Recreation Battle of the Lands: Denali wins Readers voted in our bracket-style tournament to crown the West's best public lands on which to recreate.

High Country News readers have voted Denali National Park & Preserve as the winner in our battle of the lands for best outdoor recreation. It was a close call between Denali and Canyonlands National Park, but Denali won by just six votes.

Thanks for voting! For those of you who voted, stay tuned for the drawing for a free national parks pass.





Winner by random drawing (see rules in fine print below) will receive a National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass to help get you to more of those beautiful places.

Ask a Westerner what makes our corner of the world special and you’ll get an array of answers: the resourceful people, the bountiful wildlife, the nutty politics. Sooner or later, though, you’re bound to hear about public lands. There are over half a billion glorious acres of federally managed land in the West, and the recreation opportunities are equally vast: Hiking, camping, climbing, biking, hunting, fishing, rafting, kayaking, snowmobiling, skiing, four-wheeling. If you can dream it, you can find a patch of public land on which to attempt it.

Of course, the only thing Westerners love as much as recreating on public lands is arguing about ‘em. Should there be mountain bikes in wilderness areas? Kayaks in Yellowstone? ATVs near archaeological sites? And, most of all, who should call the shots about how they’re used? On the West’s public lands, there are no easy answers.

FIRST BATTLE ROUND MAY 28 - 30

SECOND BATTLE ROUND MAY 31 - JUNE 2

THIRD BATTLE ROUND JUNE 3 - 5

FOURTH BATTLE ROUND JUNE 6 - 9

FIFTH AND FINAL BATTLE ROUND JUNE 10 - 12

Bracket graphic created by Gretchen King, via Woobox.

RULES

The following rules apply to the drawing associated with this tournament

HCN will hold a drawing for one pass to over 2,000 National Park and Wildlife Refuges in the United States.

Eligibility

All contest entries made to HCN in response to the HCN Battle of the Lands tournament are included in the drawings. The drawings are open to legal residents of the 50 states of the U.S., the District of Columbia, and Canada. This contest is sponsored by HCN. Employees, board members and advisory committee members of HCN, its affiliates, advertising and production agencies related to its contest, and their respective household members are not eligible. HCN volunteers may enter if they are not included in the above names categories. All federal, state and local laws and regulations apply. Void where prohibited or restricted by law.

How to Enter

No purchase or contribution is necessary. You may enter this contest on this page or via Facebook Entry must include email address. No other method of entry will be accepted. Contest begins on May 28 and ends June 12, 2015. All drawings will be held June 13, 2015. Limit one entry per household, incomplete entries are void.

Selection of Winner(s)

Winner(s) will be selected in a random drawing from among all eligible entries received by the deadline dates above. Prize drawing will be conducted by HCN. Drawing will be conducted on June 13, 2015. Winner(s) will be notified by telephone and/or e-mail within 24 hours of drawing. Every reasonable attempt will be made to award prize. If after every reasonable effort has been exerted (three (3) attempts over 60 days) to award the prize but the potential winner(s) cannot be reached after 60 days from first notification attempt, or the potential winner(s) has refused to accept the prize, or if entrant is found to be ineligible, or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, the prize will be forfeited and an alternate winner awarded.

Taxes are the responsibility of the winner.

Odds of Winning

Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible entries received. Entry constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) to use winners’ names, hometowns and likenesses for publicity purposes without additional compensation. Winners will be notified by telephone and/or email.

Prizes

One (1) drawing will be held. All prizes are non-transferable. Results of the drawing are final -- there are no substitutions or exchanges or cash redemptions allowed. All taxes on the prize, including but not limited to federal, state and local income and sales taxes, and any expense not covered herein (including but not limited to expenses related to the use of the prize) are the responsibility of the winners.

Prizes to be given away: One pass (one per each winner) to any National Park or Federal Recreation area within the United States.

Other Important Points

Prize drawing participants, by entering, release HCN, its employees, and its agents from any liability with respect to the receipt or use of any awarded prize. HCN makes no and disclaims all warranties, guarantees or representations, express or implied, concerning the condition, quality, or merchantability of any prize.

HCN assumes no responsibility for any property loss, damage, or personal injury resulting from any prize won.

HCN reserves the right to cancel this contest and not award any prize in the event that in its judgment unforeseen developments warrant cancellation.

Sweepstakes are void where prohibited.