Parking
Parking is available at the Denali Visitor Center and Murie Science and Learning Center area on the east end, and at Park Headquarters/Sled Dog Kennels on the west end.
Overview
About Roadside Trail
Why go
- Direct one-way connection between the Visitor Center and the Sled Dog Kennels
- Boreal forest setting with clear access between major park facilities
Heads up
- Noticeable road noise along portions of the route
- Limited panoramic views; the route is mostly in the trees
A practical forested walk connecting the Visitor Center with Denali's headquarters and sled-dog kennels. Choose it for access between facilities and a quiet forest corridor rather than panoramic views.
Parkwolf’s verdictBottom lineMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Denali map
Full mapElevation1,778–2,119 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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 Roadside 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Roadside Trail
What to expectRoadside Trail is a one-way route from the Denali Visitor Center area via the Taiga Trail to…
Roadside Trail is a one-way route from the Denali Visitor Center area via the Taiga Trail to Park Headquarters and the Sled Dog Kennels. It follows a dirt trail through Denali's boreal forest near Denali Park Road, with recurring road noise and mostly limited views.
Distance, time, and gradeThe published one-way distance is 1.8 miles (2.9 km). The mapped corridor is approximately 1.
The published one-way distance is 1.8 miles (2.9 km). The mapped corridor is approximately 1.94 miles (3.12 km), within the variation of trailhead and map measurements. Allow up to about 2 hours one way. Traveling east to west from the Visitor Center toward Headquarters involves roughly 350–400 feet of climbing; the reverse direction trends downhill. The route is mostly gentle but includes short sections up to about a 15 percent grade.
Route and accessStart at the Denali Visitor Center area using the signed Taiga Trail approach; the eastern…
Start at the Denali Visitor Center area using the signed Taiga Trail approach; the eastern trailhead is also accessible from the Murie Science and Learning Center. The western trailhead is at Park Headquarters and the Sled Dog Kennels. This is a point-to-point route, so arrange transportation if you do not plan to return on foot.
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.
