Denali State Park is a beautiful and unspoilt protected wilderness area that borders the Talkeetna Mountains to the east and the Alaska Range with North America’s highest peak, Denali at 6190m, to the west. It’s a fabulous place for hiking, wildlife viewing, canoeing and kayaking, but with Denali National Park and Reserve located right next door, the state park is often overlooked in favour of the much bigger national park – which is a big advantage, I can tell you. 

When Denali National Park was packed – its campsites crammed, busses crowded and trails busy, Denali State Park was a haven of calm and outstanding natural beauty. We also loved the brand new and well-looked-after Kesugi Ken Campground with its luxuriously spacious sites, some with magnificent views of snow-capped Denali.

We didn’t prefer the state park over the national park, as they’re both worthwhile destinations, but if it’s solitude you seek, in a place that’s not too crowded, Denali State Park would be the better choice. You’ll still need to secure your site at Kesugi Ken Campground well in advance because they quickly book out in peak season, but as there are only 32 RV sites and 10 walk-in campsites, the campground didn’t feel crowded, even when fully booked. In case you cannot secure a site at Kesugi Ken, there are four other RV-friendly campgrounds in the park: Byers Lake, Lower Troublesome Creek Campground, Denali View South and Denali View North campgrounds

Once you’ve arrived and settled in, you could walk over to the interpretive center, located at the entrance to the campground. There’s usually a ranger present, who runs the interpretative program and will help you with any questions you might have. We enquired about the best hikes in the park and learned that there are plenty of trails that pass through the lowland forests, meadows, and alpine tundra that characterize the Curry and K’esugi Ridges, the two alpine ridges that form the backbone of Denali State Park.