Trail Length

1.7 miles / 2.7 kilometres

Route Type

Loop

Elevation Gain

100 feet / 30 metres

Estimated Time

2 – 3 hours

Description and Tips

The parking lot for the Savage River Loop Hiking Trail is 12 miles from the park entrance within Denali National Park. You can park your LTV within steps of the trail. Parking is free but fills up by mid-morning on beautiful days. Round trip on the Savage River Loop Hiking Trail is 1.7 miles and relatively level. While hiking on the Savage River Loop Trail, you see and hear the roaring Savage River. You may see a Spectacled Eider duck on the Savage River and nesting ptarmigan with their chicks in the brush and willow bushes along the river. Birders have the opportunity to scope for many species of birds in and around willow bushes. Photographers and artists have dozens of wildflowers to draw or photograph. As you hike any part of the Savage River Trail you have the opportunity to see and hear caribou, moose, pika, marmot, ground squirrels, fox, etc. on the mountainous tundra. Grizzly bears are also a possibility but primarily in early spring.

Submitted By

Tim Heerdt