Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The largest national park in the country is bigger than some states, with more glaciers and high peaks than anywhere else in the park system. Unlike most of Alaska's wild parks, you can drive into it, though only on two long gravel roads. At the end of the McCarthy Road waits Kennecott, a red-and-white copper mill town perched beside the Root Glacier. Past those roads, it is bush-plane country. Come for the glacier walks and mining history, and stay for the silence.
TRAILS
1 OF 5
Root Glacier Trail
Difficulty
Moderate
Length
4 mi
Elevation gain
Minimal
Kennecott — A mostly level walk from the Kennecott mill buildings out along the moraine to the edge of the Root Glacier, where you can step onto the ice itself. Views stretch up to Stairway Icefall and the high peaks above it. Keep going toward the Erie Mine for an 8-mile round trip. Bring ice spikes or crampons if you plan to walk on the glacier, or join a guided ice walk from Kennecott.
⚠︎ Glacier ice is slippery and meltwater is fast and very cold. Bears use the area.
Photo: National Park Service, Alaska Region, public domain, Wikimedia Commons
2 OF 5
Kennecott Mill Town Tour
Difficulty
Easy
Length
About 2 hr tour
Elevation gain
Many stairs
Kennecott — Kennecott was one of the richest copper mines in the world until it shut down in 1938, and much of the town still stands. Walk the main street on your own, then join a guided tour to climb through the 14-story concentration mill on catwalks and ladders past old machinery. It is the only way to see inside. Wear sturdy shoes; the stairs are steep and narrow.
⚠︎ Interior tours run in summer through the park concessioner and need a ticket.
Photo: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
3 OF 5
Bonanza Mine Trail
Difficulty
Strenuous
Length
9 mi
Elevation gain
3,800 ft
Kennecott — A relentless climb on an old mining road from Kennecott up to the ruins of the Bonanza Mine, perched high on a ridge. The reward is a huge view down onto the Root and Kennicott glaciers and the rusting mine buildings themselves. Most of the climb is exposed above treeline. Carry all your water, and start early to beat afternoon clouds.
⚠︎ Snow can linger on the upper trail into early summer. Stay out of the old mine structures.
Photo: Icewedge, public domain, Wikimedia Commons
4 OF 5
Skookum Volcano Trail
Difficulty
Hard
Length
5 mi
Elevation gain
2,800 ft
Nabesna Road — On the quiet north side of the park, this trail climbs a creek drainage through the eroded core of an old volcano to a high pass. The rocks are streaked with red, yellow and gray, and Dall sheep often watch from the slopes. It gives you big mountain country with almost no one else around. Get road and creek-crossing conditions at the Slana ranger station before driving out.
⚠︎ The trailhead is near the end of the gravel Nabesna Road, past stream crossings. No fuel in the park.
Photo: AlaskaNPS, public domain, Wikimedia Commons
5 OF 5
Glacier Flightseeing from McCarthy
Difficulty
Easy
Length
1–2 hr flight
Elevation gain
None
McCarthy — Most of this park can only be seen from the air, and a small-plane flight from McCarthy shows you how vast it is. Routes pass over icefields, mile-wide glaciers and peaks like Mount Blackburn. Some trips land on a remote gravel strip or glacier. Book a morning flight if you can; the air is often calmer.
⚠︎ Weather decides everything. Flights are often delayed or cancelled when clouds sit low.
Photo: Christoph Strässler from Oberdorf BL, Schweiz, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Plan your Wrangell–St. Elias trip
The Nova Bound app builds the whole trip around these trails: where to stay, where to charge, and what to see each day. Coming soon to the App Store.
Distances are round trip unless noted, from NPS.gov and rounded. Trails, permits and road openings change; always check nps.gov before you go. Trail write-ups by Nova Bound.