Park Service Final Rule Raises Denali Park Road Daily Vehicle Limit to 160
The U.S. Department of the Interior and the National Park Service announced a final rule in Washington on October 15, 2026, updating vehicle use regulations on the Denali Park Road in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, to expand visitor access. The rule brings the vehicle limit on the restricted section of the road in line with the park's 2012 Vehicle Management Plan, which was developed with public input and set standards for protecting park resources and maintaining a high-quality visitor experience.
Under the final rule, up to 160 vehicles per day may travel the restricted section of the road, from mile 15 to mile 90, during the visitor season, as long as standards for resource conditions and visitor experience are met. The new daily limit replaces the current seasonal limit of 10,512 vehicle permits. The season runs from the Saturday before Memorial Day through the second Thursday after Labor Day. The rule also removes language that could have ended the season on September 15 in years when that date falls earlier, so the season will always end on the second Thursday after Labor Day. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in the announcement that America's national parks belong to the American people and that officials should look for responsible opportunities to make them more accessible.
Built over 16 years, from 1922 to 1938, the 92-mile Denali Park Road is the primary route into the park and a place to observe Dall sheep, caribou, wolves, grizzly bears, moose and other wildlife, with views of the Alaska Range and Mount McKinley. The Park Service said the update comes as it prepares to restore public bus access to the west end of the road in 2027. In September, the Park Service and the Federal Highway Administration announced completion of the Pretty Rocks Bridge, which reconnects the eastern and western portions of the road following a 2021 landslide and closure. The final rule is available through the Federal Register website under document number 2026-21222.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 丹纳利国家公园公园路蜿蜒穿过苔原、远处为雪山，Luca Galuzzi摄 / The Denali Park Road winds through tundra toward snow-covered peaks in Denali National Park, Alaska. Photo by Luca Galuzzi, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons
