National Parks Week and Earth Day 2025: Alaska’s Parks

Denali and the Denali Park road

National Park Week is April 19-27 this year, and it’s Earth Day on the 22nd, so it’s a perfect time to talk about Alaska’s national parks.

Alaska’s first national park is McKinley National Park (now known as Denali National Park and Preserve). I enjoyed researching its history for my book Gold Nuggets. Charles Sheldon got the idea in 1906 when he traveled to the area to study Dall sheep and found that market hunters were killing the sheep at a rate that could decimate the population.  Other conservationists, including Belmore Browne and George Bird Grinnell, helped to lobby Congress over several years and pushed through the bill with the assistance of Alaska delegate James Wickersham. It became a national park in 1917. (And if you’re wondering, most Alaskans still call the mountain Denali.)

Now, Alaska has eight national parks: Denali, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk, Lake Clark, and Wrangell-St. Elias. Plus, we have several historical areas and national monuments as well, so we have many special places taken care of by the National Park Service (NPS). People from all over the U.S., and the world, can come to see our history, scenery, and our wildlife. The parks are preserved so our grandkids and children not yet born can still experience wonder and enjoyment of these national treasures. Nature heals and inspires. On Earth Day and all year round, we need our wild spaces.

But these treasures still need our help if they are to survive intact. The current administration of President Trump has instigated huge cuts in the NPS budget, including maintenance, park rangers, and other work that keep the parks in good shape. If you want to see national parks continue, please contact your congressional representatives and tell them to keep the NPS budget intact. If you’re not sure how to reach them, go to Find Your Members at https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member.

And Happy Earth Day! Enjoy nature wherever you are!