WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of the Interior has proposed changes to vehicle-use regulations at Denali National Park and Preserve that would formalize higher daily traffic limits on the park’s restricted road corridor, a move aimed at expanding visitor access and aligning federal rules with operational practices already in place.
Under the proposal, the National Park Service would allow up to 160 motor vehicles every 24 hours on the restricted portion of the 92-mile Denali Park Road during the visitor season. Interior officials remarked that the change would replace an older seasonal cap of 10,512 vehicles with a daily management system that has guided park operations since 2012.
The department noted the update is intended to improve transparency and provide consistency for visitors and tourism operators while reflecting how the road has been managed for more than a decade.
“Denali is one of America’s crown jewels, and Americans should have every reasonable opportunity to experience it,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said. Burgum noted that the proposal would remove “outdated restrictions” and shift access decisions toward what he described as a more practical management framework.
The proposal also would revise the park’s visitor season definition to align with the existing General Management Plan, ending the season on the second Thursday after Labor Day. Interior officials said that the adjustment could extend recreational access in some years.
The Denali Park Road, constructed between 1922 and 1938, serves as the primary route into the park’s interior and is one of the country’s most heavily visited wildlife-viewing corridors. Visitors commonly use the route to view grizzly bears, moose, caribou, wolves, Dall sheep and other wildlife within the Alaska Range.
The proposed rule comes as the federal government continues long-term infrastructure work tied to the Pretty Rocks landslide, which disrupted road access in recent years. Interior commented that the restoration efforts have been supported through funding initiatives including the Great American Outdoors Act.
Officials stated the proposal also aligns with broader Trump administration efforts to reduce regulatory barriers affecting recreation access on federal lands.
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