Approximately 60 businesses are authorized to provide a commercial visitor service within Denali National Park & Preserve each year. By law, these services must be “necessary and appropriate” for the purpose for which the park was established. They form an essential element of park operations.

Conducting a commercial service within the Park requires a specific written authorization. These authorizations range from a formal concession contract to one-year incidental business permits. If you have any questions concerning Commercial Visitor Services within Denali National Park and Preserve please contact the Concessions office at 907-683-2294.

Concessions Oversight by the NPS

Operators of all authorized concessioners are monitored by the National Park Service. Questions regarding concessions management can be answered by calling the park at (907) 683-2294 and asking for the Concessions Division.

Type I Concession Contract

Type I Concession Contracts, the most formal of the concession authorizations, are used in cases where the term is greater than five years, gross revenues are over $100,000, substantial investment is expected, or performance of the service is required.

Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture holds the only concession contract at Denali. Their 10 year contract, which expires in December, 2012, requires the Joint Venture to operate bus tours, shuttle bus transportation, reservation services, public showers, a camper convenience store, and management of the Riley Creek and Savage Campgrounds.


Type III Concession Contract

Type III Concession Contracts under the new Concessions Regulations, are issued when services are to be authorized, but not required. The term of the authorization will usually be ten years. At Denali, these permits include mountaineering guides in the Wilderness portion of the Alaska range, sport hunting guides in the Preserve, guide services and flightseeing based out of Kantishna, glacier landing air taxis, dog sled freight hauling service and dog sled passenger service.

Guided Mountaineering
Six companies (Alaska Mountaineering School, Alpine Ascents International, American Alpine Institute, Mountain Trip, Inc., National Outdoor Leadership School and Rainier Mountaineering Inc.) offer guided mountaineering “on Mt. McKinley and Mt. Foraker and other peaks of the Alaska Range within Denali National Park as its boundary existed prior to December 2, 1980.”

Guided Sport Hunting
Two State registered guide/outfitters, Wayne Kubat d.b.a. Alaska Remote Guide Service and Harold Schetzle d.b.a. Kichatna Guide Service, are authorized to provide hunting guide services in a specific area (portions of the Yentna and Kichatna drainage’s) of Denali National Preserve.

Kantishna Area
Three concession permits authorize visitor services in the Kantishna Hills area:

Denali National Park Wilderness Centers, which include, Camp Denali and North Face Lodge, are authorized to provide guided interpretive bus trips, hikes and boating. Five canoes may be used on Wonder Lake. Up to four interpretive bus trips/day may go as far (east) as Eielson and up to eight interpretive bus trips/week may go as far east as necessary.

Denali Backcountry Lodge is authorized to provide guide services for hiking, rafting, overnight camping and cookouts within the area of Denali National Park bounded by the wilderness boundary, the McKinley River, the Kantishna River, and the Toklat River. Limited guided services are also permitted within the “old park” boundary.

Kantishna Roadhouse, is authorized to provide guide services for hiking, rafting, canoeing, wagon rides, horseback riding, pack trips, overnight camping and cookouts within that area of Denali National Park bounded by the wilderness boundary, the McKinley River, the Kantishna River, and the Toklat River. Limited guided services are also permitted within the “old park” boundary. This is the only concessionaire authorized to use horses and the use is restricted to specific trails under a horse use operating plan.

Air Taxi Services
Six air taxis (Doug Geeting Aviation, Hudson Air Services, K2/Rustair, McKinley Air Service, Fly Denali and Talkeetna Air Taxi) are authorized to provide glacier landings on the south side of the Alaska Range.

Kantishna Air Taxi provides air taxi services between the McKinley and Kantishna Airstrips, and also provides flightseeing services from Kantishna.

Dog Sled Freight Services
Denali Dog Freight Expeditions offers dog sled freighting services within the park.

Dog Sled Passenger Service (overnight)
Two concessioners, EarthSong Lodge Dog Sled Adventures and Denali West Lodge, offer overnight dog sled passenger service and overnight dog sled supported ski trips within Denali National Park and Preserve.

Incidental Business Permits

Incidental Business Permits (IBPs) are issued to businesses providing necessary and appropriate services where there are no fixed commercial facilities within the park, the commercial activity originates and terminates outside the park, no money changes hands on park lands and no commercial solicitation occurs on park lands. Requirements are minimal (cursory background check, $200 fee - minimum for first time applicant and liability insurance).

There is no limit to the number of authorizations issued for a specific service (a permit is issued to all qualified applicants). At Denali, all designated Wilderness, the park road corridor (from mile one) and the Kantishna Hills (the area bounded by the wilderness boundary, the McKinley, Kantishna and Toklat Rivers), are excluded from the area authorized by the IBP, except that commercial groups may camp at the Savage Campground group site and may ride the VTS buses (but the guide may not “engage in activities with their clients” while in excluded areas).

We issue IBPs for air-taxi service, flightseeing (though if they don’t land within the park, operators don’t need a permit), backpacking guide services, day-hiking guide services, “big-game” transporters, winter backcountry guide service, and guided mountaineering services in portions of the 1980 park additions. Glacier landings in the 1980 park additions south of the Alaska Range are not authorized under an IBP.

Additional information regarding the IBP program is available on the Denali Incidental Business Permit Information Sheet.

Other Authorizations

Other authorizations may be issued for activities that are related to commercial visitor services. A special use permit (SUP) is currently used to authorize land uses such as storage and housing for the Kantishna Roadhouse and use of NPS land for a waterline for Camp Denali. In general, SUPs are not used to authorize commercial visitor services. The Chief Ranger is responsible for managing the special use permit program.

C38 (DENACONC.02)

top