On December 2, 1980 the park was increased in size and the name was changed to Denali National Park and Preserve. Denali or "The High One" is the Athabaskan name for the mountain officially called Mount McKinley - both names are used for "The Mountain."
"Denali" is the name favored by most Alaskans.
Denali National Park is 4,690,680 acres or 7,329.2 sq. miles.
The Denali Preserve consists of 1,337,523 acres or 2,089.9 sq. miles. The total size is 6,028,203 acres or 9,419.1 sq. miles.
Alaska is a geographical marvel. When a scale map of Alaska is superimposed on a map of the 48 lower states, Alaska extends from coast to coast. The state's coastline extends over 6,600 miles.
Alaska is the United State's largest state and is over twice the size of Texas.
The Denali Park Road leading into Wonder Lake and Kantishna is in total length: 92 miles or 148 kilometers. The paved section is only 14.8 miles or 23.8 kilometers long. After that it is a well maintained dirt road.
To travel the Denali Park Road, you must take one of the designated bus tours provided by the Park or approved tour company.
A road lottery allows motorist to drive their person vehicle on the Denali Park road once a season, usually in the month of September.
Outsiders first discovered Alaska in 1741 when Danish explorer Vitus Jonassen Bering sighted it on a voyage from Siberia.
In 1867 United States Secretary of State William H. Seward offered Russia $7,200,000, or two cents per acre, for Alaska.
Joe Juneau's 1880 discovery of gold ushered in the gold rush era. Alaska officially became the 49th state on January 3, 1959.
Alaska's most important revenue source is the oil and natural gas industry. The Trans-Alaska Pipeline moves up to 88,000 barrels of oil per hour on its 800 mile journey to Valdez.
The fishing and seafood industry is the state's largest private industry employer.
The wild forget-me-not is the official state flower.
The willow ptarmigan is the official state bird, which residents are allowed to hunt.
The four-spot skimmer dragonfly is the official state insect.
In 1926 13-year-old Bennie Benson from Cognac, Alaska designed the state flag.
Alaska's Constitution was adopted in 1956 and became effective in 1959 making it the 49th state.
Nearly one-third of Alaska lies within the Arctic Circle.
The Alaska Highway (or Alcan) was originally built as a military supply road during World War II.
The discovery of gold in the Yukon began a gold rush in 1898.
The Arctic Circle is an imaginary circle around the globe where on December 21 the sun never rises for twenty-four hours and on June 21 for twenty-four hours it never sets.
Do you have any fun facts that you would like to add? Send us your fun facts about Alaska and we will get them posted.
Denali National Park was first established in February 26, 1917 (as 
The Sitka spruce is the official state tree. 
