Regarding Denali NP, what is your plan to see and experience it? They have shuttles and tours which really are pretty much full days. The restricted access people talk about is that you cannot drive your personal auto into Denali beyond something like the 15 mile marker on the road INSIDE the park. Beyond that point, you must take one of the ARAMARK tours or the Wonder Lake Shuttle. It is well worth it to go deeper inside the park as there is very little to generally see that first 15 miles or so. The wildlife we saw was much deeper in, but also very viewable from the road/bus.

So you really don't need to be equipped to go into the back country, only willing to pony up the money for one of the tours. BTW, do not buy from any vendor other than the ARAMARK folks. They have a web site where you can buy online . . . waiting until you're there may result in sold-out conditions.

If you want more info on the tours offered, we did the Wildnerness Tour (DO NOT RECOMMEND) and the Wonder Lake Shuttle (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). When we do Denali again, we'll probably do the shuttle on two consecutive days. I have written about our experiences on both of these options over at www.igougo.com. You can access my journals through the link in my sig here.

Have a great time!
Von