Denali Park retains limited snowmobile access

MAT-SU -- The National Park Service announced on Dec. 23 that portions of Denali national Park and Preserve are now open to traditional snowmobile usage due to the excessive amount of snow the park has received in recent weeks. Specifically, snowmobilers can now access the 1980 park and preserve additions north of the Alaska Range. All lands within the former Mt. McKinley National Park on both sides of the Alaska Range remain closed to all snowmobile usage by federal mandate, and all nontraditional snowmobile usage in the park remains illegal.

The National Park Service has no intention of expanding the accessible areas of the park. "The old park is not an issue," said Kris Fister, Public Affairs Officer for Denali National Park. "We don't want to limit access to the park, but the only legal snowmachine activity there is traditional activity." Fister stated that, though the NPS has not yet settled on a specification of exactly which activities are "traditional," there are certain guidelines upon which all officials agree. "Highmarking is probably not a traditional activity," Fister commented. "We're talking about things like hunting, fishing, trapping, and traveling to and from cabin sites within the park."

Denali Park officials agree that recreational snowmachine usage is not covered under the "traditional activities" umbrella and is not legal. "If people are just zooming around on their machines, it's going to be pretty tough for them to justify that as 'traditional,'" Fister said.

This policy creates controversy, as it does every year, among Alaska's snowmobilers and conservationists alike. The park was recently named one of the nation's Ten Most Endangered National Parks by the National Parks Conservation Association, and the issue of motorized access to its sensitive wilderness has been a hot topic in the past. Winter sportsmen see in the park an almost boundless opportunity for recreation of all kinds, while environmentalists see a fragile wilderness that requires constant efforts to preserve.

Denali National Park, known as Mt. McKinley National Park prior to its 1980 expansion that tripled its size from 2 million to over 6 million acres, was officially closed to snowmobile use in 1970 as part of a larger federal edict applying to many national park units. Illegal snowmobile activity in the park was minor during the 1970s, but skyrocketed in the years following 1980 due to new developments in snowmobile technology that allowed riders to reach more varied and inaccessible areas of the park. The National Park Service responded to these incursions by enacting a total closure of the inner park area to all traditional snowmobile activity in February 1999. However, a Federal District Court voided this regulation in November of the same year, claiming that the Parks Service had failed to define what constitutes "traditional activity." The National Parks Service immediately began work on a proposition to define these activities and permanently close the inner park to snowmobiles once again. These changes were effected in the winter of the year 2000. A challenge of this regulation by the Alaska State Snowmobile Association was dropped by the ASSA in May 2001, in hopes of pursuing a legislative proposal with Congress.

The National Park Service reminds snowmobile riders that it is their own responsibility to avoid locations where wind or topographic conditions have reduced snow depth and left vegetation and soil vulnerable to damage from snowmobile tracks and skis, as well as areas where vegetation is taller than the protective snow cover. Snowmobilers should also be aware of the danger presented by thin ice and open water. Unusually warm temperatures in the park this winter have weakened many lakes and waterways, and extreme caution is advised. The same high temperatures have left snow crusted and prone to avalanches; the Park Service advises riders to be wary of steep slopes, narrow valleys, and ravines. Survival and avalanche safety gear is also essential on all trips within the park.

Federal regulation forbids intentionally disturbing or frightening wildlife within the park, operation of a snowmobile that creates excessive noise or lacks a headlamp and tail lamp (during riding in poor light), and traveling more than 45 miles per hour or snowmobile racing. Snowmobile drivers must be at least 16 years of age unless supervised by a responsible adult. Snowmobiles must also be registered and numbered. Failure to register your machine can mean up to a $300 fine under state law AS 28.39.010.

Roadway Safety

The Alaska State Troopers would also like to remind snowmobile operators of the hazards of traveling on and around roadways. Under Chapter 13 of the Alaska Administrative Code, snowmobiles and other off-road vehicles may only be driven on a roadway under the following conditions:

*When crossing a highway

*When traversing a bridge or culvert, and even then only on the extreme right side of the road

*When use of the roadway by other motorized vehicles such as cars and trucks is impossible because of snow and ice accumulation,

*When the roadway is designated as being open to travel by offroad vehicles,

*When special permission is given by an authority with jurisdiction over the roadway in question.

When riding along the shoulder of a roadway, snowmobile operators must be:

*No closer than three feet from the roadway's nearest edge,

*Traveling in the same direction as vehicles in the nearest lane of the roadway,

*Never within the area dividing the lanes of the roadway, except to cross the roadway

When crossing a roadway, it is important to take proper precautions to avoid accidents. Snowmobilers should make sure that the following conditions are met when crossing roads:

*The crossing is made at a right angle to the roadway and at a location where visibility along the roadway is high

*The crossing can be made safely without interfering with traffic

*The snowmobile is brought to a complete stop before crossing the roadway

Regulations prohibit snowmobiles from traveling on a sidewalk, a pedestrian area, or an alley. The Troopers encourage all riders to remain safe and happy in 2004.