Travel | Alaska |Denali |Indigenous Nations
DENALI
Majesty tainted by a hostile history
In our recent visit to Denali National Park and Preserve, we were fortunate to see Denali in all of its splendor and learn more about the Indigenous Athabascans, their culture, practices, daily lives, and the disruptive changes occasioned by the Klondike gold rush of 1896.
With a peak that reaches 20,310 feet above sea level, Denali is the third highest of the Seven Summits — the tallest peaks on all seven continents.
Denali means the tall or high one. It was named by the Athabascan Nation, which once inhabited one of the largest territories in what is now Alaska and British Columbia.
The Landscape
A diverse ecosystem houses some 39 species of mammals, including grizzlies and black bears, wolves, wolverines, foxes, moose, caribou, and sheep. Salmon and whitefish fill the rivers and lakes.
