Do I need a permit to climb Denali?

What the Denali permit costs and covers

Fee

$450 mountaineering fee ($350 age 24 and under) + $15 park entrance

Group size limit

12 people

What the rules require

• Register at least 60 days before your start date; the only exceptions are a seven-day exception for climbers who have been on Mount McKinley or Mount Foraker since 1995, and one added team member up to 30 days out
• Pay the mountaineering special use fee at Pay.gov — $450 for 2026, $350 for climbers aged 24 or younger — and email a signed Application for Special Use Permit to the Talkeetna office
• Pay the $15 Denali park entrance fee unless you hold an Interagency or Denali Annual pass (each pass covers the owner plus three adults)
• Attend the in-person climber orientation at the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station; the whole expedition checks in together with government-issued photo ID
• Clean Mountain Cans are required for human waste; clean climbing requirements are covered in the mandatory Expedition Planning Tools reading
• Guided climbers must use one of the seven authorized guide concessions; NPS reserves the right to revoke a permit for violating the terms and conditions
• Cancel before February 15 and all but $100 of the fee is refunded; after February 15 there are no refunds and the fee cannot roll to a future season

Published rules for the Denali Summit Permit, quoted as written.

Getting one

Dates for Denali sell out and then come back as people cancel. PermitSnag watches Denali Summit Permit and sends you an alert the moment one reappears.

Common questions about the Denali permit