Denali National Park & Preserve guide · 1 min read
Spotting Denali's Big Five
Alaska's Big Five are caribou, moose, Dall sheep, bears, and wolves. Each group lives in a different part of the park, so the most reliable way to see all five is a ride on the park bus along Denali Park Road.
Wild animals move on their own schedules, so no sighting can be promised.
Moose favor forest and shrubby ground, which is why the first 15 miles of the road is where most are seen. In spring, look around the visitor center campus and Riley Creek Campground. In fall, the stretch between miles 9 and 13 draws male moose during the breeding season.
Caribou stick to open tundra, and higher country such as Highway Pass and Thoroughfare Pass is where they tend to turn up. They generally move in small bands, though gatherings of 100 or more do happen. Dall sheep cling to the mountainsides above Igloo Canyon, roughly between miles 34 and 38, and occasionally drift down near Polychrome and Eielson.
Grizzly bears are most common from Igloo Canyon at mile 37 to Eielson at mile 66. Look for them along rivers such as the Savage, Teklanika and Toklat, and on high slopes like Sable Pass. Sightings of black bears are uncommon. One visitor also reported a wolf near Eielson.
Eielson Visitor Center sits at mile 66, at the far end of the stretch where grizzly bears are most common and where Dall sheep sometimes wander close to the road. On a clear day, it offers some of the nearest views of Denali from inside the park.
