| |
| Stampede Area, Denali National Park Denali National Park and Preserve was established in 1917 to protect the area's spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife. To preserve wildlife viewing opportunities and reduce resource impacts, the park service regulates the total number of motor vehicles on the park's 90-mile road and operates a bus system to take visitors to the heart of the park at Wonder Lake. The park service?s management plan for Denali specifies that the northern portion of the park be undeveloped and the Wonder Lake area be used for camping and low-impact day use recreation. Three nearby wilderness lodges provide additional accommodations. Other areas of the park, including the entrance area and road corridor, are managed for more intensive use. This approach has worked well to maintain the spectacular natural beauty of the park and its wildlife viewing opportunities. The park service says that the current plan can meet expected visitation increases for 15 to 20 years. Nevertheless, development interests have insisted on promoting either a north access road or railroad into the park, and a 40-acre resort complex at Wonder Lake for years. In 1996, Senator Murkowski inserted a provision in legislation that mandated NPS to do a feasibility study for the transportation portion of the project. Released in April 1997, the report shows it would be extremely costly to build a road or railroad through northern Denali. Building a 90-mile rail line is estimated to cost $136-$214 million. Construction of a road is projected to cost $87-$100 million. These figures do not include annual maintenance costs or the value of any right-of-way transferred to a private developer. The cost of the related 40-acre resort complex is unknown, as are the details of its financing.
Map by Jason Geck. |
 |