Denali National Park & Preserve and Fairbanks Alaska Denali a natural wonder filled with wildlife and glorious landscapes. Join artists from around the world as we explore and create works of art in a medium of their choice. All skill levels are welcome! Sitting at the foothills of the Alaska Range, Denali National Park and Preserve is as wild and wonderful as it was when hunter and naturalist Charles Sheldon first visited the area more than a century ago. It was Sheldon’s drive and determination to protect this American treasure that led to the creation of Denali National Park and Preserve on February 26, 1917. It was the first national park created specifically to protect wildlife. UNESCO declared the park an international biosphere reserve in 1976. Four years later, in 1980, U.S. President Jimmy Carter expanded the park from 2 million acres to 6 million acres and designated it Denali National Park and Preserve. 

Denali has a rich history and remains an important place for Alaska Natives. For thousands of years, Alaska Natives have lived on the land surrounding the Denali area and used the resources of the land for food, shelter, clothing, transportation, and trade. The name Denali stems from native Athabaskan languages and can mean “the tall one” or “mountain-big.” 

Denali Park and Preserve encompass over six million acres of wild land, bisected by one road. Travelers along it see the low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America's tallest peak, 20,310' called Denali. It is a vast region of an unspoiled natural environment. Wild animals large and small roam un-fenced lands, living as they have for centuries. 

Denali National Park and Preserve is home to 39 different species of mammals, 169 species of birds, and 1 species of amphibian. The most sought-after wildlife is known as the “Big Five”: grizzly bears, moose, wolves, caribou, and Dall sheep. Visitors from around the world travel to Denali to immerse themselves in glory of Mother Nature. Stepping onto Denali is like stepping back in time. You can hike, camp, kayak, horseback ride, explore 70-million-year-old fossils and even experience a dog sled ride. Sled dogs have been helping rangers patrol the park since it opened in the 1920s. They are the only sled dogs in the United States that work in a national park.