Parking
No personal-vehicle parking at the trail. Access is from the road junction near Wonder Lake Campground; plan for park transportation or other permitted access to Wonder Lake and confirm schedules before traveling.
Overview
About McKinley River Bar Trail
From the road junction near Wonder Lake Campground, the established McKinley River Bar Trail travels about 2.5 miles one way through wet meadows, spruce forest, and small ponds before ending at the broad, braided McKinley River. The full out-and-back is about 5 miles and usually takes around 3 hours. The route has negligible elevation gain and generally feels easy, but wet ground, brush, mosquitoes, and remote access can make it more demanding than the mileage suggests. Clear weather may bring views of Denali and the Alaska Range.
Why go
- Established trail deep in the Wonder Lake area
- Broad McKinley River bar and Denali views
- Mostly level route through spruce and wet meadows
Heads up
- Mosquitoes can be intense in summer
- Wet ground, brush, and muddy sections
- Remote access depends on park transportation and schedules
This is a good choice for an established, mostly level walk in the remote Wonder Lake area. The path is straightforward to follow to the river, with scenery that changes from spruce and wet meadows to the open river bar. The final destination is the McKinley River; any exploration beyond the established trail is off-trail travel and requires independent route-finding.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs it for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Denali map
Full mapElevation2,001–2,107 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 McKinley River Bar 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
McKinley Bar TrailListen
“You're approaching the trailhead for the McKinley Bar Trail. This is a great option if you're looking for a relatively easy walk that gets you right out into the landscape.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Denali Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Wonder Lake Area
- Listening to Wild Denali
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- 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 McKinley River Bar Trail
LogisticsThe trail is reached from the road near Wonder Lake Campground, not from a personal-vehicle…
The trail is reached from the road near Wonder Lake Campground, not from a personal-vehicle trailhead. Plan for park transportation or other permitted access to Wonder Lake, and confirm transportation schedules before traveling. Bring waterproof footwear and insect protection, and use bear-aware practices. The McKinley River is glacier-fed and can be hazardous to cross.
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.
