The Northeast Fork lies just under, and to the south of, the large plateau which houses the 14,000-foot (4,300 m) camp on the standard West Buttress route of Denali.

The mouth of the Southeast Fork is the site of the seasonal airstrip and base camp for Denali at approximately the 7,000 foot elevation.

However, in actuality, the airstrip is generally located on the boundary or just north of the line, but the park service tends to overlook this fact.

[citation needed] It also serves as the base camp for climbers attempting routes on the west or north sides of the formidable Mount Hunter, which rises just south of the Southeast Fork, and on the east or southeast sides of Mount Foraker, which lies just across the main part of the glacier.

[1] Many other unnamed forks split off to the east from the main stream of the glacier in the region south of Mount Hunter, providing access to a complex of small but steep rock peaks, popular with climbers, known as Little Switzerland.