Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

Wrangell-St. Elias has an interior continental climate characterized by long, extremely cold winters, and warm, relatively dry summers.

No Fees.

One Day

Begin any park adventure by heading to the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Headquarters Visitor Center. This new facility is located along the Richardson Highway at mile 106 (10 miles south of Glennallen). View the park movie in the theater, enjoy the exhibits, stroll the short nature trail to a spectacular view of the Wrangell Mountains, check out the bookstore, and get oriented with the large 3-D interactive map display. Park rangers are on duty to help you discover the park and surrounding area.

For spectacular views, drive the Edgerton Highway to the historic town of Chitina (55 miles). Along the way, stretch your legs on the Liberty Falls Trail and enjoy a panorama of the park’s high peaks. After exploring Chitina, continue to the bridge over the mighty Copper River where in summer you can watch busy Alaskans harvesting salmon with traditional fishwheels and dipnets.

Three Days

With more time to spend, you can explore the major roads more thoroughly and still have time for some hiking. A drive along the Nabesna Road will take you to remote corners of the park with great camping, hiking, and wildlife viewing. A trip along the McCarthy Road allows for leisurely explorations of a rural Alaskan town, and the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark. An easy hike along the Root Glacier Trail brings you up close and personal with the area’s rich history, and the mighty river of ice. More strenuous hikes lead to the mountainside Bonanza and Jumbo Mines. Join a local guide/outfitter service for glacier hikes, mill building tours, river float trips, and even flightseeing excursions.

One Week

With a week or more to spend, the whole park is open to you. You will have time to enjoy all of the above, but also to visit more remote locations. The backcountry of Wrangell-St. Elias is some of the world’s most spectacular wilderness. A short flight on an air taxi from Glennallen, Chitina, Nabesna, or McCarthy can transport you into the heart of the park, where hiking and camping possibilities are virtually endless. Stop by any park visitor center to discuss potential trips with a park ranger.

A hiking trip in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve can be an exciting and rewarding wilderness experience if you are prepared for the difficulties and hazards of traveling through rugged, undeveloped land. Here, you will experience solitude, self-reliance, and unaltered nature to an extent seldom found elsewhere. Because there are very few maintained trails within the park, travel through dense brush, along steep scree slopes, and across fast and cold glacial streams and rivers should be expected. For most routes, map and compass reading skills are essential. Weather in these mountain ranges can vary to extremes in relatively short time periods. It is best to expect (and prepare for) almost any possibility with a variety of layerable clothing (polypropylene, wool or pile), raingear, and extra food. Summer snow storms may occur at elevations of 4,500 feet and above.

Wrangell-St. Elias is home to a tremendous array of fish resources. With hundreds of miles of streams draining into two of Alaska’s major river systems, the Park contains a diverse range of fish species as well as many abundant populations, including salmon populations that support large fisheries.

The Copper River and most of its tributaries are migration routes for Sockeye, Coho, And King Salmon. These fish transport large quantities of marine derived nutrients into otherwise nutrient poor systems. These marine derived nutrients support many of our aquatic ecosystems.

Small lakes and clear water tributaries contain Lake Trout, Dolly Varden, Burbot, Grayling, Cutthroat and Rainbow Trout, Sculpin, Suckers, And Whitefish. Some of the northernmost populations of Steelhead occur within the Park/Preserve.

An Alaska State fishing license is required for all anglers age 16 or older. Bag and possession limits vary by species and by area. Always check current fishing regulations.

Mountain biking opportunities are limited in Wrangell-St. Elias. Lack of maintained roads and rough, boggy conditions make riding difficult.

Both the McCarthy and Nabesna Roads are appropriate for mountain bikes. Both offer spectacular scenery. Bikers should be prepared for wet, muddy, dusty, uneven, and very rocky conditions.

Suggested routes along the McCarthy Road include the Kotsina Road and the Nugget Creek Trail. From McCarthy one can also ride to the ghost town of Kennecott and to the Nizina River.

Dry creek beds along the Nabesna Road suitable for mountain biking include Lost Creek and Trail Creek. There are also a number of trails in the Glennallen, Copper Center-Chitina area that you might also enjoy.

Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve contains approximately 13 million acres of public land in south-central Alaska. When the park and preserve were established by the U.S. Congress in 1980, certain forms of hunting and trapping were authorized for each type of area.

The National Park Service and the State of Alaska cooperatively manage the wildlife resources of the Park and Preserve. An Alaska State hunting license is required for all hunters age 16 or older. Bag and possession limits vary by species and by area. Always check current hunting regulations.

Sport hunting is only allowed within the national preserve and must be conducted in accordance with Alaska State Law. Subsistence hunting by local rural residents is authorized in both the park and preserve.

Access

Aircraft may be used in the park or preserve. However, aircraft are not permitted to support subsistence hunting or trapping in the park. Permits for the use of aircraft are not required.

Snow machines may be used when there is adequate snow cover. Motorboats, horses and dog-teams may also be used. Permits are not required.

Off-road vehicles (ORV), including all-terrain vehicles (ATV), may be used on established routes only. Sport hunters are required to obtain ORV permits at any Ranger Station or the Park Headquarters. Subsistence hunters are encouraged to obtain ORV permits and use only established routes.

Maps

Hunters and trappers using the park and preserve should be familiar with the park and preserve boundaries and regulations concerning the use of these areas. Maps can be obtained from the park upon request.

Hunting Guides

There are 17 registered hunting guides that are allowed to operate under permit within the preserve. Opportunities range from private fly-in lodging facilities and hunts to basic "spike" camp operations accessible by horseback.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve was established under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) in December 1980. In abidance with ANILCA, Wrangell-St. Elias provides reasonable and feasible access to inholders, subsistence, and recreational users in the park. The most common means of access is by ATV or all-terrain vehicle.

• ATV permits are required for all recreational users. ATV use is restricted to established ATV trails.
• ATV permits are encouraged but not required for all subsistence users. Subsistence users are those individuals who reside within a local resident zone community surrounding the park.
• To receive a permit, apply in person at the Slana Ranger Station or Park Headquarters.

Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge

Tetlin, located to the north of Wrangell-St. Elias, is one of the two most accessible Wildlife Refuges in Alaska (the other being Kenai National Wildlife Refuge). In this Refuge, visitors can view wetlands visited by migrating waterfowl, as well as the boreal forest and arctic tundra habitats for moose, caribou, bears, wolves and Dall Sheep

Valdez, AK

Looking for fishing, glaciers and waterfalls? Say no more, Valdez, Alaska, 112 miles south of the visitors’ center, can fulfill all these dreams. Whether it is whale spotting on a Prince William Sound cruise, or fishing from the shore, you can find it in Valdez.

Worthington Glacier State Park

Okay, so you got to Alaska and you saw a glacier, but how close were you? 300 yards, 1 mile, 10 miles? At Worthington Glacier State Park “hands on” will take on a new meaning as you put your hands on the glacier and stand right next to it.

Gulkana Wild & Scenic River

Only a quick car ride north from the visitors’ center and you will find yourself at the beautiful Gulkana River. There are a variety of river guides available that can take you salmon fishing, or just on a leisurely float down this pristine tributary before it joins the torrential Copper River.