Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Largest National Park In The United States
Wrangell-St. Elias Headquarters
Mile 106.8 Richardson Hwy
About 10 miles south of Glennallen
The park headquarters has numerous buildings including administrative offices, a visitor center and buildings with displays and walking trails. It has a very large parking lot that can accommodate large vehicles and public bathrooms with running water.
Visit Chitina, Kennicott and McCarthy
Southern Access Into The Park
Turn at Mile 82.5 Richardson Highway and drive to Chitina through Kenny Lake homestead farm country. The Edgerton Highway is about 20 miles south of Copper Center.
The historic towns of Chitina, McCarthy and Kennicott, by themselves, can be the highlight of a visit to Alaska. But they also offer access to unique wilderness experiences.
Flightsee In The Wrangell Mountains
You can take a sightseeing flight from the airports at Gulkana , Chitina, and McCarthy.
Gulkana Airport is 3 miles north of Glennallen. You can also fly into McCarthy Airport from Gulkana or Chitina.
The Wrangell Mountains have 12 peaks over 13,000 feet. Four peaks – Sanford, Drum, Wrangell and Blackburn – dominate the eastern skyline from Glennallen and further south at Willow Lake.
35% of the park is covered by glaciers with several huge icefields. These include the Bagley Ice Field which is 127 miles long and six miles wide. The Nabesna Glacier is the longest interior valley glacier in the world. The Malaspina Glacier is North America’s largest pedmont glacier. The Hubbard Glacier has a six-mile wide face that crashes into the Pacific Ocean.
Nabesna Road – Northern Access Into
Wrangell-St. Elias’ Time Machine
Turn at Mile 60 of the Tok Cutoff. There is a park visitor center right near the corner.
The Nabesna Road gives travelers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see how national parks were before they became crowded and developed. It offers a special chance to step back in time.