Denali Backcountry Gear Checklist
A Denali backcountry night has no trail, no campsite and no bridge, and the park issues the permit in person only a day ahead, so the pack has to fit whichever of its 87 units you are handed. The gear people write about is the stuff that handles that: a bear-resistant food container the park lends you, footwear you can wade in, gaiters and long pants for brush, a topo map and compass, a tent instead of a bivy, and a filter that survives glacial silt.
What shapes your gear on Denali Backcountry
- How the permit works
- The permit is free and issued in person, no more than one day before the trip starts, at the Backcountry Information Center from mid-May to late September. Every member of the party attends an orientation, and the park says to plan on at least an hour.
- Units and quotas
- The park is split into 87 units, and each unit allows only a set number of people a night. You pick yours at the desk, so the park suggests having three or four possible routes.
- Terrain
- There are no trails, routes or campsites. Hikers describe boggy ground, thick brush and braided gravel-bar rivers. The park says units south of the road often follow a river and include wet crossings, while north-side ridges come with brush.
From Denali National Park & Preserve (NPS) and GORE-TEX Brand blog
- Weather
- The park tells hikers to expect anything from 75 F down to 20 F, sometimes in a single day, with snow possible in any month and wind gusts of 60 mph or more.
- River water
- Alaska.org gives glacial river water as about 36 F, so a cold dunk is a hypothermia risk. It says glacial rivers usually run lower in early morning and that silt makes depth hard to judge.
From Alaska.org
- Getting in
- Most trips start with a camper bus on the park road. The ticket is bought only after the permit is in hand, and you cannot return to the entrance area until the trip is done.
What the agency requires on Denali Backcountry
A bear resistant food container
The park requires one from April 15 to September 30. You can bring an approved model of your own or check one out from the park with your permit.
Watch the safety videos and sit through orientation
The party leader should make sure everyone has watched the hiking, camping and animal safety chapters of the park's video series once per summer, or watch them at the desk before the permit is printed.
Camp only in the unit written on your permit
Your permit names the unit where you camp each night. The park also makes it your job to avoid wildlife closures and to camp in the proper unit.
Cache food only in park lockers
Food and gear can be cached only in the food lockers at campgrounds, the Eielson Visitor Center and the Toklat Rest Stop.
What hikers carry on Denali Backcountry
The park's loaner bear-resistant food container
Hikers on open tundra cannot hang food, so the canister is the plan. Alaska.org says the small one weighs 3 pounds and holds 3 to 5 days of food for one person, and it must come back within 48 hours. A Reddit camper adds that an Anchorage outfitter rents them if you prefer.
From Suburban Mountaineer, Alaska.org and Reddit r/alaska
Footwear you can cross rivers in
A hiker who writes about Denali takes boots off at crossings and wears old sneakers or sandals from camp. A Reddit camper says to cross with shoes or at least sandals because of the rocks, and says cold knee-deep crossings may be unavoidable.
From Suburban Mountaineer and Reddit r/alaska
Gaiters, trekking poles and long pants
The park lists gaiters, which keep grit and rocks out of boots at crossings, and trekking poles. A Reddit camper warns that knee-high shrubs near the Savage River cut bare legs.
From Denali National Park & Preserve (NPS) and Reddit r/alaska
Two pairs of socks a day
The ground is soggy in places. The same Reddit camper calls soaked shoes almost guaranteed, so a dry pair for camp matters.
From Reddit r/alaska
Topographic maps and a compass
The park strongly recommends buying topo maps and marking closures and unit boundaries on them. It also warns that heavy cloud often hides the terrain, which makes the compass a daily tool.
From Denali National Park & Preserve (NPS) and Suburban Mountaineer
Bear spray bought in Alaska
The park lists it, and notes that it cannot be flown or taken on trains. A camper who met grizzlies within 30 feet says to bring it, and a Denali hiker-writer calls it popular and suggests keeping it on the hip belt.
From Denali National Park & Preserve (NPS), The Dyrt and Suburban Mountaineer
A tent, not a bivy sack
The park strongly discourages bivy sacks because it often rains and bears are more likely to investigate a bivy than a tent.
A stove, with the fuel bought outside the park
Fires are banned in the Denali wilderness. The park store sells food but not fuel for backcountry stoves, so Anchorage or Fairbanks is the place to buy it.
From Alaska.org, Suburban Mountaineer and Denali National Park & Preserve (NPS)
A filter with a silt stopper or a field-cleanable cartridge
Alaska.org says glacial silt quickly clogs a filter and advises a silt-stopper add-on or the know-how to clean the filter in the field. It also notes that giardia and crypto occur in some unfiltered water.
From Alaska.org
Layers for 20 to 75 degrees, and high-calorie food
The park says cold and rain burn more calories than hikers expect. One summer trip report says it never got fully dark, only a few hours of twilight each night.
From Denali National Park & Preserve (NPS) and GORE-TEX Brand blog
Going as a group? Split this list between you so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Denali Backcountry
A bivy sack as the only shelter
The park discourages bivies because of rain and curious bears.
Shorts in the brush
Knee-high shrubs cut bare legs, and a Reddit camper also says to leave your most expensive pants at home because the brush can mark them.
From Reddit r/alaska
Planning a crossing you cannot judge
One camper in the Polychrome area was stranded across a river by rising water with grizzlies near, and had to stay an extra night. They say not to cross unless your river skills are strong.
From The Dyrt
A route chosen in advance, with no backup unit
The first choice can be full when you arrive. The park and a long-time hiker both suggest having a backup unit in mind.
From Denali National Park & Preserve (NPS) and Suburban Mountaineer
A thick alder unit for a first trip
One Reddit hiker called the alder-choked muck a poor experience and suggests units with grass and gravel instead. The park's beginner list points to gravel-bar units too.
From Reddit r/alaska and Denali National Park & Preserve (NPS)
Gear questions for Denali Backcountry
Do you need a bear canister for Denali Backcountry overnight trips?
Yes in summer. The park requires a bear resistant food container from April 15 to September 30 and lends one for free with your permit, or you can bring an approved model of your own.
Can you reserve a Denali Backcountry permit in advance?
No. The park issues them in person, no more than one day before the trip starts, and the unit you want may be full. Plan some backup units.
From Denali National Park & Preserve (NPS) and Suburban Mountaineer
What do you wear to cross rivers in Denali Backcountry?
People who have done it use sandals or old sneakers, or cross in their boots, with gaiters and poles. The water is glacial and cold, and mornings are usually lower than afternoons.
From Suburban Mountaineer, Reddit r/alaska, Alaska.org and Denali National Park & Preserve (NPS)
Are campfires allowed in Denali Backcountry?
Two guides say no, so plan on a stove. Check the park's current rules at the desk when you pick up your permit.
From Alaska.org and Suburban Mountaineer
Sources
- Backpacking · Denali National Park & Preserve (NPS) · Agency
- Denali: Exploring Alaskan Backcountry · Suburban Mountaineer · Blog
- Denali National Park Backcountry · Alaska.org · Blog
- Two nights of tundra backcountry camping in Denali National Park and Preserve · GORE-TEX Brand blog, Keegan O'Rourke · Trip report
- Backcountry Unit 31: Polychrome Mountain, Denali National Park · The Dyrt · Trip report
- Perks of backcountry camping near Savage River (Denali National Park) · Reddit r/alaska, u/richycolyer · Reddit thread