Denali National Park is the perfect place to come face to face with nature's extremes.   Its six million acres of awe-inspiring mountains, twisting glacial rivers, and sweeping tundra meadows play host to some of the North America's most magnificent species of wildlife, including Grizzly bears, moose, caribou, fox, and wolves.  It is in this setting that Denali Park Resorts operates a number of national park guest facilities including the famous McKinley Chalet Resort, Denali Park Hotel, McKinley Village Lodge, Lynx Creek Pizza Pub, Lynx Campground, Alaska Raft Adventures, Visitor's Transportation Service, Wildlife Tours, and the Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theater.  The McKinley Chalet Resort is a beautiful modern facility overlooking the Nenana River on the east boundary of the park.  The Denali Park Hotel is the bustling center for visitor activities in the park.  The McKinley Village Lodge is a smaller guest facility located seven miles south of the park's entrance.  Lynx Creek is a camping facility complete with a local pub boasting the best pizza in Alaska and a variety of regional and international beers.  Alaska Raft Adventures takes visitors down the glacially fed Nenana River.  Tour and Transportation take visitors to various facilities as well as into the depths of Denali via the 80 mile dirt road.  Cabin Nite Dinner Theater offers an all-you-can-eat meal combined with an Alaska based theater performance.

SPECIFICS:  Denali Park Resorts hires 850 seasonal summer and winter employees annually to operate its facilities throughout Denali National Park.   Positions are available in the following areas:  accounting (bookkeepers, cashiers, night auditors), bar (bartenders, cocktail servers), dining room (hosts, bus staff, wait staff), front desk (cashiers, receptionists, reservation clerks, security guards), gift shop (salespersons), grocery store (clerks, cashiers), housekeeping (room cleaners, porters), kitchen (cooks, dishwashers), stores (clerks), snack shops, pizza parlor and deli (cooks, counter staff, waitpersons), transportation (tour, shuttle and courtesy transportation drivers, bus mechanics, bus washers, desk staff), rafting (river guides), and dinner theater (actors and actresses).  Experience is preferred for most positions.  Specific wages are discussed during job interviews.  Note that all employees must be 18 years or older by May 15 of the year they are hired and must be either US citizens or have a valid work permit and social security card.  All employees are subject to background checks and drug testing.

INSIDER TIPS:  A positive attitude toward work is extremely important in landing a job here.  Be prepared to enjoy the rugged beauty and isolation of Denali.  Work here is hard, but staff usually love their positions and almost half return to work again the following summer.  The park is spectacular but, as with most of Alaska, rain and mosquitoes are a natural part of the summer.   Maturity is extremely important to management and should be stressed in any application.  Interviews are required for all positions and management conducts an annual interviewing trip that begins in February and continues through the first half of March.  Interviews are also held in Alaska from February through March.  If there are no interviews in your area, a telephone interview can usually be arranged.   A neat and well kept appearance is important to the company, so insiders suggest sending a photograph with your application if you are unable to interview in person.   All applicants must be able to stay through at least September 4 to be considered for a job.  With rare exception, employees must be available to start work by June 10, although a few positions open up as late as June 30.  Drivers must have commercial driving licenses with passenger and air brake endorsements. 

PERKS:  Living in America's spectacular last frontier is perhaps the ultimate perk.  Employee housing is provided at a nominal charge in rustic dorm style rooms with common baths.  Generally two or three staff share a room.  A meal plan is offered to employees for a nominal charge.

TO APPLY:  Applicants should write for an official application form and information package from Denali Park Resorts - 99, 241 W. Ship Creek Ave., Anchorage, AK  99501.  Tel. 907-272-9653.