Denali seeks input on new park developments

MAT-SU -- Staff at Denali National Park, one of the state's biggest tourist attractions, are considering taking measures to better manage the park's popularity.

The newest plans, for which environmental assessments have just been completed, deal with the aging Eielson Visitors' Center on the park road, as well as the Toklat rest station on the same road and an upgrade to the roadside trail near the entrance to the park.

The NPS is currently evaluating three options for the Eielson center, one "no-action" alternative in which the existing center would remain the primary turnaround point for shuttle buses entering the park, and two action alternatives that would replace the center.

The existing visitors' center was constructed in 1959 and covers approximately 3,700 square feet. It is currently the southwestern terminus for many shuttle bus tours of the park, and therefore plays a key role in visitors' perception of their Denali experience, according to Kris Fister, public affairs officer for Denali National Park. However, Fister said the current facilities can't quite handle the busloads of tourists the park currently receives.

"We want something more adequate to the volume of visitors, something more comfortable," Fisher said.

The two proposed plans for the center would expand its area to approximately 9,000 square feet and would install existing solar cells from the old visitors' center along with possible new hydroelectric power. The center would also be brought up to accessibility standards. Tentative plans call for a structure designed with its main floor below ground level, with a walk-on observation and picnic area on the roof. Fister said this sunken design is intended to deliver less impact on the scenery surrounding the center than the current model, which clashes somewhat with its backdrop.

"The current visitors' center sort of sticks out like a sore thumb," Fister said. "I sometimes call it the 'Steamship Eielson' because it reminds me of some kind of sea vessel."

The demolition of the old center and construction of the new center would be conducted during the 2005 and 2006 visitor seasons. This would, needless to say, affect visitors' experiences in some manner. However, Fister said the park would make every effort to maintain its standard of service to tourists and other travelers during construction time.

"We're trying to impact the visitors' experience to the smallest extent possible," she said. Fister said that visitors, instead of having the Eielson center as their turnaround point, would instead be taken to an area several miles short of the center, shortening their trips by about 3 miles.

Both of the action alternatives also call for the bare-bones Toklat rest stop along the road to the visitors' center to be turned into a facility that could handle the visitors that would normally stop at the Eielson center while the new building was being constructed.

In years following 2006, when the new center would be up and running, the Toklat facility would be used as a simple rest stop once more, albeit an improved, permanent rest stop.

"We'd like the rest stop to blend in more, to be a better complement to the spectacular area that Toklat is," Fister said.

The first alternative for the rest stop being considered by NPS officials would involve rebuilding the facility at its current location, while the second would move it 450 feet downstream of its current position. The advantage of the new site is its decreased visibility from the park road, creating less impact on the scenery.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.