Denali National Park & Preserve

An aircraft accident involving a flightseeing tour from K2 Aviation occurred in the Alaska Range inside Denali National Park and Preserve yesterday. There were no reported injuries. Rangers received a call from K2 at approximately 5:00 PM on July 12th, reporting that one of their airplanes, carrying nine people including the pilot, had lost power and made a forced landing adjacent to the Tokositna Glacier. 

As of 8:00 p.m. July 9, the GREEN-READY evacuation status for Denali National Park and Preserve campus housing will be lifted. At 4:30 a.m. tomorrow morning, July 10, the park will open to the public. Tour and transit bus service, the Denali Visitor Center, campgrounds west of park headquarters, and dog sled demonstrations will all resume their regular schedules. Tour and transit bus and campground reservations can be made by visiting Reserve Denali. The park road will also re-open to private vehicles to the Savage River Bridge (mile 15).

At 4:30am on Wednesday, July 10, the National Park Service and Denali National Park Tours Doyon/Aramark Joint Venture will welcome visitors back to the park. Normal operations will resume, with the exception of Riley Creek Campground and Day Use Area, and the Horseshoe Lake Trail, which will remain closed due to ongoing firefighting and support activities in the area. The timing of the Wednesday opening is consistent with the recommendations of the Alaska Complex Incident Management Team working on the fire.

Progress is being made on efforts to contain the Riley Fire, active in the entrance area of Denali National Park and Preserve. Fire crews continue to focus their efforts on the fire’s southern flank, the portion of the fire closest to facilities and infrastructure. As of Wednesday morning, July 3, crews report 25% containment. Fire size remains stable at an estimated 388 acres, with low fire activity overnight. Cooler and calmer weather is helping crews with containment efforts.

The Riley Fire continues to be active near the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve, requiring park officials to keep the park closed Tuesday, July 2. Smokejumpers and fire crews, combined with strong support from aerial resources, have made good progress over the past 24 hours, particularly along the fire’s southern flank and have officially reached 10% containment. Using better imagery data, fire managers now estimate the fire to be at 388 acres.