For the past five years, travelers have been unable to reach nearly half of Denali National Park’s only road. In 2021, a landslide near mile 45 of the 92-mile Denali Park Road forced the National Park Service to close the route. That cut off road access to some of the park’s most sought-after destinations, including Wonder Lake, known for its views of Denali reflected in the water on clear days, and Kantishna, the remote former mining district at the end of the road that is home to several wilderness lodges. Since the closure, buses have turned around at mile 43.
Now, the National Park Service has completed the 475-foot Pretty Rocks Bridge, which spans the active landslide and reconnects the road. Hikers and cyclists can already cross it, and public bus service is expected to return to the western road in 2027.
“The biggest change for visitors in 2027 will be the return of bus access beyond East Fork and Pretty Rocks to the western Denali Park Road for the first time since the 2021 closure,” Scott Carr, a spokesperson for Denali National Park and Preserve, tells Afar.
Here’s what travelers need to know.
Buses will return to Kantishna
Denali Park Road is the only road into the park’s interior. Most visitors can drive only the first 15 miles themselves; beyond that, buses are the primary way to travel deeper into the park.
Since the Pretty Rocks closure, those buses have stopped at East Fork, at around mile 43. In 2027, transit service is planned to return along the full road to Kantishna, the remote former mining district at mile 92.
Carr says service to Kantishna is expected to begin June 8. The reopening also will restore road access for the private wilderness lodges (Denali Backcountry Lodge, Kantishna Roadhouse, and Camp Denali) in the Kantishna area, which have had to rely on bush plane or helicopter transportation since the closure.
The broader bus reopening will happen in phases. “Service will resume in phases as seasonal road operations and visitor services come online,” Carr says. Specific routes, operating dates, and schedules will be added to the 2027 reservation system as they are finalized.
Wonder Lake Campground will reopen; Eielson Visitor Center will not
Wonder Lake Campground, at mile 85, is the only NPS campground west of Pretty Rocks and is expected to reopen for the 2027 season.
The 28-site, tent-only campground sits near one of Denali’s best-known viewpoints, where the mountain can appear reflected across nearby ponds on clear days.
Reservations for the upcoming summer season are scheduled to open December 1. Because visitors cannot drive private vehicles to Wonder Lake, campers will also need to arrange bus transportation. NPS has not yet announced the campground’s exact operating dates for 2027.
However, not every western Denali facility will reopen next summer. The Eielson Visitor Center, at mile 66, will remain closed in 2027, and buses will not stop there for visitor center services. NPS crews are using the remainder of 2026 and the months leading into next summer to repair the road and address deferred maintenance at facilities west of Pretty Rocks.
