Denali National Park - Road Lottery

Each September the park hosts a multi-day event called "Road Lottery." Winners of a lottery drawing are given a chance to purchase a single, day-long permit allowing them to drive as much of the Denali Park Road as weather allows. In years with heavy snowfall, the road may open no farther than Savage River (mile 15); in milder years, lottery winners are able to enjoy a trip out to Kantishna (mile 92). Denali National Park and Preserve is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road. Travelers along it see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America's tallest peak, 20,310-foot Denali. Wild animals, large and small, roam unfenced lands, living as they have for ages. Solitude, tranquility, and wilderness await. The vast landscape surrounding the Denali Park Road includes not only breathtaking scenery but opportunities for wildlife viewing, hiking, camping, and much more. Wildlife viewing along the road can never be guaranteed, but lucky visitors may see grizzly and black bears, wolves, caribou, moose and Dall sheep; more often seen small mammals include arctic ground squirrels, red squirrels, foxes and marmots. Camping and overnight sleeping while on the Denali Park Road is allowed only in designated campgrounds that are open, which may include Riley Creek, Savage River, and Teklanika. The dates of Road Lottery vary each year — the event usually begins the second Thursday after Labor Day. Applicants must apply between May 1 and May 30 each year to take part in the September event, and may not apply before May 1.