For People Who Work With The Public

Visitors to Denali National Park and Preserve meet a wide variety of Interpreters, whether they are called naturalists, guides, or group leaders, as well as business and community members when they come to the park on a trip. The people visitors encounter enrich their experience in and around Denali, helping to provide them with memories for a lifetime.

This page is designed to provide resources for group leaders, naturalists, hiking guides, hotel staff, drivers, raft guides, flightseeing pilots, Bed & Breakfast owners, and anyone else who may routinely work with visitors to Denali National Park and Preserve.

The resources on this page are a good place to start, but we also have many great resources found by partnering and working together to share ideas between different organizations. Please contact the park's Division of Interpretation with questions, comments, or ideas on how we can all work together to deepen visitor connections to this special place.

 

Visitor and Resource Safety

• Bike safety messages
• How to stay safe around wildlife
• Providing wildlife safety messages
• How to practice Leave No Trace principles | Take the Leave No Trace Online Awareness Course

 

Key Things to Know About the Park's Purpose and Goals

• Denali Foundation Document
  Among other things, the Foundation Document contains the park's mission statement, the text of the National Park Service Organic Act (which established the bureau in 1916), and details of the park's purpose and significance.
• Denali National Park and Preserve Education Plan
  Among other things, this contains the park's Division of Interpretation mission statement.

A Selection of Natural and Cultural Park Information

• A Few Denali FAQ's
• Park History and Culture
• Denali Climbing History Timeline
• Denali Geology
• Mammal Summary
• Denali Science Summaries

Creating Effective Interpretive Programs

There are many resources available online to help develop interpretive skills. The National Association for Interpretation (NAI) offers online courses and webinars. NAI also offers a 32-hour Certified Interpretive Guide course that combines the theoretical foundations with practical skills. More information can be found on NAI's website.
 

• Core Interpretive Themes — Among other things, the park Education Plan contains the Division of Interpretation's core interpretive themes.
• Diversifying Program Techniques: Handles
• Foundations of Interpretation course

Training, Coaching, and Development Opportunities

Attend Denali's Science and Stewardship Symposium to learn about current scientific research in the park at the beginning of each summer season.

For information or other written support materials about training, coaching, or other interpretation skill development courses, contact the park's Division of Interpretation.

Further Reading

For many of these books, contact our non-profit partner Alaska Geographic (or your local bookseller) to purchase a copy.

• Interpreting Our Heritage by Freeman Tilden
• Interpretation: Making a Difference on Purpose by Sam H. Ham
• Denali: Symbol of the Alaskan Wild. An Illustrated History of the Denali-Mount McKinley Region, Alaska by William E. Brown
• McKinley Park: People of the Pioneer Park by Tom Walker
• Kantishna: Mushers, Miners and Mountaineers by Tom Walker
• Denali trail guides for hiking guides working on the eastern end of the park
• Explore more about cultural history and check your facts with Crown Jewel of the North: An Administrative History of Denali
• Discover the geology of Denali as seen from the park road with the Denali National Park Geology Road Guide
• Browse an extensive reading list of Denali-related books