Mind Expanding, Heart Warming, "Secret" Alaskan Paradise
Written: Jun 11 '03
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Pros: Beautiful enough to make you weep.
Cons: Difficult accessibility by virtue of the parks vast wilderness.
The Bottom Line: I've traveled extensively, and I love this park. My only hesitation in recommending it whole heartily is that part of me wants to keep it as secret as possible.
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| glengreen's Full Review: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve |
"Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does Nature, because in her inventions, nothing is lacking and nothing is superfluous."
- Leonardo da Vinci
Overview
Wrangle Saint Elias "the mountain kingdom of North America" is a vast wilderness of ice fields, day-glow blue glaciers, thundering rivers, sprawling forests, and includes three mountain ranges: the Wrangles, the Chugach and the Elias.
Moose, eagles, grizzly bears, marmots, salmon and other wildlife thrive within the park.
A handful of superlatives only hint at Wrangle's greatness:
With over 13 million acres, Wrangle Saint Elias is the nation’s largest national park. Wrangle is six times the size of Yellowstone National Park. In fact, Wrangle Saint Elias is larger than Switzerland, and has higher mountains.
The park contains 18,008' Mt. St. Elias, the second highest peak in North America, and is home to nine of the America's 16 tallest mountains. These mountains spawn more than 2,000 glaciers, and house fantastic ice fields including the Bagley Icefield, the largest on the continent. Bigger than Rhode Island, the Malaspina glacier which flows from the Bagley Icefield is the largest piedmont glacier in the world.
For all of Wrangle's vastness and wonder, in 2002 this overlooked park saw a mere 40,352 visitors; compared to Denali which had 1,170,371 visitors.
(source: http://www2.nature.nps.gov/mpur/index.cfm )
But these statistics pale to the beauty of the park, which is beyond me to describe with justice.
If you love nature, and like to get off the beaten trail, you owe yourself a visit.
Access
I've visited the park on two occasions now, most recently I took my family for six days in August of 2002. My prior visit was some ten years earlier with a group of three friends. Within that time Wrangle has evolved and begun to become slightly more accessible.
For all of Wrangle Saint Elias' remote wilderness, the park is only a days drive from Anchorage, although if you have the time, consider staying in Copper Center on the outskirts of the park, and then make a leisurely day of the 75 mile drive to the interior. The sites along the way are wondrous and deserving of your time, and the rugged road (a former rail bed) can destroy tires of vehicles that go too fast. As you drive into the park, take a detour down to the Copper River, watch the 'fish wheels' and talk to the fishermen (and women).
Four wheel drive vehicles are not critical for the drive, but they are helpful. Please note however, that many rental companies policies don't allow for their vehicles to be driven on the unpaved McCarthy Road. (I won't tell if you won't tell, but be sure that the vehicle doesn't have GPS tracking). Be certain that your car has a spare tire, and jack since the old rail bed is riddled with railroad spikes that destroy tires on a regular basis. I also recommend making a spare care key since you don't want to accidentally lock yourself out of your car in these wilds. If you are bringing more than one vehicle take along good walkie-talkies. ("We just saw a moose on the right hand side, slow down and look.")
If you feel like skipping the driving, and don't mind spending between $400 and $1,000 you can fly into McCarthy from Anchorage on a small plane with either 'Wrangle Mountain Air' or 'Elias Air Taxi'. The price range is due to scheduled flights being cheaper than charter. Flights are also available from nearby Glennallen, and Valdez at different rates.
Load up on provisions before make your way to Chitina - the parks gateway. This tiny collection of old collapsing houses has two grocers, one is a trailer, the other a collection of mostly empty shelves in an old house, both have limited, but expensive goods. Fill up on gas at the Chitina trailer/grocer/gas station, it is your last chance for fuel.
The parks human heart: On my first visit the town of McCarthy was reachable only by a human powered tram hung thirty feet over a gray, cold glacier river. One depended on strangers to pull you across the river on the small cable car. If no one was there, you waited.
Sadly, a large, metal walkway now makes the journey a short walk past the parking, diminishing the adventure. I fear that soon enough the walkway will be replaced with a bridge for vehicles. But for now, McCarthy and the old copper mine of Kennicott keep their frontier feel.
All electricity in these two communities are provided by generators. The handful of rag-tag vehicles are drug into town after the river freezes. The limited outside phone communication is though satellite phones. Mail is delivered by airplane.
Lodging
Given the isolation, the facilities of both McCarthy and Kennicott are good. McCarthy is home to 'Ma Johnson's Hotel', and 'The McCarthy Lodge' (both owned by the same people.) Within and near McCarthy are cabins and bunk houses that can be rented including the simple, yet endearingly rustic 'Swift Creek Cabins'.
Kennicott has only one offering, but it is a grand one: 'The Kennicott Lodge'. This old, historic lodge sits on the edge of a ghost town with a commanding view of the Root and Kennicott glaciers. If you have the capitol, and are only going to stay in one place while in the park, this should be your choice.
The three lodges/hotels in between McCarthy have their own charms and feature decor dating back to the hey-day of the copper mining era.
Prices vary, depending on the type of room you get, but expect to pay between $100 for a one room cabin with outhouse to $200 for a private hotel room. Make reservations ahead of time, since options are slim in the area unless you are prepared to camp.
Helpful lodging links:
http://www.mccarthylodge.com/
http://www.swiftcreekalaska.com/
http://www.kennicottlodge.com/
http://www.nps.gov/wrst/cabins.htm
Dining
McCarthy features a tiny selection of eateries including a snack bar/espresso stand ('The Potato), a pizzeria, and 'The New Golden Saloon'. Kennicott offers family style dinning within the lodge. All of the restaurants food is tasty, but Kennicott's dinner offerings are hearty and particularly pleasing after a day on a glacier.
Again, the isolation of these restaurants results in more expensive food, but your only option is to bring your own. Expect to pay about $10 for breakfast, $12 for lunch, and $30 for dinner.
Camping
Backpacking and camping options are rather ironic. On one hand, back country permits are not required, and you can pitch your tent on any public property in the area. While on the other hand, trails options are limited (or not apparent to the casual visitor). The parks wilderness can be rather impenetrable, and may require bushwhacking and glacier crossings. Such endeavors should be taken seriously, and planned for accordingly.
Still, one can sample the outdoors through day hikes or overnight backpacking along the trail bordering the Root Glacier. Start your hike from the ghost town of Kennicott, and enjoy ever improving views of the ice falls. Since my first trip to the area bear-boxes have been installed, and ready-made campsites marked.
Take the bears seriously, fresh bear scat is regularly found on the trail, and encounters do happen. On my first visit we were lucky enough to see a grizzly sow and her two cubs a quarter mile up the talus foot of a nearby mountain.
Activities
I highly recommend taking advantage of the ice climbing, or glacier hikes that are available from at least two different guide services in the immediate area.
The first time I visited the park, we used the St. Elias Alpine guides service. It was the end of the season and we were taken by the company's leader. We certainly had an enjoyable time, but by a small margin my recommendation goes to Kennicott Wilderness Guides because they are staffed by locals, and more importantly, because each climb is private regardless of the number of people in your group.
Rafting, biking, hiking, fishing, Kennicott mine and park airplane tours are also all available in or near the park.
Helpful ice climbing links:
http://www.steliasguides.com/
http://www.kennicottguides.com
In Closing
Wrangle Saint Elias is a testament to our park service, and a wonder to behold. In a week one can only scratch the surface. Major camping and climbing trip planning is required to delve deeper into the wild.
The locals are incredibly friendly, and humorously enough their dogs seem to be well behaved, equal partners in the community. Take time to talk to the one group, and play with the other (your choice).
My family and friends ranging from my thirteen year old niece, to my seventy year old parents were all moved by the majesty of the park.
Visit, and let your mind forget computers, cell phones, and honking car horns. Let yourself slow down. Likely, you will be a better person for your visit.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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Epinions.com ID:
glengreen
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Member: Glen Green
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 2 members
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