Explore The Highest Peak In North America At This Underrated, Mountainous National Park

For outdoor adventurers, visiting our nation's national parks, whether it's one or all 63 of them, is somewhat of an American rite of passage. According to the National Park Service, approximately 325.5 million visitors explored America's national parks in 2023 alone. Of course, with those numbers, finding a national park without crowds can be a difficult feat, especially in peak summer.

If you're looking for a national park experience with all of the natural beauty and none of the crowds, avoiding well-known parks like Grand Canyon, Zion, and Yellowstone — as they frequently top the National Park Service's list for most-visited parks — might be a good place to start. Keeping in mind the soaring temperatures in July and August, even fewer make the cut for parks where you can beat the heat. 

But one national park fits the bill: Denali National Park & Preserve. With its cooler Alaskan temps and substantially smaller crowd sizes, Denali is a great choice for an underrated national park to visit — especially since it offers something no other park has: The tallest peak in North America.

While Denali National Park & Preserve may not be Alaska's largest national park, it still covers an expansive 6.1-million acres of land. That seems like a lot of ground until you compare it to its northerly state neighbor, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, which spans 8.5-million acres, and Wrangell-St Elias National Park & Preserve to the south, which clocks in at 13.2-million acres. Still, the mammoth namesake peak, Denali, is an attraction those other parks can't match.

Translating to "the tall one" in the language of Alaska's native Koyukon Athabaskan, Denali towers with its magnificent peak at 20,310-feet above sea level, which is why some people believe it should be recognized as taller than Mount Everest, in terms of base to peak. It is so tall that on a clear day, it's possible to see its peaks from the Alaskan cities of Fairbanks or Anchorage. But if you're within the park, there are plenty of places along the winding Denali Park Road to stop off and grab a photograph.

In addition to its above-the-cloud peaks, Denali is known for being home to "The Big Five": Moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves, and grizzlies, as these furry yet formidable animals can be spotted throughout the park. Heading to Sable Pass? Bring your bells. Grizzly bear sightings are common here. Highway Pass and Thoroughfare Pass can be prime for spotting herds of caribou. Moose can be found in various open spots, similar to caribou, including Savage River, Igloo Creek, and Polychrome Pass. Wolves, the most evasive animals in Denali, can be hard to spot but might be found traipsing around bear territory in Sable Pass.

In addition to The Big Five, visitors might catch a glimpse of some of Denali's smaller critters on the ground, such as marmots, foxes, and squirrels, or in the sky, like golden eagles (or the rare bald eagle), gulls, or ptarmigans. And while it might be commonplace to drive your personal vehicle through other national parks, the best chance you'll have at spotting wildlife in Denali is by hopping on a bus. There is one road in Denali, most of which is limited to private vehicles. A helpful tip to note: Bus trips are only available from mid-May to mid-September, so plan accordingly.