Denali National Park Construction workers told to Stop Flying American Flags

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The crew working on a 475-foot-long bridge in Alaska’s Denali National Park was recently told that they could no longer fly the American flag from their trucks or heavy equipment, which are being used in the $207 million Federal Highway Administration project.

The bridge is being built by Granite Construction after a 2021 rockslide took out a portion of the popular Denali Park Road that is used by visitors and tour buses to access more remote areas of the national park.

Since 2023, construction has been underway to repair the road at mile 45. This spring two mobile trucks and one piece of heavy equipment had been flying standard-sized U.S. flags.

One of the contractors working on the bridge reached out to the Alaska Watchman regarding the recent order that the flags be removed. He asked that his name not be used, given that he is actively working on the project.

According to the contractor, Denali National Park Superintendent Brooke Merrell contacted the man overseeing the federal highways project, claiming there had been complaints about the U.S. flags, and notifying him that bridge workers must stop flying the stars and strips from their vehicles because it detracts from the “park experience.”


Denali National Park Superintendent Brooke Merrell
“The trucks are flying these American flags, about a foot atop the trucks, about three-foot by four-foot flags, and they said they don’t want this,” the contractor explained. “They’re saying it isn’t conducive and it doesn’t fit the park experience.”

Up until this week, however, the flags were displayed without incident. It was only when the park began running tour buses that the order was given to take down the flags, he added.

“Here I am in a national park, and we’re being told we can’t fly the American flag,” the contractor continued. “I understand there are rules for contractors working in the national parks, but you wouldn’t think flying the American flag would be part of those rules.”

He blamed Superintendent Merrell, who took control of the park in 2022. At the time, she was celebrated as the first-ever female to serve as superintendent in 105-year-old park.

Merrell moved to Alaska in 2009 as a transportation planner and environmental coordinator. A Pennsylvania native, she received a master’s degree in urban planning. Prior to moving to Alaska, she worked for the City of Portland and the Gulf Islands National Seashore, along with left-leaning environmentalist and social justice groups such as DNA People’s Legal Services and Columbia Riverkeeper.

“When these liberals get in charge of these parks, that’s how it is,” the crewman said.

The Watchman reached out to Denali National Park for comment as to why workers were told to remove their flags, and to get clarification on whether the park has any policy against visitors flying American flags from their personal vehicles. There was no comment as of this publication.

The park does, however, fly the U.S. flag from several stations inside the park, and at the visitors’ center.

Additionally, the National Park Service actively promotes the flying of other flags, which many would consider controversial. In fact, the official website of the National Park Service has an entire page dedicated to honoring a whole host of LGBTQ+ flags, including pictures of them on display at national parks in the Lower-48.
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