Hiking

Experience the park on foot to gain perspective on its awe-inspiring scale.

Plan Around Hiking

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Hiking Details

Exploring Wrangell St. Elias on foot will give you an incredible perspective of just how massive and unrelenting the landscape here is. The challenges presented by rocky riverbeds, dense vegetation, steep slopes, and dynamic glaciers are both exhausting and inspiring. Many of the day hikes in and around the park follow established trails for the first few miles and then become routes (not signed or maintained). There are four major areas of the park and its surroundings where hiking is most popular. The Copper Center Area, nearest to the visitor center, has several trails and although they're not within the park you will still be rewarded with majestic views of the Wrangell Range. The hikes in the McCarthy Road area include those that begin in McCarthy and Kennecott, with excellent glacier views and some multi-day options. The Nabesna Road area offers true Alaskan terrain that feels both rugged and remote. The Yakutat and Coastal Area hikes are mostly outside the park, but are accessible from the town of Yakutat.

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