First Lady Vacations In Park

First Lady Laura Bush arrived in the park by train on July 23rd for a one-week vacation at a private inholder lodge in the Kantishna area. Her visit was managed by the park’s incident management team. Members of the park staff assisted Secret Service and White House personnel with communications, security and logistics. A small number of rangers from other parks in the region were detailed to Denali to maintain normal operations so that a portion of the park’s law enforcement staff could be assigned full-time to augment and assist the Secret Service details. During the week. Mrs. Bush and a small group of friends enjoyed daily hiking excursions throughout the park. On Friday, July 28th, she and her companions traveled to park headquarters to tour the Murie Science and Learning Center, a collaborative venture by Denali, seven other national parks, and several park partners. She later attended a luncheon hosted at the center and greeted park staff and the regional director.