Denali National Park opens new visitor center

ANCHORAGE -- A new Eielson Visitor Center opened in June in Denali National Park on the Denali Park Road, 66 miles from the park entrance.

Park officials say the center looks out on the Alaska Range, including Mount McKinley, North America's highest peak.

The center features a dining area and exhibits that include an interactive topographical model of Mount McKinley and works by participants in Denali's Artist-In-Residence program. The National Park Service is also calling the building a model of sustainable design, with features that maximize daylight and promote energy conservation.

From 1934 to 1950, a tent camp occupied the site. The original building opened in 1960 but was demolished in 2005 to make way for the new facility, which was deemed necessary because of the rapid increase in the number of visitors.

Private cars are not permitted that far along the Denali Park Road, so most visitors arrive at the center on tour buses.

The total cost of the building and its exhibits was $9.2 million. It's named after Carl Ben Eielson, a pioneer Alaskan aviator.

The center will be formally rededicated during a ceremony on Aug. 12 and is open through Sept. 15.