Denali National Park
Managed by National Park Service
3,977 acres0.2 mi of trail
Windy Creek Trail
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Photo: Lpangelrob · CC BY-SA 3.0–Not graded
Outdoors in Cantwell
More than half of Cantwell’s land is conserved: 52%
52% of Cantwell’s land is conserved, about 39,521 acres. 2,161 acres are parks and preserves, 16,880 per 1,000 residents. 14 miles of mapped trail cross Cantwell, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
52%
39,521 acres · of 119.0 sq mi of land
Trails
14 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
2,161 ac
16,880 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
22%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
5
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Denali National Park, with 0.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Denali Wilderness
Managed by National Park Service
3 acres
Dogs usually limited
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
Who protects it
39,521 conserved acres
52% of Cantwell’s land. Who manages Cantwell’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources18,983 ac
Bureau of Land Management18,851 ac
National Park Service2,145 ac
State Other or Unknown · 18,983 acNational Public Lands · 18,851 acNational Park · 2,145 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 4 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glennallen Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 18,851 | Open |
| State Tentatively Approved (tad) State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 15,102 | Unknown |
| State Patented State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 3,882 | Unknown |
| Denali National Park National Park | National Park Service | 2,145 | Open |
Things to do
7 places to go in Cantwell
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Scenic views in Cantwell
Denali Viewpoint
DirectionsPlus 3 scenic views without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Peaks in Cantwell
1 peak without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Campgrounds in Cantwell
Joe Lake Informal Camping
DirectionsJoe Lake Informal Camping
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 1.5 mi
Windy Creek Trail1.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
June is the best month for walking in Cantwell
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 5.6 | 8.5 | 11.5 | 14.8 | 18.1 | 20.5 | 19.4 | 16.2 | 12.8 | 9.6 | 6.5 | 4.6 |
| High (°F) | 10 | 19 | 25 | 40 | 54 | 65 | 66 | 61 | 50 | 34 | 18 | 13 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 0.7 |
April is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 66 °F). 3.3 inches fall in August, the wettest month. The climate in Cantwell →
Next door
Cantwell and its neighbors
Cantwell has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cantwell | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Denali Park | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Cantwell
Where can I hike in Cantwell?
The longest trail networks: Denali National Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Cantwell’s trails?
Denali National Park and Denali Wilderness don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Cantwell?
189,925 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Cantwell or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 21,217 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Cantwell neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →