Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park & Preserve
Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park & Preserve
Copper Center, AK 99573
Phone:907-822-5234
Fax:907-822-7216
Web: www.nps.gov/wrst/
Size: 8,323,148 acres (park) and 4,852,753 acres (preserve).
Established: Proclaimed as Wrangell-Saint Elias National Monument on December 1, 1978; established as a national park and preserve on December 2, 1980. Wilderness designated on December 2, 1980. Designated a World Heritage Site on October 24, 1979.
Location:In southeastern Alaska. Park can be reached from Anchorage via Glenn Hwy. (AK 1). At Glennallen, Glenn Hwy. meets the Richardson Hwy., skirting the park's western boundary en route to the coastal city of Valdez. The Tok Cutoff coming south from the Alaska Hwy. borders the park's northwestern corner. From these highways, two unpaved roads penetrate the park. The Chitina-McCarthy Rd. extends 61 miles from Chitina to the Kennicott River, just west of McCarthy. The northern park area is reached via the Nabesna Rd., which extends 45 miles from Slana to Nabesna. A short flight on an air taxi from Glennallen, Chitina, Nabesna, or McCarthy can transport you into the heart of the park.
Facilities:Campground, lodging, boat rental, visitor center, ranger stations. Limited federal facilities.
Activities:Camping, hiking, horseback riding, mountain climbing, boating, kayaking, rafting, fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, cross-country skiing.
Special Features:The Chugach, Wrangell, and Saint Elias mountain ranges converge here in what is often referred to as the "mountain kingdom of North America." The largest unit of the National Park System and a day's drive east of Anchorage, the park-preserve includes the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and the greatest collection of peaks above 16,000 feet, including Mount Saint Elias. At 18,008 feet, it is the second highest peak in the United States. Adjacent to Canada's Kluane National Park, the site is characterized by its remote mountains, valleys, and wild rivers, all rich in their concentrations of wildlife.
See other parks in Alaska.
Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park & Preserve
Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park & Preserve
Copper Center, AK 99573
Phone:907-822-5234
Fax:907-822-7216
Web: www.nps.gov/wrst/
Size: 8,323,148 acres (park) and 4,852,753 acres (preserve).
Established: Proclaimed as Wrangell-Saint Elias National Monument on December 1, 1978; established as a national park and preserve on December 2, 1980. Wilderness designated on December 2, 1980. Designated a World Heritage Site on October 24, 1979.
Location:In southeastern Alaska. Park can be reached from Anchorage via Glenn Hwy. (AK 1). At Glennallen, Glenn Hwy. meets the Richardson Hwy., skirting the park's western boundary en route to the coastal city of Valdez. The Tok Cutoff coming south from the Alaska Hwy. borders the park's northwestern corner. From these highways, two unpaved roads penetrate the park. The Chitina-McCarthy Rd. extends 61 miles from Chitina to the Kennicott River, just west of McCarthy. The northern park area is reached via the Nabesna Rd., which extends 45 miles from Slana to Nabesna. A short flight on an air taxi from Glennallen, Chitina, Nabesna, or McCarthy can transport you into the heart of the park.
Facilities:Campground, lodging, boat rental, visitor center, ranger stations. Limited federal facilities.
Activities:Camping, hiking, horseback riding, mountain climbing, boating, kayaking, rafting, fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing, cross-country skiing.
Special Features:The Chugach, Wrangell, and Saint Elias mountain ranges converge here in what is often referred to as the "mountain kingdom of North America." The largest unit of the National Park System and a day's drive east of Anchorage, the park-preserve includes the continent's largest assemblage of glaciers and the greatest collection of peaks above 16,000 feet, including Mount Saint Elias. At 18,008 feet, it is the second highest peak in the United States. Adjacent to Canada's Kluane National Park, the site is characterized by its remote mountains, valleys, and wild rivers, all rich in their concentrations of wildlife.
See other parks in Alaska.