Alert: Park contact stations (visitor centers and ranger stations) closed in winter October thru April.
National Park & Preserve
Wrangell - St Elias
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park contains a diversity of natural features. Landscapes unique to the North American continent are common here. NPS Photo/ Neal Herbert
Overview
Wrangell-St. Elias is a vast national park that rises from the ocean all the way up to 18,008 ft. At 13.2 million acres, the park is the same size as Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Switzerland combined! Within this wild landscape, people continue to live off the land as they have done for centuries. This rugged, beautiful land is filled with opportunities for adventure.
Sport fishing in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park offers many opportunities. Arctic grayling, dolly varden, lake trout, steelhead/rainbow trout, whitefish, sockeye salmon, coho salmon, and chinook salmon are widespread. Nothern Pike, cutthroat trout, chum salmon and pink salmon are also available in select areas. Local residents catch burbot, lake trout, rainbow trout, and whitefish through the ice in the winter.
Ghost towns were once thriving communities that have dwindled over the decades, often created by the search for gold, copper and other valuable minerals. Some vanished entirely after the boom or were absorbed into newer settlements, but many of these towns still stand today, allowing us a nostalgic glimpse into the past. These places are where people ventured into remote areas to find their mineral fortune and endured the hardships of wilderness, wildlife and weather.
Flights to remote areas with private air taxi companies can be expensive. Check the individual air taxi companies for tour availability and flight prices. https://www.nps.gov/wrst/planyourvisit/air-taxis-flight-seeing.htm
Pet FriendlyTime:6-8 Hours
Front country Hiking Trails
Free
Description
Hiking in Wrangell-St. Elias can be spectacular and we encourage you to go, but be prepared! Most of the front country hiking trails are maintained for the first few miles and then become routes into the backcountry, where route finding and navigational skills are highly recommended. There are hiking trails in the Copper Center area, on Nabesna Road and on McCarthy Road.
A backpacking trip in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve can be an exciting and rewarding experience if you are prepared for the difficulties of traveling through rugged, undeveloped land.
Webcam views from the Visitor Center at Park Headquarters in Copper Center, Kennecott Mill and Mt. Blackburn and Kennicott Glacier and the Chugach Range.
Explore with geologists and their helicopter pilot around Kennicott Glacier on an interactive website virtual tour to learn how National Park Service staff monitor changes in the size of the glacier! Check out the Terrestrial LiDAR Scanning Project with 3-D data collected which provides precise measurements needed for the Stabilization Project of the mill structures.
Glaciers loom over the ocean with large snowy mountains rising into blue skiesTwo backpackers sitting in an alpine meadow with snowy mountains in the backgroundHistoric, large, red buildings with mountains in the backgroundA large glacier with stripes of different colored rock nestled in between barren mountain slopes.Four large snow covered mountains rise above dense forest into blue skies.Copper Center Visitor CenterSlana Ranger StationChitina Ranger StationKennecott Visitor Center in the historic Blackburn SchoolYakutat coastal area
