miles one way, while the visitor distance is conventionally reported as about 2.0 miles round-trip. The trail ends at the Gorge Creek and Thorofare River bars; continuing beyond the maintained end is off-trail and may require a creek crossing.
Know before you goAllow about 90 minutes for the round trip and save energy for the climb back to Eielson.
Allow about 90 minutes for the round trip and save energy for the climb back to Eielson. The Eielson area is exposed to changing mountain weather, so bring layers and rain protection. Carry water, follow Denali wildlife-safety guidance, and check current park-road and access rules before traveling to this remote trailhead.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Denali
715 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
74 sightingsWolfMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
49 sightingsCanada LynxMost seen around 9 PMSighting map
795 sightingsMooseMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
917 sightingsCaribouMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
405 sightingsDall's SheepMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Denali. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
