Photo:
Diego Delso / CC BY-SA 4.0
Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest national park in the United States, more than 8.3 million acres, twice the size of Switzerland, and one of its least visited. It stacks six of Alaska’s ten highest peaks against the world’s largest non-polar icefields, then folds in gold-rush history at the Kennecott Mines and the frontier town of McCarthy. This is Alaska at its fullest scale, reached by one long gravel road or a bush plane.
The topography is staggering. The park holds the largest non-polar icefield on Earth alongside more than 1,500 glaciers, including the Malaspina, which spreads across 1,500 square miles like a frozen sea. Above the ice rise the Wrangell, St. Elias and Chugach ranges, while the Copper, Chitina and Tanana rivers carve fertile floodplains below. Active volcanoes and the haunting ruins of the Kennecott copper mines add geological and human drama.
The short summer runs late May through early September, with July and August offering the warmest weather, longest days and most reliable road access, prime time for hiking, rafting and exploring Kennecott. Spring brings melting snow and wildflowers with lingering snow up high; September delivers fall color, fewer insects and the first northern lights before temperatures drop and daylight shrinks fast.
Wrangell-St. Elias has no through roads. Most visitors either fly in by bush plane or drive the roughly 60-mile gravel McCarthy Road, which branches off near Chitina and ends near McCarthy and Kennecott; the Nabesna Road accesses the northern park. Both roads are rough, expect potholes and slow going, and beyond them, travel is by bush plane, helicopter, boat or on foot. Come self-reliant, because help can be hours or days away.
Hiking ranges from easy walks around the Kennecott Mines to multi-day backcountry treks, and the glaciers are best reached by guided tour, flightseeing or ice-trekking. Wildlife viewing is excellent, grizzlies, black bears, Dall sheep, moose, caribou and wolves, and history buffs can tour the remarkably preserved Kennecott Copper Mines National Historic Landmark. River rafting on the Chitina and Copper delivers whitewater thrills, and the dark, unpolluted skies are unforgettable.
This wilderness demands respect. Bears are common, so carry bear spray, store food properly and understand bear behavior. Weather turns fast, bringing fog, rain or even summer snow, so pack layers and waterproofs. Cell service is unreliable to absent, so carry a satellite communicator. Rivers run cold and powerful, wear a life jacket and never cross a swollen river alone, and always leave your itinerary and expected return time before heading into the backcountry.
This is not a park with amenities at every turn: no developed hookup campgrounds, no in-park restaurants, and limited cell service. Book flights, lodging and guided tours well ahead for July and August, bring cash for the many cash-only services in McCarthy and Chitina, and pack all your own food, water treatment and first aid. This page is a general overview, not a live conditions report; confirm current road and conditions with the National Park Service before your trip.
Set this declination on your compass, then align it to the map's north lines; it is the angle between true north and magnetic north, refreshed each year.
