North America - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 202

(backcountry access zones) that have a daily
quota of between two and twelve campers. There
are no established campsites in the backcountry
- that's one of its most inviting features - so it's
up to you where you pitch for the night, so long
as you camp more than half a mile from the Park
Road and out of sight of it.
The challenge of negotiating your way across
the trackless tundra, camping out in the wild
and pitting your wits against Alaska's elements
requires determination, flexibility and ingenuity,
but your reward is hiking in true wilderness
with only wild animals and wildflowers for
company.

268 AwAy fRom The TRAiL in
ALASkA

The whole point of walking in the designated
wilderness area of Alaska's Denali National
Park is that you can make it up as you go along.
Unlike the smooth, well-managed paths around
the park's entrance area, the backcountry has no
managed trails, so you have to rely on good old-
fashioned navigation and nous.
Occasionally you'll come across “social trails”
of footprints where others have gone before
you, but to limit your impact on the fragile
ecosystem it's best to avoid these and forge
your own route; negotiating the boggy tundra,
traversing ridgelines and following the many
rivers in this spectacular heartland of Alaska
- home to wolves, Dall sheep, moose, caribou
and bears. Anyone intending to spend the night
in the wilderness must watch a 25min video at
the Backcountry Visitor Center, which teaches
you how to avoid contact with the bears, and
what to do if you do happen to come across one.
For safety tips in advance visit W dnr.alaska.gov/
parks/safety/bears.htm.
Within the wilderness area there are 41 “units”

Need to know Reservations (only available one
day in advance) are made at the Backcountry
Information Center at the park's Riley Creek
entrance area. Once you have made a backcountry
reservation, you will be handed a free bear-
resistant food container for your trip. For a checklist
of equipment and advice on low-impact hiking
in Denali see W alaska.org/denali/advice-denali-
backcountry.htm. For a detailed description of
the backcountry units see National Geographic's
1:200,000 Denali National Park and Preserve
Trails Illustrated Map (Can$10).

A wild iris; Fang Mountain,
Denali National Park and
Reserve