This Is the Largest National Park in the U.S.—with 13 Million Acres of Mountains, Glaciers, and Ghost Towns

• Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is the largest national park in the United States. 
• Here, you can camp on Root Glacier, visit abandoned mines, and hike through the wilderness. 
• Summer is the best time to visit, with pleasant weather and wildflower blooms. 

Overnighting on a glacier is not your average camping trip—then again, Wrangell-St. Elias is not your average national park. That’s a fact I learned quickly on my June 2024 visit.

I traveled to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska for the chance to enjoy summer solstice and the park’s around-the-clock midnight sun from a scenic sheet of ice. The excursion is one of many, many adventures you can have in the country’s largest national park.

Wrangell-St. Elias’ amalgam of sprawling glaciers, snowy peaks, and isolated boreal forests is roughly six times as big as Yellowstone. It lies over 200 miles northeast of Anchorage, near the Yukon territory border. Like many of the world’s grandest outdoor destinations, it takes a tiny bush plane or pot-holed road trip to reach the park’s treks and trails.

You have a few options for visiting Wrangell-St. Elias. In the north’s Nabesna District, there’s the less-trodden Nabesna Road, a rugged 42-mile route that leads to trails, campgrounds, and a remote wilderness lodge.

The southern and most-visited stretch that I visited, the Kennecott District, has two main areas. Kennecott offers a mix of ghost-town dwellings, historic attractions, and trails. The town of McCarthy, where I bookended my Root Glacier camping trip, looks straight out of the Old West. Stay here for quaint hotels, inventive restaurants, and a general store—not to mention Wrangell-St. Elias’ signature seclusion.

“Even in the heart of McCarthy and the historic Kennecott, that sense of remoteness lingers,” said wilderness guide Tessa Hill, who led my camping trip on the Root Glacier. “Gaze north and you’ll be met by two huge glaciers on the horizon, with the world’s second-largest icefall tumbling into view. It’s a place where nature’s raw power and beauty stop you in your tracks. Spectacular doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

She’s right. This panoramic wonder is something you have to see to comprehend, and in this guide to visiting Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, you’ll find all the intel you need to plan the perfect trip.

How to Get There

The Wrangell-St. Elias Visitor Center is roughly 200 miles northeast from Anchorage or 250 miles south driving from Fairbanks. The highway between the cities and parks is your average roadway, with gas stations, restaurants, and the like.

After the visitor center, located on Highway 4, Wrangell-St. Elias adventures turn wilder. If you’re heading to the Kennecott District, you can drive the 60-mile gravel McCarthy Road from Chitina—but be ready for low visibility, poor road conditions, and plenty of potholes. Alternatively, you can fly into McCarthy from Chitina via backcountry bush plane service like Wrangell Mountain Air.

To reach the lesser-known Nabesna Distict, drive the 42-mile dirt Nabesna Road from the town of Slana on the park’s northern fringes. You can also explore more of the backcountry with a flight into the May Creek or Chisana airstrips.

If you’re aiming to visit the extremely remote Yakutat District, located along a bay in the park’s southeast corner, either take a boat or fly in from Seattle or Juneau on Alaska Airlines.

Know Before You Go

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve covers 13.2 million acres. That means you can’t see everything, or even close to everything, in one visit. I recommend choosing one district or one specific long-distance adventure, then promising yourself you’ll come back. (I’ve visited once, and it’s already on my list to return to.) If you’re going into the backcountry, it’s also wise to hire a guide to help with navigation, local history, and wildlife safety.

Speaking of wildlife, Wrangell-St. Elias lies in the heart of bear country. Stay bear aware, and make sure to read up all on the local animal recommendations and rules, including using bear-resistant food containers, keeping your distance, and reporting any encounters with the bruins. (Read more on what to do if you encounter a bear on the NPS website.)

If you’re visiting in the summer, be ready for mosquitoes—and a lot of them. I was surrounded by at least a dozen pretty much constantly, although they did ease up once we got out on the ice. Bring bug spray, consider a mosquito head net, and wear lighter colors like khaki and white to dodge them. They’re at their worst from late June through July.

Before you leave for the park, download the free NPS app and save the Wrangell-St. Elias park section for offline use. That way you have access to maps, attractions, and logistical information in areas without cell service.

Best Time to Visit

The park is open year-round, but summer, from around mid-May to mid-September, sees the highest visitation. During this period, most services and facilities are open. Hill says late July into early August is her favorite time in the park.

“The crowds begin to thin out, giving you a more intimate experience with the park’s vast wilderness,” she says. “Mosquitoes—depending on the year—start to ease up, and the landscapes remain every bit as breathtaking. It’s the sweet spot where summer is still in full swing, but you get a little more solitude to soak it all in.”

During summer visits, from roughly early May to late August, you can experience the midnight sun. The park stays light at all hours, with the longest day on summer solstice. True night returns in late August, so a September trip to Wrangell-St. Elias could give you the chance to see the northern lights.

The park’s roads remain open during the winter; if you visit then, make sure you have proper cold-weather gear and expect bad road conditions. Those up for the adventure will have the park largely to themselves, with opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and winter hiking.

Best Things to Do

Go backpacking.

Wrangell-St. Elias is a backpacker’s paradise with topographical treats at every turn, from colossal glaciers to thick, wildflower-dotted woodlands. Some of the most popular backpacking routes off of McCarthy Road include the alpine Dixie Pass, which overlooks Mt. Blackburn, and the Nugget Creek Trail, which ends at a public-use cabin (reservation required). For an even more intrepid backpacking trip, fly in and out of the backcountry. Options include the Goat Trail traverse or Solo Creek to Chisana—both are around 25 miles and require expert backcountry skills. For beginner to intermediate backpackers, consider a guiding service, such as St. Elias Alpine Guides, to safely adventure through the wilderness.

Camp on Root Glacier.

If you’re tight on time but want a taste of the Wrangell-St. Elias backcountry, try camping on Root Glacier like I did last June. The two-day trip covers around 10 to 15 miles, depending on how far you hike out to camp. You’ll start from Kennecott on a forested dirt trail before reaching the ice; from here, it’s time for crampons before setting off across the ivory expanse. Hiring a guide is important for this trip, as Hill helped me navigate around the ice’s hidden dangers, like moulins.

Tour the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark.

A visit to the Kennecott Mine provides a glimpse into early 20th-century copper mining history. It takes around two hours to visit the Kennecott Mine, and St. Elias Alpine Guides is the exclusive concessionaire. On a tour, you can see the 14-story mill and learn what it was like to live and work here.

Go ice climbing.

Ice ascents are another great way to soak up Root Glacier’s splendor, says Hill. “You’ll hike out to the glacier, where you can scale blue ice walls and even descend into dramatic moulins (vertical shafts carved by meltwater),” she says. This adventure, run through outfitters like Kennicott Wilderness Guides, takes a full day.

Try rafting.

Another one of Hill’s favorite backcountry adventures is rafting. “You start on the Kennecott River and float down two different waterways, taking in epic views along the way,” she says, noting outfitter St. Elias Alpine Guides offers this trip. “The guides not only navigate the rapids with ease but also whip up a riverside meal. To top it all off? You’ll be picked up by a bush plane for a scenic flight over the McCarthy-Kennecott valley—the kind of grand finale you won’t forget.”

Go flightseeing.

It’s hard to grasp the scale of Wrangell-St. Elias on land. That’s why a flightseeing tour above peaks, glaciers, and iceberg lakes is a must-do for any visitor. Wrangell Mountain Air offers flights, such as a 50-minute Mile High Cliff tour, where the pilot explains park geology and points out highlights like Mt. Blackburn or the cliff-perched Erie Mine. Longer flights, such as the 90-minute Bagley–University Range Tour, take you even deeper into the park.

Best Hikes

Root Glacier/Erie Mine Trail

There’s a reason I’ve mentioned Root Glacier multiple times in this Wrangell-St. Elias guide: It’s the most reachable glacier in the park, and it’s a scenic one at that. The Root Glacier and Erie Mine Trail from Kennecott is a great way to enjoy it by day. The route is four miles round-trip if you’re just hiking to the glacier, or eight miles in total if you’re heading to the Erie Mine’s tram cables. It’s an easy to moderate jaunt, with views across the ice and out toward Mt. Blackburn.

Bonanza Mine Trail

The Bonanza Mine Trail is another Kennecott-area adventure. It totals nine miles round-trip, starting from Kennecott Mill Town. The journey is difficult, with 3,800 feet of elevation gain, but the views of the Chugach Mountains and Mt. Blackburn are well worth the lactic acid—as is reaching your mountaintop turnaround point, the abandoned Bonanza Mine. This is another one of Hill’s favorite Wrangell-St. Elias adventures. Her advice? “Along the way, keep your eyes peeled; you’ll likely spot chunks of copper-rich rock among the scree,” she says. “It’s a hands-on hike through history, geology, and breathtaking scenery all in one.”

Caribou Creek Trail

The six-mile Caribou Creek Trail is an easy to moderate amble, with scenic vistas and colorful wildflowers adding cheer to your journey. It’s located at mile 19.5 on the Nabesna Road in the park’s northern stretch. Keep your eyes on the trail for wolf, bear, or moose tracks while you trek.

Trail Creek Trail

Another Nabesna Road go-to is the Trail Creek Trail, a six-mile one-way route that includes creek hiking, tundra ascents, and potential sheep sightings. The alpine route, which typically takes around eight to 10 hours out-and-back, begins at mile 29.8.

Iceberg Lake

Hill also recommends a fly-in hike to Iceberg Lake from McCarthy, available through St. Elias Alpine Guides. “After a short 2.5-mile trek through pristine wilderness, you arrive at a massive glacially-fed lake where the glacier itself occasionally calves with a thunderous crash,” she says. “For those craving more, we can continue past the lake to hidden sand dunes, cascading waterfalls, and even more glaciers tucked into the folds of the mountains.”

Places to Stay

Ma Johnson’s Hotel

Ma Johnson’s Hotel takes you back in time through McCarthy history. It’s a restored boarding house from the 1920s with 20 rooms decked in artifacts from McCarthy and Kennecott. Guest bathrooms here are shared.

Ultima Thule Lodge

If you’re seeking remoteness with a capital R, book Ultima Thule Lodge, an accommodation deep in the wilderness of Wrangell-St. Elias. The lodge, reachable via tiny flight from McCarthy, lies on a glacier river. Its five spacious cabins overlook snowy peaks and flower-freckled hillsides, and its owners, the Claus family, offer adventures like hiking, sandbar picnics, and fly-out excursions.

Wrangell Mountains Wilderness Lodge & Cabins

Go off-grid in Wrangell-St. Elias’ less-visited Nabesna District at Wrangell Mountains Wilderness Lodge & Cabins. The property is located at mile 28 on the Nabesna Road. It has nine cabins and yurts flanked by tranquil forests. The property also prioritizes sustainability, with solar panels, a windmill, and an on-site greenhouse.

Kendesnii Campground

While you can enjoy primitive camping on a backpacking adventure, the park also offers a developed campground at mile 27.8 of Nabesna Road. Kendesnii Campground, the only NPS campground in the park, has 10 tree-shaded campsites, plus lakefront picnic tables, fire rings, bathrooms, and trails.

Where to Eat

Salmon & Bear Restaurant

You may not expect to find fine dining in Alaska’s far-flung wilderness, but the Salmon & Bear Restaurant—winner of two Wine Spectator Awards of Excellence—puts upscale food and drink within easy reach. The McCarthy haunt has 10 tables, with a rotating and delectable menu that includes kimchi fried rice, wagyu sirloin steaks, and sockeye salmon. The chefs work with local ingredients, such as Copper River red salmon, as much as possible. Reservations are recommended.

The Potato

For tasty post-trail comfort food in McCarthy, head to local favorite The Potato. The restaurant is lauded for its crispy fries—don’t miss the hand-cut rosemary garlic curly fries—and serves up a variety of fresh-made fare like a chicken fajita pita, cheesesteak, salmon roll, and lentil falafel.

Tok Thai

Pair your stop at the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve Visitor Center with a quick bite at Tok Thai. This cash-only roadside restaurant serves everything from spring rolls to noodles, including pad Thai, with picnic benches to dine alfresco before heading into the Alaskan wilderness.