Alaska's parks
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Mountains, mines and glaciers are key to the largest national park
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From Valdez: North 82 miles on the Richardson Highway to the Chitina turnoff; 34 miles east to Chitina and 62 miles more to McCarthy.
From the Alaska Highway: South on the Tok Cut-off (Highway 1) to Slana, 66 miles, to a ranger station and the road to Nabesna, or keep going 70 miles to Glennallen (see above).
Visitors who drive the McCarthy Road have to stop at the river. A footbridge leads a quarter-mile or so to McCarthy.
The National Park Service suggests a speed of about 20 mph on the McCarthy Road because of its roughness, soft shoulders and old rail spikes that work their way to the surface of the road, which follows an old railroad grade. Tire repair service is available at the end of the road. Many car rental agencies declare the road off-limits; check with yours for restrictions.
From Anchorage, round-trip fares for a planeload of five passengers with baggage works out to a little over $300 apiece. Air taxis may also be hired in Gulkana, near Glennallen. Flights may be arranged to Yakutat for people who want to approach Malaspina and Hubbard glaciers.
Eating / Lodging
Public camping is allowed just about anywhere in the park except on the many private and Native corporation lands. (Adventurers should get permission before crossing or using those lands.) A developed campground sits at the end of the road, and there is a backpackers' campground up the Root Glacier from Kennicott.
Lodging and dining are available in McCarthy, as well as at the Kennicott Lodge in Kennicott.
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