Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve is a US protected area in south central Alaska, established in 1980. It is included in an International Biosphere Reserve and is part of the Kluane/Wrangell–St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini-Alsek UNESCO World Heritage Site. It forms the largest US National Park with 13,175,799 acres (20,587.186 sq mi; 53,320.57 km2), that could encapsulate six Yellowstone National Parks, or the country Switzerland. The park includes a large portion of the Saint Elias Mountains, with most of the highest peaks in the United States and Canada, yet within 10 miles (16 km) of tidewater, one of the highest reliefs in the world. Sport hunting is permitted only in the preserve. 9,078,675 acres (3,674,009 ha) of the park are designated as the largest US wilderness.

Long, extremely cold winters and a short summer season. Plate tectonics uplifted the mountain ranges. The park's extreme high point is Mount St. Elias at 18,008 feet (5,489m). In the St. Elias Range Mount Churchill has erupted explosively within the past 2,000 years.

The park includes Malaspina Glacier, the largest piedmont glacier in North America, Hubbard Glacier, the longest tidewater glacier in Alaska, and Nabesna Glacier, the world's longest valley glacier. The Bagley Icefield covers much of the park's interior, which includes 60% of the permanently ice-covered terrain in Alaska.

The boomtown of Kennecott exploited one of the world's richest deposits of copper from 1903 to 1938, exposed by and in part incorporated into Kennicott Glacier. The abandoned mine buildings and mills compose a National Historic Landmark district.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrangell%E2%80%93St._Elias_National_Park_and_Preserve

McCarthy Road winds 60 miles deep into the park, originated in 1909 as a railway to support the Kennecott Copper Mines until 1938. In 1971 a new Copper River bridge was constructed and the rail bed was covered with gravel. Unpaved. Rough road conditions and potholes are common.

In places, remnants of railroad ties may surface along with the occasional spike. Under normal summer conditions most passenger vehicles can make the trip. The road ends at the Kennicott River, a half-mile short of McCarthy and five miles short of historic Kennecott.

This is a remote area with NO services. The last fuel is at Kenny Lake. nps.gov/wrst/planyourvisit/mccarthy-road-guide.htm

nps.gov/wrst/planyourvisit/mount-blackburn.htm

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Elevation 490 m

Weather

Thursday 9 October

10°C

-2°C

65 %

If you start your activity now...

Max wind speed: 6.0 km/h

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Location: Copper River Census Area, Alaska, United States

Mt Blackburn - McCarthy Rd, Wrangell/St Elias Natl Park, AK

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