Winter road plowing in Denali National Park and Preserve: Monitoring 2014-2015

Toubman, Jessica; Borg, Bridget; Schirokauer, Dave

To increase the range of recreation opportunities along the Denali Park Road during winter months, an Environmental Assessment was completed in February 2013 that evaluated opening the Park Road earlier in winter to allow visitors to travel into the park in private vehicles. The Finding of No Significant Impact, signed in June 2013, chose the alternative which allows road plowing from Headquarters (mile 3) to Mountain Vista Rest Area (mile 12.6) starting February 1 and continuing into the spring season when the road is normally cleared. The early winter plowing will occur for three to five years on a trial basis with park staff monitoring the impact on financial and natural resources, as well as visitor experience. This report summarizes the findings from the first two winters of plowing, 2014 and 2015, and makes suggestions for future years of monitoring. Findings include: • Visitors use the Park Road to access the park following early winter road opening, particularly on weekends. March is the most popular month of the winter to visit and by looking at the visitor center numbers there is a pattern of increasing visitation in February and March which started in 2013, the year before plowing occurred. • Each year approximately 1000 vehicles used the Park Road during the one month of winter monitoring with 68-76% of the total traffic classified as private vehicles. There was little commercial use. • In 2014, moose were the most commonly observed species and in 2015 caribou were by far the most commonly observed species. There were no observations of wildlife running or walking from vehicles down the Park Road. • To date, there were few vehicles observed idling in the parking lot, even on cold days. • Cost estimates for the first two years were higher than the proposed budget in the EA due in part because it did not consider costs to the Resources or Interpretation Divisions.

Winter road plowing in Denali National Park and Preserve: Monitoring 2014-2015

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