You must see the Wrangell-St.
Elias National Park & Preserve to believe it. The largest U.S. national
park, it is 13.2 million acres in size. Four major mountain ranges (Wrangell,
Chugach, St. Elias, and Alaska) meet in the park. It includes 9 of the
16 highest peaks in the United States. Mount Wrangell is an active volcano,
which last erupted in 1900. With the adjourning Kluane National Park in
Canada, all these ranges form the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
& Preserve. North America's premier mountain wilderness, it was established
as a national park and preserve in 1980.
From the many glaciers of the park, there are meandering rivers and braided
streams, and the largest is the Copper River. Home to the famous Copper
River Red Salmon, it forms the park's western boundary. The Copper River
rises in the Wrangell Mountains and empties into the Gulf of Alaska.
While vast in size, there are only two unpaved roads which penetrate the
park's interior. They are the McCarthy Road and the Nabesna Road. The
McCarthy Road extends 61 miles from Chitina to the Kennicott River. It
is west of McCarthy, along the old Copper River and Northwestern Railroad
route (see McCarthy/Kennicott for history). The Nabesna Road is accessed
from Slana on the Tok Road Cutoff.
This is a park
for wilderness-oriented activities, such as:
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Sightseeing |
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Backpacking |
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Camping |
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Hiking |
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Fishing |
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Hunting |
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Photography |
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Ice Climbing |
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Glacier Hiking |
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Mountaineering |
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River Rafting |
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Kayaking |
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KENNICOTT &
McCARTHY
Copper was discovered in the Kennicott & McCarthy area in 1900.
It turned out to be one of the richest deposits of copper ore ever found.
With financial backing from men like the Guggenheim brothers, the copper
claims were bought and mining began. The next hurdle was to transport
the copper ore from the mines to Cordova, where it was shipped to Tacoma,
Washington. Railroad construction began in 1908 at Cordova and stretched
196 miles to the copper mines. This railroad bed is the same road you
travel on during your Backcountry Connection shuttle. Kennicott* processed more than 591,535 tons of copper ore and employed about 800
workers from 1911 to 1938.
 The town of Kennicott grew quickly with a hospital, store, grade
school, dental office, dairy, and bunkhouses were built for the mines'
operations. There were town dances, Christmas festivities, winter basketball
games, an ice-skating rink and tennis courts.
Kennicott was a "company town" with strict conduct rules. Just down the
hill, McCarthy grew into a miners' and railroaders' town. They
had restaurants, pool halls, saloons, newspapers, dress and photography
shops.
Today, the area
is a national historic landmark. The National Park Service purchased many
of the remaining structures, but several are still privately owned. At
present, the National Park Service is working to stabilize the site and
buildings are locked for visitor safety. However, tours into some of the
buildings are available through private guided services.
McCarthy and
Kennicott have about 35 year-round residents. Access to the area is via
a footbridge. There is another shuttle service available from McCarthy
to Kennicott, which are 5 miles apart. Lodging, restaurants, gift shops,
guided ice climbing, glacier treks, river rafting, air taxis, museum,
mine and mill buildings all await you at Kennicott & McCarthy.
*Kennecott: The mine is spelled "Kennecott"; the town is spelled "Kennicott".
CHITINA
Chitina had its beginning as a supply and railroad stop of the Copper
River & Northwestern Railway. Back in 1908, it was the primary town between
Cordova and Kennicott, during the days of the Kennecott Copper Mine. A
surveying engineer, Otto Nelson, owned much of the town in 1914. It consisted
of 5 hotels, a general store, movie theatre, several bars, restaurants
and dance halls. When the mine and railroad were abandoned in 1938, Chitina
became a ghost town; however, some of these buildings still exist.
Today, Chitina is best known for its subsistence fishing, from
dipnetting at O'Brien Creek to fishwheels near the Copper River Bridge.
Most of Chitina's current population relies on a subsistence lifestyle
that includes hunting, trapping, and fishing.
From Chitina to the Kennicott Footbridge, the gravel road meanders atop
the old railroad bed. Here spikes are still a visible hazard to vehicles
driving above 25 mph.
Backcountry
Connection, LLC
PO Box 65
Glennallen, AK 99588
907.822.5292
backcountryconnection@gmail.com
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