Wrangell-St. Elias National Park And Preserve
In this 13-million-acre park, the collision of two continental plates has produced some of the world's highest coastal ranges. Forming a barrier along the Gulf of Alaska are the Chugach Mountains, and paralleling them to the north are the Wrangell Mountains.
Between these two ranges are the St. Elias Mountains, extending like the stem of the letter “Y” into Canada's Kluane National Park. Atop these towering peaks are ice fields so immense that they act as a natural cooling system, affecting areas as far south as Chicago and the Central Plains.
As imposing as its ice fields are, it was another commodity traded by the Ahtna Dene or “people of the Copper River” that caught the world's attention. These and other tribes forged tools of locally mined copper. The first person of European descent to verify the source of the copper trading was Lt. Henry Allen, who in 1885 explored much of Alaska's interior.
Fifteen years later two miners discovered the malachite cliffs above the Kennicott Glacier, which became one of the world's richest sources of copper. The subsequent founding of the Kennecott Mine became one of the most significant events in Alaska's history: The great wealth and development it spawned affected not only Alaska but the entire nation. Currently the ruined mine, a 14-story mill building and a few historic structures are all that remain of this immense enterprise, preserved as the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark. St. Elias Alpine Guides offers two-hour guided tours of the mill building daily at 9:30, 1:30 and 3:30 (also at 11:30, early July to mid-Aug.), late May to mid-Sept.; the cost is $28, $14 (ages 0-17). The Kennecott Visitor Center is open daily 9:30-6:30, Memorial Day-Labor Day; phone (907) 554-1105 for ranger-guided program information. Phone (907) 554-4445 for mill building tour information, or inquire in person at the visitor center.
Legacies of the Kennecott Mine and the Yukon gold fields are some of the area's roads, which provide limited access to the park. One of Alaska's oldest roadways is the Richardson Highway, which was completed in 1919 and was the first all-Alaska route to the Yukon gold fields. Both the Richardson and Glenn highways follow the curve of the park's western boundary and offer several spectacular views of 12,011-foot Mount Drum, 14,163-foot Mount Wrangell and 16,237-foot Mount Sanford.
Two other roads penetrate the park's interior—the Chitina-McCarthy and the Nabesna. Both of these gravel roads offer good views of the mountains and are convenient jumping-off places for hiking and river-running. The 60-mile McCarthy Road follows an abandoned railroad bed. Visitors should allow a minimum of 3 hours to drive between Chitina and McCarthy. Before using either of these routes, check with the ranger stations in Slana and Chitina.
The park's headquarters and visitor center, 3 miles north of Copper Center on Richardson Highway at Milepost 106.8, provides trip-planning assistance and information about park activities. Fishing, hiking, rafting and wildlife- viewing, especially of the park's large population of Dall sheep, are just some of the activities pursued in the park; phone (907) 822-7250.
On the southeastern edge of the park and accessible only by sea is Hubbard Glacier on Disenchantment Bay. In 1986 this vast, active tidewater glacier advanced so quickly that for several months it blocked the entrance to Russell Fjord behind a dam of ice, briefly turning it into a lake.
For more information write the Superintendent, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, P.O. Box 439, Copper Center, AK 99573; phone (907) 822-5234.