NYC Urban Sketchers Blog: SATURDAY - January 22 - Denali National Park & Preserve and Fairbanks, Alaska

Sunday, January 16, 2022

SATURDAY - January 22 - Denali National Park & Preserve and Fairbanks, Alaska

Denali is a natural wonder filled with wildlife and glorious landscapes. Join artiest from around the world as we explore and create words of art in the media of your choice.

Sitting at the foothills of the Alaska Range, Denali National Park and Preserve is as wild and wonderful as it was when hunter and naturalist Charles Sheldon first visited more than a century ago. It was Sheldon’s drive and determination to protect this American treasure that led to the creation of the National Park and Preserve in February, 1917. The National Park was originally called Mt. McKinley National Park, and the large mountain of 20,310 feet was called Mt. McKinley. It was the first national park created specifically to protect wildlife. UNESCO declared the park an international biosphere reserve in 1976. And four years later President Jimmy Carter expanded the park from 2 million to 6 million acres. The National Park and mountain were officially renamed Denali in 2015.

Denali National Park is bisected by a single road. Travelers see the low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America’s tallest peak, Denali. For thousands of years, Alaska Natives have lived on the land surrounding Denali and used the resources for food, shelter, clothing, transportation and trade. The name Denali stems from the Athabaskan languages, and can mean “the tall one” or “mountain-big."

Denali is a vast unspoiled environment. Wild animals large and small roan un-fenced lands, living as they have for centuries. The Park is home to 39 species of mammals, 169 species of birds, and 1 species of amphibian. The most sought after wildlife is known as “The Big Five” - grizzly bears, moose, wolves, caribou and Dall sheep.

Visitors from around the world travel to Denali to immerse themselves in the glory of Mother Nature. Stepping into Denali is like stepping back in time. You can hike, camp, kayak, horseback ride, explore 70 million yer old fossils an even ride a dog sled. Since it opened in the 1920s sled dogs have helped rangers patrol the park. They are the only sled dogs in the United States working in a national park.

Denali is one of the best places in the U.S. to watch the Aurora Borealis. Even though the Aurora Borealis occurs year round, the best time to view it is in the fall, winter and early spring, when the night sky is dark enough to view these amazing displays of light and color after a strong solar storm.