WELCOME to our BIGGEST NATIONAL PARK! Wrangell-St. Elias

Mile 7.2 on the Edgerton Highway, near Chitina

Copper River, Kennicott, McCarthy Road????? (OH MY?)

June 16 - June 18, 2016

So after making it off the Top of the World Highway our goal for the next 4 days was to get into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.  We stayed outside of Tok at a very nice, and our 1st, Alaska State Park.  We were one of 4 people in the ENTIRE park.  Nice sites, bad mosquitos.  ick.

 First stop was at the Visitor Center for the Park, located at Copper Center.  I’m beginning to understand the size of this National Park.  Bigger than Switzerland, 5 times the size of Yellowstone, and 9 of the highest mountains in North America (highest is Denali, which we will see in less than a week!!)  There are 2 roads in to the Park, we are entering via the McCarthy Road.  Apparently, this is going to be an adventure in itself.  We are dropping the airstream in Kenny Lake at a very nice campground.  There are 7 sites all nestled within the forest.  Living off the grid with our solar is working well.  We will take the truck with at least 2 spare tires for the trip.  This road is a 60 mile long gravel road - a journey into the backroads of the frontier wilderness of Alaska.  The road follows an old railroad bed.  The 60 miles will take 3 hours as the fastest one can travel is 35 mph.  Chances of having a flat are high as there are old railroad spikes laying around.  At the end of the McCarthy Road we park and take a footbridge across the Copper River into McCarthy (1 mile walk) and then walk to Kennecott (5 mile walk) from there we will attempt the 2 miles up to the Root Glacier. Kennecott is the sight of the old Railroad depot where travelers would arrive to mine for copper. It is also a Historical Landmark with many of the old buildings still standing. Bodie gets to come along!  Leashed and ready with Bear Spray we are up for this.  I think???  As I was doing laundry, an old local came up and gave me the BETTER BE PREPARED speech and there are other ways to see the park, etc, etc.  Oh he doesn’t know us very well.  

So tomorrow morning off we go into the wild Wrangell - St. Elias National Park.  Very few visitors get to see this big beauty.  We feel very lucky and hoping the weather will continue to cooperate as the views have been super special as we have traveled into this valley.  

June 18, 2016
"Two Roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both and be one traveler, long I stood.....and took the McCarthy Road!"  (well, some of Robert Frost and some of Me)

hmmmmmm????

What an absolutely great day we had.  The sign wasn't a good start???? But, we decided it was either flying in, taking a shuttle or just going for it.  We went for it.  Had our spare tires and our radios to communicate with each other. Everything was more than we expected! Before getting to the start of the road, we crossed the bridge and was able to see all the Inuits with their dip nets and fishing wheels (they are the only ones allowed to do this).

 The McCarthy road was crazy, took 2 hours to travel the road, but was stunning scenery and stopped lots to take pics (that was not included in the 2 hours of driving the 30 miles on the McCarthy).  We crossed a crazy wooden bridge that spanned a 285 ft gorge, wow.  Arrived at the end of the road and parked the trucks at a super cool glacier tour guide "shack."  The guy was super nice and walked the footbridge over to McCarthy.  Took the shuttle for $5 into Kennicutt.  Historical mining town in the middle of NOWHERE!

Kennicott, Alaska

 They even had a food truck that has been written up for their great food...indeed it was.  

Darn good food

Root Glacier

Bald Eagle - difficult to take pic

From Kennicutt we hiked 5 miles to the Root Glacier. Totally COOL day in every way.

Riding the little shuttle back to McCarthy we passed a Momma Bear and her cub.  They were in no hurry to leave the road, well at least the baby. We drove back and decided to stop at some random, out of the way, Coffee shack...Really in the middle of nowhere. Met the nicest couple that live at 3 mile lake on the McCarthy Road.  Not many neighbors, other than moose and bears.  They live here year round, coffee shop only open in the summer as the road is impassable.  Takes her 7 1/2 to go grocery shopping..she goes every 2 months.  Generators are their only source of power....use it for propane freezers, refrigerators, lights.  They were so cool and maybe in their early 30's??
This has been one of my highlights of the trip so far.....the people you meet.