My first stay here was Labor Day weekend, 2016. I arrived with no reservation but was able to…read moresecure a campsite with a great view of the glacier. It didn't have a picnic table as they were taken by all of those with reservations. Side note, that site does have a picnic table as of today. This year, I made sure to make a reservation 2 weeks in advance and I was extremely pleased by the large, private site provided to us. Great customer service as always. This is McCarthy, which is very remote, so understandably there isn't any trash service and you have to take your trash back home you with. No big deal. Make sure to keep your trash and food secured in your vehicle as not to attract squirrels and bears. (Especially the squirrels, they are quick little buggers and jumped in my SUV while I was setting up camp.) There is only one outhouse for the whole campground at the entrance which is slightly inconvenient. This is no frills camping which is how camping should be. Each site has a fire ring and flat surface for a tent, most have a picnic table. It's only $15 a night which is cheap. A short, 10-15 minute walk to the footbridge. It's wooded and private, which is important to me. I want to feel like I'm camping by in the woods by myself, not exposed with strangers. I plan to return here every year.

It really is difficult to write a Yelp review for the largest National Park in the entire National…read morePark System. To give it some perspective, Wrangell-St. Elias is SIX Yellowstones, it's huge... and it's great. While I haven't had the chance to go into the backcountry (yet), I have been to (I think) every Ranger Station and down both the Nabesna Road and the McCarthy Road. Ranger Stations - Slana Ranger Station, Copper Center Ranger Station, Chitina Ranger Station, and McCarthy/Kennecott Ranger Station. Apparently there's also a District Office in Yakutat that I haven't been to. Highlights for me definitely include the Slana Region of the park and the Nabesna Road. I have stayed at both the Viking Lodge Cabin and the Caribou Creek Cabin. I am borderline obsessed with these public use cabins and that they're available for people to reserve for such a non-existent fee. The Rambler Mine Trail is another favorite, so much so that I've done it twice. I still hope to go back someday to do the Skookum Volcano Trail... I find the differences between the park and preserve in this area of the park to be fascinating in addition to no hunting in the park but residents can subsidence hunt (I agree). I finally had the opportunity to drive down the McCarthy Road this past summer and loved it. Sure, it's crazy to drive over two hours down a 60-mile dirt road just to end at a footbridge but that was actually half the fun. Not so fun - the 268 foot bridge... scary! Kennecott/McCarthy are a bit more touristy but fascinating in their own right(s). I loved exploring 'downtown' McCarthy and seeing the history throughout these two areas. The Mill Town Tour and Glacier Tours were also highlights (reviews for those coming soon). Definitely stop at a Ranger Station before driving either of the roads to pick up the Audio CD for a self-guided tour of the roads... I loved them both. Wrangell-St. Elias is so diverse, so remote, so scenic, it's one of my all-time favorite parks and I highly, highly recommend it. Spend the extra money for a high clearance rental car!

I finally made it to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park! I have a lot to say and will use the entire…read morespace available to write so, here goes... There are 2 options for arriving here. You can drive the 60 mile gravel/dirt McCarthy Road (which can take up to 3 hours) or you can fly with an Alaskan Bush propeller plane and Wrangell Mountain Air. When first booking my plans, I was definitely driving McCarthy Road, no doubt about it. But then researching further into my travels, if you do drive rugged McCarthy Road, you are not permitted to take a rental car. For me, I was flying into Fairbanks, renting a car and then doing a circle around Denali, this Wrangell-St. Elias and finally Kenai Fjords...the 3 out of 8 parks that you can actually drive to. But...the rental car agency was specific about not taking their autos on McCarthy Road. Well, my conscious got the better of me. Also, I was scared if I did get a flat on McCarthy Road, who would rescue me? Especially when there's no cell phone reception either. So...at the last minute I had a change of heart and flew Wrangell Mountain Air. I'm grateful for Wrangell Mountain Air! The scenery along my round trip flights was fantastic! It was like a true sightseeing flight but I was being transported 30 minutes from the town of Chitina, Alaska to here in McCarthy/Kennicott. It was $330 round trip but a truly memorable experience! I highly recommend it. Simply book at wrangellmountainair.com. Now...there is 1 major highlight/tour you absolutely MUST DO. And that is taking a tour onto ROOT GLACIER. Unfortunately for myself, I had researched that you can go onto Root Glacier at your own accord so I figured why not take my time and do it myself? For me, a huge mistake! Why? Because you absolutely need crampons (spikes) on your shoes to climb Root Glacier. Without crampons, I was slipping and sliding. Trying to walk on Root Glacier was impossible! Plus...it's dangerous to go alone on Root Glacier. You need an experienced tour guide that offers crampons. Obviously I highly regret not doing a glacier tour. But...by the time I realized where I made a mistake it was too late. Grrr. I hope to return here to get an up close view of Root Glacier. It should be everyone's priority #1! Before I get into a few of the hikes and explorations, I'd like to give extra details... I visited back in late June of this 2021 summer and the mosquitos were unbearable! Seriously unbearable to the point where just trying to hike was torturous! I swear I'm being serious. Definitely try to visit later on in the summer. I was here for 3 nights and 4 days and it rained for 3.5 of the days! Ugh. How sad! So disappointed with Mother Nature. My hikes and explorations were dampened by the rain and cold. It just sucked and I was carrying around my vaccine card with me which got destroyed by the rain. My mistake again. I stayed at charming McCarthy Cabins 5 miles outside McCarthy/Kennicott. For $150 per night, it's the cheapest option for accommodations other than camping out. I recommend McCarthy Cabins and the owner, Denise, is friendly and accommodative. Eating... - For 2 nights I ate at The Potato, a casual all-American type restaurant. - One time I tried the Meatza Wagon, a food truck with some really innovative and creative options for sandwiches and fish tacos. I really liked this out of the ordinary food truck stand situated beside the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. Hiking... - Bonanza Mine and or Jumbo Mine Trails. Both very similar in lengths, elevations and covering similar terrains. They're both (give or take) 8.3 miles round trip gaining almost 4000 feet in elevation! I had read they're each scenic and worthwhile. I attempted both but because of the poor weather, rain, fog and snow still covering the trails, I never made it all the way to the top of either of them. That's was pretty disheartening not to make it to the apexes. Plus because of the fog, I was barely able to take any fulfilling photos. But...I can imagine both hikes being stunning during good weather. I wouldn't do both. I'd choose one or the other. I had Bonanza Mine sounding more scenic in my research. - Erie Mine Trail. I appreciated this hike as it took me along both Root and Kennicott Glaciers. It's 4 miles round trip but you can extend further to the Erie Mine tram cables for a total of 8 miles altogether. I will say that eventually this trail climbed along the cliff's edge, and with rain and snow I didn't want to chance going further so eventually after 2.5 miles I turned around and headed back towards the trailhead. Along the way the views of the glaciers were terrific! - The Toe of Root Glacier. This a good intro hike to the area where I casually walked towards the edge of a lake looking out upon Root Glacier set in the distance. Maybe this was 2 - 3 miles total round trip. The trailhead starts just outside McCarthy. Don't forget the historic Kennicott Mine Tour! Since there's no more room, I have to end here. Thank you.

A cool and rustic peace of history. A visit to Wrangell is not complete without a stop to…read moreKennecott. Shuttle service to and from McCarthy was frequent and accessible for a small fee. We only had a day to explore, but you can see the main points easily. If you want to fit some of the longer hikes, plan on a second day. We explored by ourselves although tours are offered (and it is the only way to visit the inside of the Kennecott Mill). However, doing a self-guided tour around Kennecott was more than enough. It was at the end of the season, so services were limited. I can't speak much about that, but the pit toilets were still pretty well-maintained. Just plan a day to visit.

A quick 10 minute drive from McCarthy, the Kennecott Mines are a great historical site to explore…read morewhen you're visiting McCarthy. It had such a rich history with so much to learn and explore. Unfortunately, we came after much of it was closed for the season, so we didn't get to go inside any of the buildings. But from what we could see from the outside and read on the plaques, this mining town was fascinating! While we didn't do it, they do offer paid tours of the 14-story mill. This sounds like it would be a fascinating tour. We ended our time here with a short hike up to the mill, across the waterfall, and down back to the shuttle stop. It was actually so beautiful and relaxing. A perfect way to end our time here. Hop onto one of the shuttle vans and head on over!

We have had two phenomenal days with St. Elias Alpine Guides! We rafted the Kennicott and Nizina…read moreRivers with Jeff and Stella. They were knowledgeable and fun! They made us a delicious lunch on a gravel bar half way through the trip. After we finished rafting, Wrangell Mountain Air picked us up and gave us a great 20 minute flight seeing tour of the rivers, glaciers and Kennecott and McCarthy. A wonderful way to spend a day! The next day, we had a wonderful tour of the Root Glacier and The Kennecott Mill with Michael. I've never had such an entertaining and well informed tour guide! We can't say enough great things about the fun we had in Wrangell St. Elias because of St. Elias Alpine Guides!

Here for the half day glacier hike tour. Our guide is Jake. Total 8 people in our group. Crampons,…read moregloves, sunglasses are required. Also, bring your own foods/snacks and water bottle! Today's goal is to look for a blue pool!!

My friend who has been backpacking for 50 years called this his Pinnacle trip. Exceeded…read moreexpectations. Wise and flexible planning. Professional. Felt like being on a different planet. The heavy bag our guide Michael rucked for days would have worn me out in the first 100 yards. Loads of gratitude to Jared, Michael, and those who support them.

Jared and Nick were amazing. My son and I had a once in lifetime experience. Jared set up a great…read moreitinerary. Nick our guide made our four days a memory I'll treasure forever. Nick took us on some amazing hikes, fed us well, talked and taught us about the Alaska flora and fauna. Nick helped this City guy have a great father son experience, feel comfortable for four days in the beautiful but rugged Wrangell-St Elias back country.