Denali National Park

An investigation is underway in Denali National Park to determine what caused a cargo plane to crash near the park's headquarters Sunday afternoon, killing three people on board. Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board say they are still in the early stages of an investigation into the 3 p.m. crash of the Fairchild C-123, registered to All West Freight, Inc. of Delta Junction. Pilot and company owner Bill Michel, 61, as well as 52-year-old John Eshleman and 66-year-old Paul Quartly, both of Wasilla, were killed when the plane crashed into the southern slope of Mount Healy, within a mile of park headquarters.

With spring approaching, crews at the Denali National Park and Reserve will make preparations for its spring road opening. This month, crews will begin removing ice overflow buildup on sections of the road between mile three and mile seven. Steam will also used to open ice-clogged culverts to help mitigate melting snow and ice run-off. Park officials say visitors can still enjoy winter activities at the park, like cross-country skiing, mushing, and skijoring--the sport where a person on skis is pulled by a dog, horse, or motor vehicle.

The National Park Service has picked the next leader of Denali National Park and Preserve. Don Striker will come to Alaska in January. For the past five years, he has been the superintendent at New River Gorge National River in West Virginia. Striker has also worked in South Dakota at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. He was the Superintendent of Fort Clatsop National Memorial in Oregon and comptroller at Yellowstone National Park. “I am deeply humbled to have been asked to serve as the chief steward of one of our country's most spectacular and iconic parks.

Editor's note: Channel 2 viewers Glenn and Cheryl Flothe submitted this story and its accompanying photos after several visits to Denali National Park. The Flothes' account provides some interesting perspective on the park's development over time, as well as a firsthand take on its inherent majesty. On July 29, 1972, after receiving our $2 McKinley Park Camping Permit in the mail, we headed out on the newly opened and paved (the center and shoulder lines still hadn't been painted)

by Channel 2 News staff Tuesday, January 05, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Members of the military can spend Memorial Day weekend at Denali National Park for free. The National Park Service is waiving the entrance fee for active and retired military members from May 29 - 31. Denali National Park and Preserve collects an entrance fee year-round. Most visitors pay the entrance fee when they make a campsite or bus reservation.

by Channel 2 News staff Wednesday, May 12, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A Denali National Park geologist of nearly 25 years died Wednesday while leading a field trip. Park officials say 60-year-old Phil Brease was leading a Tri-Valley school science class on a field trip at Garner Point when he remained behind as students returned to the bus. A Tri-Valley teacher walked back to where the class had been and found Brease unconscious on the trail and not breathing.

by The Associated Press Tuesday, March 16, 2010 DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE, Alaska -- Crews this week will begin plowing the park road at Denali National Park and Preserve. Crews will get to work Wednesday to begin clearing the road of snow and ice and steaming open culverts to prevent damage from runoff. Crews also will repair any damage that occurred over the winter before the road is opened to the public. The Toklat station at Mile 53 of the park road is reporting 7 inches of snow.

The business district of Denali National Park pops up for the summer, makes its pressence known and then fades into the background before winter. Channel 2 spent some time in the park in early June visiting with local owners who shared their stories of working and playing near the Park. Jimmy Tohill and his wife Vicki run the Old Sourdough Studio inside the McKinley Chalet Resort. They put people on the runners of a working dog sled and have them dress up in Alaska Native clothes.

For many, climbing is the goal at Mt. McKinley, but Wednesday, Denali National Park announced a climb of a different kind. The park announced it will be increasing its mountaineering use fee in the upcoming 2012 mountaineering season. For the first time, the park will offer two different mountaineering fees. The first, for people younger than 25-years-old, the fee will be $250. For everyone else, it will be $350. The fees also apply to those who climb Mt. Foraker. The money from the fees goes to support costs associated with the high-altitude ranger station that assists with rescues on the mountain.

Thursday was the last trip of the summer season for shuttle buses driving into Denali National Park. From Friday through Monday, 400 drivers a day from the 1,600 park road lottery winners will be able to drive the 93-mile road. A major road construction project will also begin along the park road on Oct. 1. Construction crews will be working on culverts, which will shut the road down to vehicles. Bicyclists and walkers will still be able to walk on the road. “Those culverts are 45, 50 years old, “said National Park Service-Alaska spokesperson John Quinley.

A German man died Sunday night after suffering a heart attack on Mount McKinley, becoming the first climber to die on the mountain during the 2013 climbing season. In a Tuesday statement, Denali National Park spokesperson Maureen McLaughlin says Klaus Bielstein, 59, of Muenster, Germany was part of an 11-person expedition guided by Alpine Ascents International, which was ascending the mountain via its West Buttress route. “According to teammates, Bielstein suddenly collapsed after the team rounded the feature known as Windy Corner, just as they reached a commonly used gear caching site at 13,500 feet,” McLaughlin wrote.

Feared, frequently photographed and often vilified in books or movies the wolf is a big part of our culture.  Conservationists are worried this predatory creature may be no more in Denali National Park "I think fall of 2012, the count was 55 or 56 wolves that they actually counted, which was one of the lowest in 25 years, this spring it's even lower, 49 animals" said Rick Steiner, citing data from the National Park Service. Steiner is a former UAA Professor and consultant for Oasis Earth, and environmental group based in Anchorage.

With spring approaching, crews at the Denali National Park and Reserve will make preparations for its spring road opening. This month, crews will begin removing ice overflow buildup on sections of the road between mile three and mile seven. Steam will also used to open ice-clogged culverts to help mitigate melting snow and ice run-off. Park officials say visitors can still enjoy winter activities at the park, like cross-country skiing, mushing, and skijoring--the sport where a person on skis is pulled by a dog, horse, or motor vehicle.

Although this winter is relatively young, reservations are now available for the 2013 summer season in Denali National Park. The park is taking advance reservations for shuttle buses and the park's four largest campgrounds by phone, Internet, fax or mail. Most of the shuttle-bus seats and all of the campsites in Riley Creek, Savage River, Teklanika River, and Wonder Lake can be reserved in advance. The remaining tickets are made available for advance or walk-in reservations two days before the travel date.

The National Park Service has picked the next leader of Denali National Park and Preserve. Don Striker will come to Alaska in January. For the past five years, he has been the superintendent at New River Gorge National River in West Virginia. Striker has also worked in South Dakota at Mount Rushmore National Memorial. He was the Superintendent of Fort Clatsop National Memorial in Oregon and comptroller at Yellowstone National Park. “I am deeply humbled to have been asked to serve as the chief steward of one of our country's most spectacular and iconic parks.

Wolves capture the imagination of thousands of tourists who visit Denali National Park each year. Viewing the packs is one of the main attractions. But the Alaska Wildlife Alliance says there are only 54 wolves left in the park, that's down from 143 in 2007, a 63% drop. Researchers believe the Denali wolves are being hunted once they leave the park and venture onto land controlled by the state. "We know that it caused the break-up of the most viewed pack in the park this summer, the Grant Creek pack,” said conservation biologist Rick Steiner.  “The loss of the last breeding female in the pack caused them not to have pups.

Editor's note: Channel 2 viewers Glenn and Cheryl Flothe submitted this story and its accompanying photos after several visits to Denali National Park. The Flothes' account provides some interesting perspective on the park's development over time, as well as a firsthand take on its inherent majesty. On July 29, 1972, after receiving our $2 McKinley Park Camping Permit in the mail, we headed out on the newly opened and paved (the center and shoulder lines still hadn't been painted)

From its glacier carved valleys to the top of North America's tallest peak, Denali National Park and Preserve is filled with precious treasure. It's a place that, but for a very few exceptions, has largely been left to its own. Life in Denali unfolds today much as it did hundreds of years ago. There are towering mountains in the distance; the Alaska range bisects the park. The stark white peaks are crowned by the tallest of all in North America - majestic Mount Mckinley. Denali's "base camp" each summer.

Climbing season on Mt. McKinley, in Denali National Park and Preserve, attracts hundreds of climbers from around the world each spring and summer. They arrive at the Talkeetna airport knowing that for a few weeks they'll be at the mercy of something much greater than themselves. It starts with the weather. Conditions have to be just right before any of the air taxis will take off. On this day, pilots get word from high above that conditions are mostly clear -- it's a go. The journey begins.

The business district of Denali National Park pops up for the summer, makes its pressence known and then fades into the background before winter. Channel 2 spent some time in the park in early June visiting with local owners who shared their stories of working and playing near the Park. Jimmy Tohill and his wife Vicki run the Old Sourdough Studio inside the McKinley Chalet Resort. They put people on the runners of a working dog sled and have them dress up in Alaska Native clothes.