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Total group size is 12, inclusive of CUA holder and employees (guides).
The CUA holder may have one hiking group in Backcountry Unit 74 and two in Unit 77 at a time.
Those offering both Day and Overnight Hiking must coordinate group movement to comply with the above requirement.
Groups may overlap briefly while awaiting air taxi transport.
Guide Certification
Current basic first-aid, CPR, and Leave No Trace 101 certifications are required for Denali CUA holders.
At least one guide on each trip must have a current Wilderness First Aid or Wilderness First Responder certification.
Safety and Resource Protection
An electric bear fence in proper working order must be placed around a basecamp. The fence must be tested twice daily.
All tents, tarps, and campsites in the Backside Lake area must be located at least 100 yards from and out of sight from the lake.
Participants are required to use Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee approved Bear Resistant Food Containers (BRFC).
Tents must be removed from the backcountry when not in use overnight.
Leave No Trace:
Hiking activity near Backside Lake (in the recent moraine areas with gravely soil and pioneer vegetation) shall take place on routes designated with existing unobtrusive small rock cairns. These routes must be minimized and not expanded.
Hiking activity away from Backside Lake (the older alpine meadow vegetation) shall be dispersed to the greatest degree possible to prevent the formation of newly created social trails and minimize resource damage at camping areas.
If the NPS detects visitor-created social trails or resource damage at camping areas away from the lake, the NPS will seek to apply measures to limit the impacts to the area.
Camping and hiking must be done on durable surfaces whenever possible.
If a non-durable surface is used for camping it must not be used more than twice per season.
Additional Regulations and Considerations
For 2026, Backside Lake Base camping will be restricted to the following days:
TBD
Unauthorized Activities
Tents must not be left unattended between trips.
Download or print these stipulations. CUA holders and their employees are responsible for knowing and following all rules.
907 683-9532
A ranger is available 9 am to 4 pm daily (except on major holidays). If you reach the voicemail, please leave a message and we'll call you back as soon as we finish with the previous caller.
