Parking
Use designated parking near the Denali Visitor Center, then follow the south-side access to the signed McKinley Station Trail junction for Morino.
Overview
About Morino Trail
The Morino Trail is a short, easy point-to-point connector through spruce forest in Denali's entrance area. It runs about 0.2 miles one way between two McKinley Station Trail junctions and takes roughly 15 minutes from the signed junction trailhead. Use the adjoining McKinley Station and Spruce Forest paths to build a longer entrance-area loop, but do not treat Morino itself as a standalone loop. Access it from the south side of the Denali Visitor Center via the marked McKinley Station Trail junction, using designated parking near the Visitor Center. Expect a mostly gentle gravel path with limited views. Snow and ice can cover the route in winter. This is bear country: carry bear spray, stay at least 25 yards from other wildlife and 300 yards from bears, and follow current park guidance.
Why go
- Quick 0.2-mile walk through spruce forest
- Connects two McKinley Station Trail sections for a longer loop
- Useful for a short walk near the Denali Visitor Center
Heads up
- Point-to-point connector rather than a destination loop
- Mostly enclosed forest with limited views
- Winter snow and ice can obscure the path
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Denali map
Full mapElevation1,755–1,775 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 Morino 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
Denali Visitor Center CampusListen
“You're coming up on the Denali Visitor Center campus, which is the main hub for the park entrance area.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Denali Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Murie Science and Learning Center
- Horseshoe Lake Trail
- Camp Robbers of the North: Canada Jays
- Riley Creek Campground & Mercantile
- 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!!!!”
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.
