Visited National Parks Map

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve is the largest unit of the U.S. National Park System, a 13.2-million-acre Alaska landscape that rises from ocean coast to 18,008-foot Mount St. Elias. NPS describes it as comparable in size to Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Switzerland combined. The park includes the Wrangell and St. Elias ranges, enormous glaciers, active and dormant volcanoes, temperate rainforest, tundra, rivers, wildlife habitat, subsistence landscapes, and the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark.

First-time visitors usually choose one of three approaches: the Copper Center visitor center and roadside viewpoints, the McCarthy Road/Kennecott corridor for mining history and glacier access, or the Nabesna Road for remote mountain scenery. Adventurous travelers can add flightseeing, backpacking, river trips, public-use cabins, mountaineering, glacier hikes with guides, or coastal Yakutat trips. The park is best for experienced independent travelers, photographers, backpackers, geology fans, Alaska road-trippers, and history buffs interested in Kennecott's early-1900s copper operation.

NPS lists Wrangell-St. Elias as fee-free, with no entrance gate on Nabesna Road or McCarthy Road and no annual park passes sold by the park. The Copper Center visitor-center gate is day-use only and closes at 5 p.m.; visitor centers are generally summer operations, with winter closures listed for October through April. Parking, camping, shuttle, ferry, and private transportation fees may apply through permitted businesses, including private overnight parking and camping near the Kennicott River Bridge west of McCarthy.

A roadside sampler can take a day, but two to four days are better for Kennecott, McCarthy, flightseeing, and short hikes; backcountry trips require serious Alaska preparation. Summer brings long days but also heavy rain, stream crossings, mosquitoes, rough gravel, and road damage; fall, winter, and spring can bring deep snow and infrequent plowing. Carry a full-size spare, emergency gear, food, layers, bear-safety knowledge, and current road reports. Nearby pairings include Valdez, Glennallen, Chitina, Tok, Yakutat, and the Alaska Highway or Richardson Highway.

Visitor Tip: Treat McCarthy Road and Nabesna Road as remote Alaska travel, not ordinary scenic drives. Check road conditions, fuel range, tire condition, shuttle options, and Kennecott access before leaving the Richardson or Tok Cut-Off highways.

• NPS verified size, elevation range, Kennecott, glaciers, visitor centers, roads, backcountry-safety topics, no entrance fee, cashless policy, road/weather caveats, and June 2026 page currency.
• Travel Alaska and independent references verified largest-national-park context, limited access, flightseeing/backcountry emphasis, McCarthy/Kennecott and Nabesna planning, and gateway travel logistics.