Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

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Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is the largest national park in the world — at 13.2 million acres, it is larger than the entire country of Switzerland, larger than the next three largest US national parks combined, and larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon put together six times over. Established in 1980 in southcentral Alaska, the park encompasses the convergence of four major mountain ranges: the Wrangell, St. Elias, Chugach, and Alaska ranges. Within these mountains are nine of the sixteen highest peaks in the United States, including Mount St. Elias at 18,008 feet — second only to Denali in the US. More than 100 glaciers cover the park, including the Malaspina Glacier, the largest piedmont glacier in North America, and the Bagley Icefield, the largest non-polar icefield in North America. In this landscape of almost incomprehensible scale, the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark stands as a singular human artifact — an abandoned copper mining town frozen in 1938 when the ore ran out, its red mill buildings preserved at the end of a 60-mile dirt road through the wilderness as a ghost town of extraordinary historical and architectural significance. For most visitors, simply getting to Wrangell-St. Elias is an achievement — and the park rewards that effort with total wilderness immersion that is increasingly rare anywhere on Earth.

The Kennecott Mines and the town of McCarthy are the primary destination for most visitors and are reached by driving the 60-mile unpaved McCarthy Road from Chitina — a rutted, potholed track that rewards patience with stunning mountain and glacier views. From McCarthy, a footbridge crosses the Kennicott River to the Kennecott Mill Town, where guided tours of the National Historic Landmark explore the copper processing facilities, mining history, and the compelling story of the workers who lived here. Root Glacier Trail (4 miles round trip from Kennecott) walks across moraine to the edge of Root Glacier, where guided glacier trekking and ice climbing are offered by St. Elias Alpine Guides. The Bonanza Mine Trail (9 miles round trip, 4,000-foot gain) is a strenuous hike to a ridgetop with sweeping views of glaciers and peaks — one of the best day hikes in Alaska. Flightseeing by small plane from McCarthy or Chitina reveals the true scale of the landscape, including Wrangell volcanoes, the Bagley Icefield, and the Malaspina Glacier. Backcountry expeditions — glacier traverses, peak climbing, river float trips — are the park's ultimate offering for experienced adventurers. The Nabesna Road (42 miles unpaved) in the park's north provides access to a completely different, more remote landscape.

Wrangell-St. Elias supports all of Alaska's iconic wildlife across its vast acreage. Grizzly bears and black bears are both present throughout the park, with grizzlies commonly spotted on tundra hillsides above McCarthy in late summer feeding on berries. Dall sheep — pure white mountain sheep — inhabit the rocky ridges and are frequently visible from the McCarthy Road and the Bonanza Mine Trail. Moose browse willow thickets along rivers throughout the park. Caribou herds migrate through the park's northern sections. Wolves travel in packs across the park's huge wilderness. Bald and golden eagles nest throughout the area. Mountain goats cling to near-vertical cliff faces in the coastal ranges.

The park has no entrance fee and no entrance stations. The McCarthy Road from Chitina is the primary access route and requires a high-clearance vehicle; tire punctures from old railroad spikes are a genuine concern — carry two spares. The road is open year-round but travel is significantly easier in summer (June–September). McCarthy and Kennecott have limited lodging — the Kennecott Glacier Lodge and a few small guesthouses in McCarthy — book months in advance. No cell service exists along the McCarthy Road or in McCarthy; download offline maps. The nearest large town with full services is Glennallen, about 80 miles west of Chitina.

The park is in southcentral Alaska. The most common approach is to fly into Anchorage (ANC) and drive the Glenn Highway east to Glennallen, then south on the Edgerton Highway to Chitina, and east on the McCarthy Road to the park — about 5 to 6 hours from Anchorage to McCarthy. Small planes fly regularly from Chitina to McCarthy for those who prefer to avoid the road. A second access point is the Nabesna Road, reached via Tok, for the park's northern sections. No ferry or public transit reaches the park.

The McCarthy Road is notorious for flat tires — the old railroad bed contains metal spikes that routinely puncture tires. Carry two spare tires and a jack, and check tire pressure before departure. Reserve lodging in McCarthy and Kennecott as early as January for summer visits — options are extremely limited and sell out completely. Mosquitoes from late June through July are intense; bring a head net and DEET. Weather in the mountains can change with alarming speed; always carry extra food, warm layers, and emergency gear in the backcountry. Guided glacier treks are worth every penny for inexperienced visitors — crevasse navigation without experience is genuinely dangerous.