Ranger-Led Programs for Field Trips

NPS Photos

Welcome to your six-million-acre classroom! Denali’s education rangers offer a limited number of programs to students visiting the park on field trips. We prioritize offering ranger-led programs to field trip groups that meet the qualification criteria for an Academic Fee Waiver. Our educators work Monday through Friday year-round but are often occupied instructing multi-day programs, so please also explore self-guided field trip options.

To request a ranger-led program for your field trip, please send an email to Denali Education with the following information:

• Teacher name, email, telephone number
• School name
• Your application for an academic fee waiver if applicable
• Your group size, number of students and adults, and student age range
• Your transportation method(s) to, from, and within Denali
• First, second, and third choice dates for program
• Preferred start time for program; we’re available to start at 10:30 am or 1 pm
• Preferred program name (see options below)

Program requests for May through August will be processed starting April 1. Requests for programs in September through April will be processed within two weeks of receipt. Please apply for your Academic Fee Waiver (if applicable) and start planning self-guided activities as soon as you begin planning your field trip.

Programs

Welcome to Denali (30 minutes)

• Location: Denali Visitor Center (mile 1.2 Denali Park Road) or Murie Science and Learning Center (mile 1.2 Denali Park Road)
• Grade Range: Unrestricted
• Description: Welcome to Denali, a place where people have been living with and learning from the land for generations! Students will consider what it means to be the latest in a long line of learners, try out some investigative techniques, and start to piece together their own action plan for respectful fun during their time in the park.

Denali Ecosystems and Habitats (1 hour)

• Location: Denali Visitor Center (mile 1.2 Denali Park Road)
• Grade Range: 2–12
• Description: Learn about the sub-arctic ecosystem of Denali by exploring exhibits in the Denali Visitor Center. Participants investigate the habitats of Denali and consider traditional uses of the landscape. This program takes place indoors and is available mid-May through mid-September.

Taiga Time Travel Hike (2 hours)

• Location: Murie Science and Learning Center (mile 1.2 Denali Park Road) and adjacent trails
• Grade Range: 4–12
• Description: Contemplate landscape change on a hike through the taiga forests of Denali National Park. Students investigate how human and natural forces shape the landscape through time. This program takes place outdoors.

Legacy of a Landscape (2 hours)

• Location: Denali Visitor Center (mile 1.2 Denali Park Road) and adjacent trails
• Grade Range: University
• Description: How do the legacies of people and natural resources influence Denali's identity? While moving through the boreal forests, students examine the intentional and unintentional bequests left by plants, animals, and people. Participants explore how those inheritances are received, and how choices, labels, and legacies can inform what Denali has been -- and what it will become. This program takes place outdoors.

What's in a Name? (4 hours)

• Location: Murie Science and Learning Center (mile 1.2 Denali park Road) and Mountain Vista (mile 13 Denali Park Road)
• Grade Range: 3–12
• Description: Past, present, and future generations of Den'a (Athabascans) call Denali home. On this guided walk along the Mountain Vista Trail, students consider the importance of place names used to describe the landscape. This program takes place outdoors and on a bus (bus must be provided by the group, fee waiver required).