Denali Park Partial Road Closure 08/08/2019

[djwool]

Don't see this posted anywhere yet. Posted last night on FB. We're there on the 21st. so who knows if it will be fully open.

 

Due to extended periods of heavy and steady rain over the past several weeks, the Denali National Park & Preserve Road will be closed to public vehicle access at mile 30 (Teklanika Rest Stop) beginning 7 a.m. on Thursday, August 8, 2019. This closure includes park transit and tour buses.

Since August 1, vehicle traffic on the Park Road has been periodically disrupted by rock falls and debris slides beyond mile 30. The extended heavy and steady rains have continued to saturate the road surface and surrounding soils, increasing the potential for landslides, debris flows, and associated safety risks. Weather forecasts indicate that this precipitation pattern is likely continue into the near future and could prolong the situation.

During this time, the park will assess the road conditions and make determinations about the extent of the closure. Additional information will be released as decisions affecting the status of the Park Road are made.

For additional information, please call 907-683-9532 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily.

Edited August 8, 2019 by djwool

[oaktreerb]

Wow.  Thanks for posting.

[djwool]

It's day by day as far as the closure goes.....

 

We will have a better assessment tomorrow evening whether any additional closures are necessary beyond Thursday.

[Northern Aurora]

We are traveling so I am posting from a cruise ship.  But since we left Fairbanks ten days ago the Interior has been receiving a LOT of rain.  Both the Fairbanks Daily-NewsMiner and Anchorage Daily News websites are following this story.  Neighbors are reporting  that at least there is no forest fire smoke.

[djwool]

Reopens Friday morning. 👌

[mapleleaves]

Info is updated on the Denali web site:

https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/news/park-road-reopning-august-9.htm

[SoBaycruiser]

We went to mile 92 and back on Monday in the pouring rain and it was a mess. Plus the windows in the bus totally fogged up and you couldn’t see out unless you opened them.  We had a great guide and driver who did find us some wildlife... but 13 hrs was too long in those conditions.

[sunsetlk]

We are currently in Fairbanks. They just opened the roads up but it will be day to day as they expect continued rain 

[sunsetlk]

We were in Denali on Monday and Tuesday and the road was open. Obviously it gets evaluated on a daily basis because of the rain. Monday's weather was perfect and Tuesday it rained the entire day while we were on a 13 hour tour for the entire 92 miles to the end of the park road. It was frustrating but the driver cleaned the windows every rest stop and the tour went on as planned. Nothing you can do about the weather so make the best of it or skip Alaska during the rainy season. By the way, the wildlife did not mind the rain and on our tour we say 3 Dall sheep - 8 moose including 3 young - 4 bears including 2 cubs - and over 60 Caribou. The trip in the rain was well worth it to us.