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You have to see Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve to believe it - and even then you are not too sure. The number and scale of everything is so enormous. The total acreage makes this the largest U.S. national park, the size of six Yellowstones. Four major mountain ranges meet here, and includes 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the United States. The high country is covered with snow year round, resulting in extensive icefields and glaciers. The Bagley Icefield is the largest subpolar icefield in North America. Together, Wrangell - St. Elias and the adjoining Kluane National Park in Canada form the premier mountain wilderness in North America.
Although the vegetation may seem sparse, especially in the interior, the park contains a variety of wildlife. Dall sheep and mountain goats patrol the craggy peaks. Herds of caribou feed on the lichen and low woody plants around the Wrangells. Moose browse in sloughs and bogs in the coastal lowlands and in brushy areas, which also attract brown / grizzly bears. Black bears roam throughout the park. Many rivers, streams and lakes provide spawning grounds for salmon and other fish. The Copper River drainage and the Malaspina forelands are major flyways for migratory birds and include prime nesting sites for trumpeter swans.
Hike into these mountains, float the rivers, ski across the glaciers, fly over the area, and see geology in the making. Amid the splendid isolation comes a feeling of discovery, a feeling that you might be the first person to see such sights. Two roads lead into the park, one from the west ending at McCarthy, and one from the north, ending at Nabesna. These are the main visitor jumping off points for hiking, flightseeing, fishing, hunting, and other recreation.
The Nabesna Road takes you back in time, to an era when settlements were far apart and the land beckoned to be discovered. The road, built in the gold fever of 1934, takes you past spectacular mountain scenery and ends 42 miles into the park near the old Nabesna gold mine.
Begin your journey by stopping at the Slana Ranger Station, mile .5 for information on current conditions. Sometimes the road may be impassable due to high water. The ranger station offers park and local area information, maps, books, and exhibits. A short slide and video presentation describing the Nabesna road is also available. The Ranger Station is a fun place to stop, have lunch and chat with local rangers.
The Nabesna Road offers access to lowland tundra, home to moose, caribou, wolves and bear. The clear water creeks and lakes are teaming with waterfowl and fish. The picturesque highlands of the Mentasta and Wrangell Mountains offer opportunities to spot Dall sheep. On a clear day, you can see the steam plume rising from the active volcanic crater of Mt. Wrangell. Activities such as hiking, fishing, bicycling, flying, and hunting are possible. Rustic campsites exist in many places along the road and four pullouts have picnic tables.
Backcountry access by off-road vehicles on specific established trails is allowed with a permit, which can be obtained from the ranger station. Visitor services are very limited. Four lodges located between Mile 6 and Mile 42 offer food and lodging. No gas or vehicle service is available. Please respect private property located in many places along the road including the Nabesna Mine. No trash cans are provided, please carry out all your refuse.
The Nabesna country is unspoiled and beautiful. Robert Service describes this country best: "Have you wandered in the wilderness..., Let us journey to a lonely land I know. There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us, And the Wild is calling, calling...let us go."
The 60-mile McCarthy Road follows an abandoned railroad grade for much of the way from Chitina to McCarthy. Allow a minimum of three hours one-way. Be prepared for flat tires (carry at least one spare and a jack). The road is narrow in places and can be dusty, washboarded or muddy and slick depending on weather conditions.
Several private campgrounds are located along the road. Additionally, camping is allowed at pull-outs within the right-of-way. Tire repair is available in several locations, but no gas is sold along the road. Lodging, meals, gifts, guided rafting, hiking and glacier trips, and flightseeing and backcountry charter flights are available in Kennicott and McCarthy.
Current access across the Kennicott River is by hand-operated tram only. Note that much of the land along the McCarthy Road and in the McCarthy Kennicott area is privately-owned. Please respect the privacy of these areas.
The Kennicott River trams are the principle means of summer access to McCarthy and Kennicott for people and supplies. They were constructed in 1983 by local residents with financial help from the State of Alaska. If you see any problems or repairs that need attention, please report these to the museum, one of the lodges or the shuttle bus driver.
Cooperation among passengers makes the tram rides much more pleasant. It is far easier to sit in the tram car and have someone pull from either end than it is to sit in the car and propel yourself. If waiting passengers pull you across, please return the favor by helping pull the next passengers across.
Don't pull too fast or ram the car against the tram platforms. Slow down as the car approaches a platform and let the passengers signal a stop.
If you wish to use a tram and find the car standing idle on the opposite side, pull on the upper rope to bring it across the to you.
Brackets on the outside of the tram cars, originally installed to transport sheets of ply wood, are a good place to hang rucksacks and bicycles. Tie on odds and ends of gear with safety straps and hold on to small children!
Please don't overload the trams. They are not designed to carry heavy weights. ATV's and motorcycles are strictly prohibited, for experience has shown they cause the most damage to the trams.
Beyond all that, Wrangell - St. Elias contains a variety of Alaskan wildlife and old mining sites indicative of mineral developments early in this century. The Kennecott Mining Co. transported copper from its mines near McCarthy by railroad along the Chitina and Copper rivers to ships at Cordova. The copper-rich ore extracted from these highly productive mines between 1911 and 1938 lured many people to the area. During the same period, gold was extracted from the Nabesna and Chisana (pronounced Shushana) areas as well. Visitors can see some of the remnants of the railroad and the mining area, including the Kennecott milltown, which has been designated a National Historic Landmark. Please note that the town of Kennecott and the 3000 acres surrounding is private property. Please do not enter any of the buildings or camp in this area. The town of McCarthy is situated on private lands. Public restrooms and camping areas are not available.
Located at the base of the St. Elias Mountains, the city of Yakutat (population 500) is a Tlingit settlement on the Gulf of Alaska. Commercial fishing and logging are the primary sources of income for most residents, though wood products, outdoor recreation, and government also play important roles in the local economy. Yakutat is approximately 200 air miles northwest of Juneau, 190 air miles southeast of Cordova and 300 air miles southeast of Anchorage. The National Park Service maintains a District Ranger Station which serves both Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
National Park Service
Yakutat District Office
P.O. Box 137
Yakutat, AK. 99689
Phone: 907-784-3295
A wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts come here to hike the beaches, float the rivers, explore the bays, view glaciers, climb mountains and enjoy the wilderness. Each season has its advantages and disadvantages. Numerous storms usually accompanied by high winds occur during the spring, fall and winter. June has the lowest average precipitation of any month with around five inches. October has the heaviest monthly rainfall with around 20 inches.
During the summer the weather occasionally remains cloudless and delightful for days at a time. The average summer temperature is 53° F.
The spring bird migration begins in April. Hundreds of swans, thousands of gulls, geese and sea ducks can be observed. The main wave of bird migrations passes through the last week of April and the first week of May. Grey and humpback whales can also be observed migrating off the coast. Spring is a time when steelhead trout are found in many streams, mountain goats are close to sea level, the snow is melting, and the lush coastal greenery begins to make its comeback.
Summer is typified by meadows of wildflowers in bloom, twenty hours of daylight, huge concentrations of Aleutian and Arctic Terns along the coast, hundreds of harbor seals on icebergs and in front of tidewater glaciers, salmonberries and strawberries for the picking, and mosquitoes.
In the fall, thousands of salmon spawn in the many rivers and streams, drawing hundreds of foraging gulls, eagles, ravens, magpies, and brown bears. The fall bird migration begins in September, bringing thousands of sandhill cranes, Canada geese, snow geese, whistling swans and waterfowl through the Malaspina/Yakutat/Dry Bay Forelands. Fall is also a peak time for sport fishing and hunting.
Winter is a quiet time. Waterfowl retreat from the coast to sheltered locations. Hundreds of Stellar sea lions haul out at wintering sites along the coast. Wolf, moose and other animal tracks are readily visible in the snow. The daylight hours shorten to seven per day, and on clear nights the aurora sweeps across the starry skies.
Information provided by the National Park Service
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