BIGGEST OF THE BIG WRANGELL ST. ELIAS NATIONAL PARK AND KENNECOTT MINES
Visitors to McCarthy and the Kenecott copper mine site can walk and haul gear across the Kennicott River using a footbridge that replaced a tram system. PHOTO BY ERIK HILL
By B A I L E Y B E R G
W
rangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is big. Really big. At 13.2 million acres, it’s the largest national park in the United States and covers roughly the same area as the next two biggest national parks combined (Denali and Gates of the Arctic, also in Alaska). It’s difficult not to talk about the area in superlatives, as that sheer amount of acreage holds a lot: four major mountain ranges; the second-and third-highest peaks on the continent; nine of the 16 highest peaks in the U.S.; incredibly diverse wildlife; and the nation’s largest glacial system. For true adventure seekers and wilderness lovers, the park acts as a kind of El Dorado, a place rife with opportunities to play — from backpacking, fishing and camping to raft ing, hiking and climbing — and see the wilderness in all its glory.
HOW TO GET THERE Only two roads, both dirt, lead into the park: McCarthy Road and Nabesna Road. Of the two, the 60-mile-long McCarthy Road is the one far more traveled. You’ll know when the Edgerton Highway merges with McCarthy Road in Chitina because it will go from pavement to dirt road atop what was once a railroad track. It’s slow going, with blind corners and potholes, but the scenery makes up for it: spectacular views of distant mountains, the Copper River raging below and the impressive Kuskulana River Bridge, which spans a vertigo-inducing gorge. The road ends at the Kennicott River; from there, you cross the river on a footbridge and can either shuttle or walk the half-mile to McCarthy or 4.5 miles to Kennicott. 22
ALASKA —
VISITORS’ GUIDE • 2022
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