Visit Alaska's national parks this fall

With 54 million acres total in the state's eight national parklands, and on top of that, 15 national historical areas, plus the state's 15 prehistoric landmarks that are archaeological sites dating back to pre-European (also called pre-contact time), as well as the 34 historic landmarks detailing the state's past since Europeans arrived, there's a lot to see. 

Many are just a drive away.

Like any road trip in Alaska, some parks will be anywhere from four and a half hours to 18 hours to get to.

And here's the wonder of Alaska road trips: There's so few roads that you just point your vehicle in the direction you want to go and there'll be a road to get you there.

But hurry, as the funding for the parks is in jeopardy and this may limit entrance to the parks if there are not enough employees.

Go to Alaska's national parks list site for more information.

Golden history

Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park is unique among national parks in that it encompasses both historic downtown Skagway, the beginning and the end of the 1889 trail of gold to the Klondike, and the routes and mountain passes that thousands of gold seekers flowed over to get to the goldfields.

Included in the park, and miles and miles away from Alaska, is a historic section of Seattle, Washington, which was an integral outfitter for the Klondike Gold Rush.

Skagway saw an historical high of 1.2 million cruise ship visitors in 2023.

Over the years, the National Park Service has restored many of the old buildings, breathing life into the stories of the characters that once proliferated here.

Visit Capt. William Moore's home, who founded Skagway and predicted gold would be discovered in the creeks of the Yukon River; the Mascot Saloon on Broadway with its life-like mannequins lined up at the bar; or nearby Jeff Smith's Parlor, the gambling dive and hangout of the nefarious Soapy Smith and his louts.

Two routes led into the Klondike from Skagway: the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail, which you can still walk today, and the White Pass Trail, the route followed by the trains of the White Pass & Yukon Railroad. The park is managed through international cooperation of the national park services of the United States and Canada.

Be aware the crush of tourists and tours in the downtown area is contained in seven blocks, but there's real adventure to be had within walking distance on hikes that go up into the mountains or just to a sheltered bay on flat land.

Or just take the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad for a breathtaking tour up the White Pass and the route some stampeders took to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. If you have friends or relatives in Skagway, they can get you discounted tickets.

Stop in at the most photographed building in the state, the Arctic Brotherhood Hall with its driftwood façade, now the city's visitors' center. Local trail maps are available here to show you those trails for out-of-town adventures. Locals staffing the counter are knowledgeable and can point you in the right direction.

I worked there one summer, and a tourist showed me a photo of a small rodent and asked what it was. "Why," I said, "You have taken a picture of the reclusive pika! I've only seen one in the middle of the night plowing up and under the snow."

The visitors' center is right across the street from the National Park Headquarters with its own visitors' center, free tours and movies in the auditorium-usually Charlie Chaplin's silent film "The Gold Rush."

But most importantly, both places offer bathrooms.

If you're worried about the 18-hour drive to Skagway, keep in mind you can also travel 10 hours from Anchorage and up the Taylor Highway, past Eagle and Chicken to Dawson City, Yukon Territory, landing site of the Klondike Gold Rush stampeders before they headed to the creeks.

I find Dawson a more-true relic of the gold rush, with leaning buildings, but many brought back to their original state. There are dirt streets, high boardwalks, and lots of saloons.

If Scotch whisky is to your liking check out the vast array at Bombay Peggy's, who bought the house in the early 1940s to run her bootlegging business and brothel. It also offers period-inspired rooms to rent.

From there, it's eight hours to Skagway, or go astray and peel off south of Dawson to experience the Dempster Highway, where you never know what you'll see-wild horses, a grizzly running across the road, or the biggest moose you've ever seen.

Hit Inuvik on the shores of the Beaufort Sea for the Fiddle & Flow Festival, Aug. 15-17, a vibrant celebration of Northern culture, bringing together traditional fiddle music and contemporary flow arts.

See "The Big One"

More than 498,722 tourists visited Denali National Park in 2023.

If you're an Alaskan, you should go at least once in your life.

Denali is geared for public viewing so there are hotels, restaurants, gift shops, and tours galore. Luckily all that civilization is on the road and not inside the park.

There's six million acres of lakes, tundra, peaks, and wildlife with Denali, at 20,310, feet towering over it all. Don't miss it.

The marked trails in Denali for day hiking are short and near the park entrance. Denali also allows you to go off trail. Here is a printable map.

Go for a guided walk with a park ranger starting at the Denali Visitors Center. Just make sure you show up before the hike takes place. Biking the Denali Park Road is a way to see the park at a slower pace, meaning you'll see more critters than from a bus. See the Denali site specific to cyclists for more information.

An interesting historical aside here: I was driving through Adams, Massachusetts, which is on the Vermont border, aways back and smack in the middle of town there was a statue of President William McKinley waving. This guy got around-except to Alaska.

It seems after McKinley was assassinated, the town raised a statue in 1903 to him in thanks for passing the McKinley Tariff Bill, which made it more expensive to buy items manufactured overseas. Sound familiar?

For updates on the road to Denali National Park you can call 907-683-9532 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Alaska time. 

Denali is so tall that it creates its own weather, which can make it unviewable, so always check with the Park Service whether it's "in" or "out."