Denali National Park Buses Going Hybrid?

Tests have begun to replace Denali National Park’s fleet of “noisy, carbon dioxide-spewing diesel” engine buses, as the AP puts it, with new hybrid vehicles. If they’re adopted, it would improve what’s already one of the most impressive outdoors experiences in the U.S. Except for a few days a year, visitors can only travel the Denali Park Road in one of the park’s 110 buses.

From the AP story:

One big problem with the diesel-engine buses—which drive an average of 1.2 million miles per year—is that they are noisy. They can be heard from afar in the park.

The hybrids are quiet.

“Can you imagine the thrill of moving slowly and silently past a bear nursing its cub or wolf hunting along the road?” said Elwood Lynn, assistant superintendent of operations for Denali.

I can imagine it. I’d like to experience it, too.

Related on World Hum:
* ‘Into the Wild’ McCandless Pilgrims Descending on Remote Bus

Photo by Unhindered by Talent, via Flickr (Creative Commons)

©2026 World Hum, All Rights Reserved