Dragonfly Creek Denali Alaska

Dragonfly Creek – Denali Alaska

The Trek Details

The Trek in a snapshot

Location

Denali, Alaska

Managing Agency

Unknown

Pets

Allowed

Fees

None

Restrooms

None

Camping

Not allowed

Trail Condition

Easy to see trail. The trail skirts the creek, so just find the best path to the top of the waterfall. To get to the bottom of the waterfall, you will need to hike on the north side.

Sights

Waterfalls, rock climbing area, Nenana River overlook

Water Info

Bring a bottle of water if needed

Best Season

Summer, fall

Distance

About 1/4 mile roundtrip

Time Required

Less than 15 minutes

Parking Elevation

1560 ft

Summit Elevation

1507 ft

Elevation Difference

53 ft

Trek Planner Maps

Trail Map

GPS Coordinates

Trailhead: 63.794291°, -148.922082°
Dragonfly Waterfall: 63.794360°, -148.922561°

Experience. Discover. Explore.

The Trail

Follow along on our adventure then go out on your own!

Be a responsible explorer

Dragonfly Creek Denali Alaska

There is a nicely sized pull-out area just off the Parks Highway and you will need to go over the guard-rail at the north side to see the trail.  The dirt path to the actual creek is very short and you could easily see the waterfall in less than 10 minutes round trip.

I often see fireweed along this trail.



Dragonfly Creek

The creek then flows west and the trail follows the creek until the first waterfall.

Dragonfly Creek

Be careful around this area as it may be slippery and it is steep.   The waterfall is about 50+ feet and is more like a waterslide.  You can also get a great view of the railroad across the Nenana River and if you come at the right time you could spot trains going up and down the line.

Dragonfly Creek

Dragonfly Creek Waterfall
Dragonfly Creek Waterfall

Dragonfly Creek

Dragonfly Creek



Dragonfly Creek

Dragonfly Creek

You will probably notice a few climbing anchors.  I have rappelled to the bottom of Dragonfly Waterfall and it is quite fun.  I have also spoke with a few local climbers and they say it is  a poor area to climb as most of the rock is brittle and shale-like.

On the other hand, if you are an ice climber then this may be a great spot for you to try out.  The winter provides tons of ice to climb up.

Dragonfly Creek

If you do rappel or climb, please be safe and use all the proper gear – be cautious

I put some webbing around a good sized spruce tree nearby.  It was a fun rappel but it only goes down about 50 feet or so.

The trail to the bottom follows by this same spruce tree.

Dragonfly Creek

Dragonfly Creek

From here the trail cuts north and then winds down to the base of the waterfall.  Just take your time and you will be safe. (You can see my rope coming down the side of the rock)

Just below the main waterfall there are smaller falls which are pretty neat to see also.



Dragonfly Creek

Dragonfly Creek

Dragonfly Creek

Dragonfly Creek

This is a fun area to camp and have fires and otherwise enjoy the scenery.  If you follow the creek all the way down you will come to the Nenana River.  This river is a glacier fed river and is very silty.  I have found bear and moose tracks down here so please keep an eye out for these large animals.

Dragonfly Creek in Winter

I had the opportunity to visit Dragonfly Creek in March.  There was tons of snow and ice of course.  The waterfall had frozen over beautifully.

I noticed some ice climbers were recently here because I could see their marks in the ice.  Winter is an amazing time to visit here but just be careful so you don’t slip and fall over the edge.



Personal Thoughts

Personal Thoughts

Dragonfly Creek and Waterfall are a great place to visit if you have the extra time. While working in Denali I had the opportunity to visit here often. It was even more enjoyable with a campfire and food.

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