You must see the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve to believe it. The largest U.S. national park, it is 13.2 million acres in size. Four major mountain ranges (Wrangell, Chugach, St. Elias, and Alaska) meet in the park. It includes 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the United States. Mount Wrangell is an active volcano, which last erupted in 1900. With the adjoining Kluane National Park in Canada, all these ranges form the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve. North America’s premier mountain wilderness, it was established as a national park and preserve in 1980.
From the many glaciers of the park, there are meandering rivers and braided streams, and the largest is the Copper River. Home to the famous Copper River Red Salmon, it forms the park’s western boundary. The Copper River rises in the Wrangell Mountains and empties into the Gulf of Alaska.
While vast in size, there are only two unpaved roads which penetrate the park’s interior. They are the McCarthy Road and the Nabesna Road. The McCarthy Road extends 61 miles from Chitina to the Kennicott River. It is west of McCarthy, along the old Copper River and Northwestern Railroad route (see McCarthy/Kennicott for history). The Nabesna Road is accessed from Slana on the Tok Road Cutoff.