“You have to see Wrangell-St.Elias National Park and Preserve
to believe it -- and even then you are not too sure. The number and scale of
everything is so enormous. The total acreage makes this the largest U.S.
national park, the size of six Yellowstones.
Four major mountain ranges meet here, and includes 9 of the 16 highest peaks in
the United States. The high country is covered with snow year round, resulting
in extensive icefields and glaciers. The Bagley Icefield
is the largest subpolar icefield in North America. Together, Wrangell-St. Elias
and the adjoining Kluane National
Park in Canada form the premier mountain wilderness in North America. Although the vegetation may seem sparse,
especially in the interior, the park contains a variety of wildlife. Dall
sheep and mountain
goats patrol the craggy peaks. Herds of caribou
feed on the lichen and low woody plants around the Wrangells. Moose
browse in sloughs and bogs in the coastal lowlands and in brushy areas, which
also attract brown/grizzly
bears. Black
bears roam throughout the park. Many rivers, streams and lakes provide
spawning grounds for salmon and other fish. The Copper River drainage
and the Malaspina
forelands are major flyways for migratory birds and include prime nesting sites
for trumpeter swans.”
Hike into these mountains, float the
rivers, ski across the glaciers, fly over the area, and see geology in the
making. Amid the splendid isolation comes a feeling of discovery, a feeling
that you might be the first person to see such sights. Two roads lead into the
park, one from the west ending at McCarthy, and one from the
north, ending at Nabesna.
These are the main visitor jumping off points for hiking, flightseeing,
fishing, hunting, and other recreation.
Logistics: McCarthy (PAMX) is a roughly two hour flight from Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. It has a 3,500 foot gravel runway that may be suitable for some Cirrus pilots, and is somewhat along the coastal route to/from the continental US. See Section Two and Section Four.
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