Wrangell-St. Elias National Park: A 4-Day Alaska Itinerary

How 4 days in Wrangell-St. Elias split up

Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest national park in the United States: 13.2 million acres of eastern Alaska, bigger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Switzerland combined. It is a wilderness of towering volcanoes, vast icefields, and braided glacial rivers, with almost none of it reachable by road. The whole park is served by just two rough gravel roads and a scatter of bush-plane airstrips.

Anchorage to Chitina & the McCarthy Road to the footbridge

This is a big driving day. From Anchorage (ANC) it is roughly 7 to 8 hours to McCarthy, so start early. The pavement ends at Chitina, the last real services and your last reliable fuel and cell signal. Top off your tank, grab cash and snacks, and check your spare tire before you commit to the gravel.

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Drive from where are you driving from?~7 to 8 hr · remote · fuel up first · Drive

   This is a big driving day. From Anchorage (ANC) it is roughly 7 to 8 hours to McCarthy, so start early. The drive runs through Glennallen and on to Chitina, where the pavement ends. Download offline maps before you lose signal and bring everything you might need, because resupply gets minimal once you leave the highway.

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   Last services at ChitinaFuel, cash · last cell signal · Viewpoint

   Chitina is the last real services and your last reliable fuel and cell signal before the gravel. Top off your tank, grab cash and snacks, and check your spare tire and jack before you commit to the McCarthy Road. You can also catch a bush plane into McCarthy from here if you would rather skip the gravel.

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3. ⠿↑↓3
   The McCarthy Road~60 mi gravel · 2 to 3 hr · ends at footbridge · Drive

   From Chitina, the McCarthy Road runs about 60 miles of slow, rough gravel along an old railbed, crossing the Kuskulana River bridge and ending at a footbridge over the Kennicott River. It takes roughly 2 to 3 hours. Drive carefully over sharp gravel, and remember you cannot drive the last stretch into town.

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   Stay in McCarthy or KennecottLimited lodging · book far ahead · lodge

   Park at the end of the road, walk across the Kennicott River footbridge, and into the tiny town of McCarthy (or shuttle the last few miles up to Kennecott). Lodging here is limited and books up far ahead for the short summer season, so reserve early or base out in Copper Center and drive in.

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The Kennecott Mines ghost town & the Root Glacier Trail

Spend the morning at the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark, the deep-red, 14-story copper mill and ghost town that operated until 1938 and now sits perfectly preserved above the glacier. Wander the mill buildings, the power plant, and the old company town, and consider a guided tour to go inside the mill, which is otherwise off limits.

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Kennecott Mines Historic LandmarkRed copper-mill ghost town · guided mill tours · Viewpoint

   Spend the morning at the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark, the deep-red, 14-story copper mill and ghost town that operated until 1938 and now sits perfectly preserved above the glacier. Wander the mill buildings, the power plant, and the old company town. The mill interior is only open on a guided tour, so book one ahead.

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2. ⠿↑↓2
   Root Glacier Trail~4 to 6 mi RT · moderate · walk onto the ice · Hike

   Hike the Root Glacier Trail (about 4 to 6 miles round trip depending on how far you go) out from Kennecott to the edge of the Root Glacier, where you can walk right onto the ice. The trail traverses moraine and meadow with huge views of the surrounding peaks. Bring traction and warm layers, and stay off the ice if you are not equipped.

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   Second night in McCarthy or KennecottStay put for the big adventure day · lodge

   Stay a second night in McCarthy or Kennecott so you are right at the trailheads for tomorrow's big adventure day, whether that is a guided ice hike or the strenuous Bonanza Mine climb. Keeping the same base means no packing up and no driving the gravel between days.

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A guided ice hike or the strenuous Bonanza Mine Trail

Today is your big adventure day, and you have two great options. For the ice, book a guided ice hike on the Root Glacier: a local outfitter fits you with crampons and leads you out among the blue crevasses, moulins, and meltwater pools you cannot safely reach alone. It is the single best way to experience a living glacier up close.

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Guided ice hike on the Root GlacierCrampons provided · book ahead · activity

   Book a guided ice hike on the Root Glacier: a local outfitter fits you with crampons and leads you out among the blue crevasses, moulins, and meltwater pools you cannot safely reach alone. It is the single best way to experience a living glacier up close. Reserve ahead for the short summer season.

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   Bonanza Mine Trail (strenuous alternative)~9 mi RT · ~3,800 ft · do instead of ice hike · Hike

   The Bonanza Mine Trail (about 9 miles round trip, strenuous) is a relentless switchbacking climb of roughly 3,800 feet from Kennecott up to the abandoned Bonanza Mine in the alpine, with a jaw-dropping view back over the glaciers and Wrangell peaks. Do it instead of the ice hike, not on top of it. Start early, carry water, and watch for Dall sheep, bears, and moose.

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   Third night in McCarthy or KennecottStay put for an early flight slot · lodge

   Stay a third night so you can grab an early flightseeing slot tomorrow before the long drive out. An early flight gives you the best chance of clear weather and the flexibility to rebook if clouds roll in over the Wrangell volcanoes.

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Flightseeing the Wrangell volcanoes, then the road back out

Save the view of a lifetime for last. A bush-plane flightseeing tour out of McCarthy lifts you over the heart of the park: the Wrangell volcanoes, the immense Bagley Icefield, and a maze of glaciers and unnamed peaks you can only truly grasp from the air. With 13.2 million acres almost entirely roadless, this is how you see the real scale of the largest national park in the country. If you have a spare hour, the braided Kennicott and Nizina rivers are also a classic packrafting run for the experienced.

⠿Not the order you want? Drag a stop, or use the arrows beside it. Stops move between days too.

1. ⠿↑↓1
   Bush-plane flightseeing tourOver the Wrangell volcanoes & Bagley Icefield · activity

   Save the view of a lifetime for last. A bush-plane flightseeing tour out of McCarthy lifts you over the Wrangell volcanoes, the immense Bagley Icefield, and a maze of glaciers and unnamed peaks you can only truly grasp from the air. With 13.2 million acres almost entirely roadless, this is how you see the real scale of the largest national park in the country. It is weather-dependent, so book an early slot.

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2. ⠿↑↓2Christoph Strässler fr / CC BY-SA 2.0
   Packraft the Kennicott / Nizina rivers (optional)Braided glacial rivers · experienced paddlers · Viewpoint

   If you have a spare half day, the braided Kennicott and Nizina rivers are a classic Wrangell packrafting run. Glacial rivers are cold and swift, so this is for experienced paddlers or guided trips only. Otherwise, skip it and start the long drive back out with plenty of daylight.

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   Getting home: the road back to AnchorageMcCarthy Road to Chitina, then ~7 to 8 hr · Drive

   Walk back across the footbridge to your car and retrace the McCarthy Road to Chitina, then on toward Anchorage. It is a long day, roughly 7 to 8 hours total, so leave with daylight to spare, top off your fuel and cell signal at Chitina, and take the gravel slow on the way out.

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What we actually learned in Alaska's biggest park.