Last updated: December 29, 2020
Place
Teklanika River Rest Area
NPS Photo / Emily Mesner
Quick Facts
Amenities
2 listed
Restroom - Seasonal, Scenic View/Photo Spot
The Denali Park Road travels alongside Teklanika River for several miles. The rest area is open from late spring through late fall, with exact dates depending on the weather. In Denali's spring and fall seasons, visitors may drive to the rest area in their own vehicles, snow and ice permitting. In summer, the rest stop is used by nearly every type of bus trip in Denali.
The rest stop overlooks the large, braided Teklanika River where wildlife often roams. Teklanika is the first significant glacially-fed river visitors encounter on a journey into Denali. The river is cloudy and gray, and is filled with pulverized rock—a product of the glacier feeding it from the nearby Alaska Range. All that sediment and gravel causes the various channels of the river to choke, causing the river's braids to change course throughout the summer. The result is a wide river valley full of gravel, giving the illusion that the river reaches epic flood levels, but in fact, the gravel bars are merely a product of the mountains being ground under by glaciers and washed downstream.
Geology
Here, you will begin crossing through a dynamic mix of sedimentary and igneous rocks. Both Cathedral and Igloo mountains, which flank the road up ahead to the east and west respectively, are composed of the Cantwell Formation, a thick bed of sedimentary rocks that is topped and intruded by the colorful volcanics of the Teklanika Formation.
Archaeological sites in the area contain materials composed of local and distant rock sources. For example, chert was collected near this location, while obsidian was likely sourced from upstream exposures of the Teklanika Formation. Obsidian and chert were used for over 13,000 years by inhabitants of this area to make projectile points, scrapers, and other tools. These tools were used to hunt bison, caribou, and other animals.