[ Travel / Nonfiction ] Two RVs, four adults, five children (9-16), seven campsites, 20+ hours of driving, thirteen points of interest (give or take), camping/RV experience that's pretty much nil, no reliable Wi-Fi or cell service, or consistently p...
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Heading north on the Richardson Highway (Route 4), we returned to the Copper Center region (near the buggy Glennallen). Our goal was to visit as many National Parks in Alaska as possible, and Wrangell - St. Elias is not one to miss. It's the largest national park in the U.S. and holds nine of the sixteen highest peaks. It's also one of the most isolated and least explored. Mountains, forests, volcanoes, glaciers, waterways, ice fields, wildlife. It's no doubt the best of Alaska.
The park was spectacular right from the highway (and we even dubbed one of the peaks a "Mini-Denali") and the Visitor Center was conveniently located. Most of the park, on the other hand, was not.
The Nabesna and McCarthy Roads are "usually passible" in the summer, but this wasn't very reassuring. We learned that Alaskans drive by a different set of standards. Most RV rental companies (ours included) don't even allow you to attempt these roads for any distance, and for good reason. From what I've read, they're not even Jeep friendly. You're supposed to carry spare tires with you and check with the rangers beforehand for an update on road conditions. Plus, they're hundreds of miles long in either direction.
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Unfortunately, we didn't devote the time or resources to really do this park justice. You'd probably need a flight and a guided tour, and at least a few days. To check it off our National Park's list, we stopped at the Visitor Center, bought some souvenirs to keep the kids happy, and then we sampled a few of their short walking trails. The bugs got to us, though, and the region was still fairly hazy. Visibility was good but not great.
We probably stayed for less than an hour, and we didn't really see anything we hadn't seen before. Unless you commit to this park fully, it's skippable, or you can use it as a bathroom break. It just isn't accessible for the average vehicle, or if you're on a tight schedule or budget. Still, there were some nice shots from the paved perimeter...
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"Mini-Denali" (from the Richardson Highway, north of Glennallen).
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View of Wrangell Park from Glennallen (civilization, relatively speaking).
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Shot taken on a road pullouton the way back from Valdez (Richardson Highway, Route 4).
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View from a walking trail at the Visitor Center.
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We said goodbye to eastern AK and headed west (view from Glenn Highway, Route 1). We'd be spending the rest of our time by the coast.
