Denali State Park is located an hour south of Denali National Park and straddles both side of Alaska Highway 3 (Parks Highway). Established in 1970 and enlarged to 325,240 acres in 1976, it is almost the size of Rhode Island and is located about 160 miles north of Anchorage and 160 miles south of Fairbanks. Its western boundary is Denali National Park. Mount McKinley (20,320 feet), the highest summit on North America, is 35 miles away.
We backpacked the Kesugi Ridge Trail, part of a 35 mile-long north/south alpine ridge which is the backbone of the eastern half of the park. "Kesugi" is a Tanaina Indian dialect word meaning "The Ancient One" and is a fitting complement of the Tanana Indian word "Denali" which means "The High One" referring to the mountain we now call McKinley.
Wildlife include moose, brown and black bears, caribou, lynx, coyote, red fox, squirrel, ermine, marten, land otter, mink, wolverine, muskrat, pika, marmot, vole, shrew, porcupine, and 130 species of birds. Fish include all five species of salmon, as well as Dolly Varden, whitefish, and various trout.
White spruce and paper birch predominate below 2500 feet elevation. Above 2500 feet, moss campion, mountain avens, and other hardy flowering plants thrive. Tundra meadows, cotton grass tussocks, dense birch-adler-willow thickets, black spruce stands, and black cottonwood Edible berries abound and include blueberries. cranberries, currents, watermelon berries, crowberries, and cloudberries.
The weather in the park is tempered from continental extremes by the relatively warm ocean waters 100 miles to the south. The Alaska Range to the north protects the park from the dramatic temperature extremes common to Interior Alaska. In summer, temperatures are usually in the 60's with highs, rarely, to 85 degrees F. In mid-summer, almost 21 hours of possible daylight give ample opportunities for recreational activities. Average winter highs range from zero to 30 degrees F, while on extremely cold days the low may reach minus 40 degrees F. Annual precipitation reaches 30 inches, including an average annual 180 inches of snowfall. Snow begins to accumulate in October and frequently reaches depths of six feet or more.
Denali State Park - Alaska State Parks website