America's largest national park — a wilderness of giants you can drive into.
Photo: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park · CC BY-SA 2.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Wrangell–St. Elias is almost too big to picture: at 13.2 million acres it's the largest national park in the United States — bigger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, and all of Switzerland combined. Four mountain ranges collide here, throwing up some of the continent's highest peaks (Mount St. Elias, 18,008 feet) and the greatest concentration of glaciers in North America, plus an active volcano in Mount Wrangell. Yet unlike most of Alaska's parks, you can actually drive into this one.
Two long gravel roads pierce the wilderness. The famous one, the McCarthy Road, runs 60 rough miles to a footbridge near the old copper-mining ghost town of Kennecott — its 14-story red mill buildings now a restored National Historic Landmark — where you can hike right out onto the Root Glacier. The other, the remote Nabesna Road, reaches the park's lonelier northern flank. From either, bush planes lift off for flightseeing over icefields no road could ever reach.
It's free, but the logistics are the adventure. The McCarthy Road is slow, washboarded, built on an old railbed (spare-tire territory), and most rental companies forbid driving it — and it ends at a footbridge no car crosses; you walk or shuttle the last few miles. Plan on summer (late May to mid-September), fuel and stock up in Glennallen or Copper Center before the long drive in, and consider a guide for stepping onto the glacier ice.
The iconic 14-story red mill buildings of an early-1900s copper boomtown, now a restored National Historic Landmark high above the Kennicott Glacier.
Insider tipYou can walk among the exterior buildings on your own; the mill interior is accessible only on a guided tour — book ahead in summer.
Plan a trip to this spot →A moderate, mostly level walk from Kennecott right onto the ice — about 4 to 8 miles round trip, ending where you can step onto a living glacier.
Insider tipYou can reach the toe on your own, but crampons and a guide are strongly advised to actually walk out on the ice — guided glacier walks run daily in summer.
Plan a trip to this spot →A strenuous climb — roughly 9 miles round trip and nearly 4,000 feet of gain — to an old mine perched high above the valley, with vast Chugach and glacier panoramas.
Insider tipSave it for a clear day, start early, and carry plenty of water; it's a long, exposed haul.
Plan a trip to this spot →The trip's defining adventure — about 60 miles of narrow gravel on an old railbed to the Kennicott River footbridge, where the road simply ends.
Insider tipDrive slow (2–3 hours), treat it as spare-tire territory, and check your rental's gravel-road policy — most companies forbid it. No cars cross the footbridge; walk or shuttle the last few miles.
Plan a trip to this spot →The park's other, lonelier gravel access — 42 miles from Slana between the ranges, past Dall sheep country and the historic Nabesna Mine.
Insider tipFar fewer services than McCarthy, and some stream crossings can stop a low-clearance car — check conditions before you go.
Plan a trip to this spot →Bush-plane flights reveal the giants — Mount St. Elias, Mount Blackburn, the active Mount Wrangell, and icefields impossible to see from the road.
Insider tipBook ahead in peak summer; flight operators in McCarthy also offer backcountry drop-offs.
Plan a trip to this spot →Subarctic interior: short, cool summers — only June through August reach the 60s to low 70s, with nights still in the upper 30s — and very cold winters with sub-zero lows. The wettest stretch is mid-to-late summer into early fall, just when most visitors come, so pack rain gear. The visitor season runs roughly late May to mid-September; outside it, services close and the gravel roads aren't maintained.
Two long gravel roads, plus air taxis — and a footbridge where the road ends. Fuel and stock up before you commit.
About 60 miles of gravel from Chitina to the Kennicott River footbridge — roughly 8 hours total from Anchorage. Park at the bridge and walk or shuttle the last few miles to McCarthy and Kennecott.
The remote northern access — 42 miles of gravel from Slana on the Tok Cutoff, with far fewer services. Air taxis from McCarthy and Chitina can skip the gravel entirely.
Small, seasonal lodges and B&Bs at McCarthy/Kennecott, campgrounds along the road, and services on the way in.
Kennicott Glacier Lodge (the only lodge in historic Kennecott), plus McCarthy lodges and B&Bs like Ma Johnson's — all small and seasonal.
Booking tipBook well ahead for summer; these fill fast.
Private campgrounds along the McCarthy Road (some with showers and a small eatery) and riverside sites near the footbridge, plus dispersed backcountry camping in the park.
Booking tipBase Camp-style sites near the bridge are handy for an early start across.
The services hub on the way in (and the main park visitor center) — the last reliable fuel, groceries, and lodging before the long gravel push.
Booking tipFuel up and stock food here; services beyond are minimal and seasonal.
Is it free?
Yes — Wrangell–St. Elias has no entrance fee. Tours, shuttles, lodging, and flightseeing are paid private services.
What's the gravel-road reality?
The McCarthy Road is about 60 miles of slow gravel (2–3 hours) on an old railbed — soft edges, potholes, and the occasional spike, so carry a spare tire. Most rental companies forbid driving it, so check your contract. And it ends at a footbridge — no cars cross; you walk or shuttle the last few miles to McCarthy and Kennecott.
How do I see Kennecott and walk on a glacier?
From the footbridge, a shuttle or a walk gets you to Kennecott; the Root Glacier Trail leads from there right to the ice. You can reach the toe on your own, but crampons and a guide are strongly advised to walk out onto the glacier — guided walks run daily in summer.
It's huge and remote — what about fuel and supplies?
Get fuel, food, and cash in Glennallen or Copper Center before the McCarthy or Nabesna roads. Services beyond are minimal and seasonal, and cell coverage is unreliable.
When should I go?
Late May to mid-September. Summer is short and cool but also the wettest stretch, so pack rain gear. Outside that window the lodges and shuttles close and the roads aren't maintained.
What about flightseeing?
It's the best way to grasp the scale — bush-plane flights from McCarthy or Chitina reveal the high peaks and vast icefields no road reaches. Book ahead in peak summer.
Pick your vehicle, line up the stops on the way in and out, and carry the whole route in your pocket.
