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The snow-capped peak of Denali (Mount McKinley), North America's tallest mountain, mirrored in the calm waters of Wonder Lake under a clear sky in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska.

State guide

Alaska's national parks

Alaska holds eight national parks, more than any other state, and they range from relatively accessible to among the most remote places on Earth. Denali and Kenai Fjords welcome most visitors, while Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk Valley have no roads at all. This guide compares and ranks all eight.

Short answer

Denali ranks first for its accessibility and iconic wildlife and scenery, followed by Kenai Fjords for its glaciers and marine life and Glacier Bay for its tidewater glaciers. Wrangell-St. Elias, Katmai, Lake Clark, Gates of the Arctic, and Kobuk Valley round out the list, growing more remote as you go. Summer, roughly June through early September, is the practical window for nearly all of them.

How Alaska's parks were ranked

  • Scenic payoff and how distinctive each park's landscape is.
  • Ease of access, which ranges from road-accessible to fly-in only.
  • Range of activities, from bus tours to glacier cruises and bear viewing.
  • Season, since nearly all of these parks are practical only in summer.

Recommended parks

Each pick links to the full park guide with season tables, logistics, packing, and route context.

Browse all parks
The snow-capped peak of Denali (Mount McKinley), North America's tallest mountain, mirrored in the calm waters of Wonder Lake under a clear sky in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska.The accessible headline

Denali

Best for
The park road bus, wildlife, and views of the high peak
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The peak is often hidden by clouds, the park road has had access limited by a landslide in recent years, and private vehicles are restricted past a point.

Denali is the most accessible and most visited of Alaska's parks, with a single park road served by buses, abundant wildlife, and the chance to see North America's highest peak.

Open the Denali guide
Early morning light over the icy expanse of Pedersen and Aialik Glaciers descending toward the water in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska, framed by surrounding coastal mountains.The glacier-and-sea park

Kenai Fjords

Best for
Exit Glacier and a boat tour of the fjords
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The best of the park is seen by boat, tours run in summer only, and seas can be rough, so plan for weather.

Kenai Fjords is reachable by road from Seward and pairs the walkable Exit Glacier with boat tours past tidewater glaciers, whales, sea otters, and seabird colonies.

Open the Kenai Fjords guide
The blue-white face of Lamplugh Glacier flowing down between forested mountain slopes into the calm waters of Tarr Inlet in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska.The tidewater glaciers

Glacier Bay

Best for
Glacier cruises, whales, and the marine wilderness
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Access is by boat or plane only, there are no roads in, and most visits are by cruise or chartered day tour.

Glacier Bay is a marine park of tidewater glaciers and rich wildlife, most often experienced by cruise ship or day boat out of Gustavus, a classic Southeast Alaska experience.

Open the Glacier Bay guide
Glaciated peaks above a braided river valley with the historic Kennecott mill buildings at Wrangell-St. Elias.The largest park

Wrangell-St. Elias

Best for
Kennecott, the McCarthy Road, and vast mountain wilderness
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The access roads are long, rough, and gravel, services are minimal, and the park's true scale is mostly trail-less wilderness.

Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest national park in the country, a staggering expanse of peaks and glaciers, with the historic Kennecott mine and the McCarthy Road offering a rare road-accessible window in.

Open the Wrangell-St. Elias guide
Snow-dusted shoreline and forested islands rising from the calm waters of the Bay of Islands on Naknek Lake in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska, with low mountains in the distance under a soft winter sky.The brown bear park

Katmai

Best for
Brooks Falls bear viewing and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes
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Access is by floatplane only, the prime bear-viewing season is short, and permits and lodging at Brooks Camp are very limited.

Katmai is famous for the brown bears that gather to fish at Brooks Falls, one of the great wildlife spectacles, alongside the volcanic Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes.

Open the Katmai guide
Wide landscape view across Lake Clark National Park and Preserve in Alaska, showing the long glacial lake set among forested foothills and snow-dusted mountains under an open sky.The fly-in variety park

Lake Clark

Best for
Bear viewing, fishing, and turquoise lakes
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There are no roads in, access is by small plane, and you generally need a lodge or air-taxi operator to arrange a visit.

Lake Clark packs volcanoes, turquoise lakes, salmon rivers, and coastal bear viewing into one fly-in park southwest of Anchorage, a quieter alternative to Katmai for watching bears.

Open the Lake Clark guide
The North Fork of the Koyukuk River winding through the Brooks Range between the steep peaks of Frigid Crags and Boreal Mountain, the namesake "gates" of Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska, seen from the summit of Eroded Mountain.The roadless Arctic

Gates of the Arctic

Best for
Backcountry trips above the Arctic Circle
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There is no infrastructure of any kind, access is by bush plane, and trips demand serious wilderness experience and self-sufficiency.

Gates of the Arctic lies entirely above the Arctic Circle with no roads, trails, or facilities, a true wilderness for experienced backcountry travelers seeking solitude.

Open the Gates of the Arctic guide
The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes in Kobuk Valley National Park, Alaska, a vast field of wind-rippled sand stretching across rolling, undulating terrain under soft daylight.The Arctic dunes

Kobuk Valley

Best for
The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes and the caribou migration
Watch
There are no roads, trails, or services, access is by chartered bush plane, and visits require full backcountry self-sufficiency.

Kobuk Valley protects vast Arctic sand dunes and the path of a great caribou migration, one of the least visited parks in the entire system.

Open the Kobuk Valley guide

Planning notes

Start with the accessible parks

Denali and Kenai Fjords are reachable by road and run organized tours, so they make the natural anchors of a first Alaska park trip. Glacier Bay is easy to add as a cruise stop.

Plan fly-in parks around an operator

Katmai, Lake Clark, Wrangell-St. Elias, Gates of the Arctic, and Kobuk Valley generally require a flight and often a lodge or air-taxi operator, so book those well ahead and let the operator shape the logistics.

Go in summer

June through early September is the practical window for nearly all of Alaska's parks, when roads, tours, and flights operate and daylight is long. Outside that window, access shrinks dramatically.

Frequently asked questions

How many national parks are in Alaska?

Alaska has eight national parks: Denali, Kenai Fjords, Glacier Bay, Wrangell-St. Elias, Katmai, Lake Clark, Gates of the Arctic, and Kobuk Valley. That is more than any other state, and they range from road-accessible to fly-in only.

What is the best national park in Alaska?

Denali is usually ranked first for its accessibility, wildlife, and the chance to see North America's highest peak. Kenai Fjords and Glacier Bay follow for their glaciers and marine life, and both are easier to reach than the remote Arctic parks.

Which Alaska national parks can you drive to?

Only a few are road-accessible. Denali and Kenai Fjords are reachable by road, and Wrangell-St. Elias has long gravel access roads. The rest, including Katmai, Lake Clark, Glacier Bay, Gates of the Arctic, and Kobuk Valley, require a boat or plane.

Pack and plan this trip

Gear keyed to what these parks are for, the tools to size your days and budget, and explainers worth a read before you go.

What to pack

Plan with our tools

Keep reading

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