PreCruise Wrangell St. Elias NP

[LuvToCr]

My DH & I are planning on spending a week or so in Alaska pre-cruise in 2009. We like to get away from the crowds, explore by hiking, kayaking and being outdoors. We are planning on spending time at Wrangell NP and I am wondering if anyone has taken the time to drive from Chitina to McCarty where the Kennicott Copper Mine is? The information I have is a 60 gravel mile rd (one way). We are use to gravel roads so that wouldn't be a problem. From my research though it states to plan 3 hours (I think this was for total trip not one way) We would like to spend some time hiking, doing a river raft, kayak etc so not sure we want to spend the time driving to Kennicott. Anyone done this? Is it worth it? We are also going to drive to and spend a couple of days in Denali NP, as well as hope to do a boat tour of the Kenai Fjords prior to boarding our cruise in Seward. Also if we are going to drive from Gulana to Cantwell (edge of Denali via Hwy 8 any one know how long it will take?

Thanks for the feedback...I love planning all these details, as it makes the wait for the trip go faster

[GMoney]

I'm a big fan of Kennicott. I spent 2 days there last year before my cruise so a recommendation from NancyIL on this board. It was the first place I visited in Alaska, and I'm glad because it was precisely what I wanted Alaska to be - pristine, uncrowded and non-commercial. I have of course since learned how unique Kennicott and McCarthy are.

 

The description of Wrangell St Elias as the "Denali no one visits" was also enticing. However, there's a good and bad side to that description. The area is great precisely for the reasons I mention above. However, there is little to no infrastructure. Everything is very basic, and you will need some help along the way to maximize your time. In addition, the NP is almost entirely backcountry. There are no real trails or structured ways to access the wilderness. You go on your own or get a guide.

 

Some thoughts to consider:

 

> While you can drive, I strongly recommend flying from Chitina to K / McC. Wrangell Mountain Air served me just fine. The flight is like an excursion in itself it's so scenic. You will save lots of time and road hassles, plus you will have no need for a car once you arrive. If you choose to drive, make sure your rental car company allows you to. Some don't.

 

> If you go, you really need to spend at least 1 night, preferably 2.

 

> Once you arrive, there's not tons to do. Suggestions: check out the old copper mine, hike the trails up to the mine, and do a guided hike on Root Glacier using St Elias guides.

 

> I stayed at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. Clean, comfortable, rustic and friendly with great food.

 

> You can't really compare Wrangell St Elias & Denali. They are just different entities. Denali can be a bit of a hassle with all of the tourists, but you will see some wildlife, and you can easily access the park in ways that you cannot do in W / St E.

 

On a side note, if you are going to kayak, try the Columbia glacier tour in Valdez or the Ultimate Aialik Glacier tour in Seward. They are excellent adventures. I did Columbia thru Pangaea (http://www.alaskasummer.com) and Aialik thru Liquid Adventures (http://www.liquid-adventures.com).

[Budget Queen]

Kennicott-I have flown in, very very wonderful.

 

NONE of the major car rental companies will allow you to drive the road. So your options are to fly or take the shuttle bus.

 

None of the major rentals allow you to drive the Denail Highway either. Although you claim to be "ok" with driving the gravel roads, you are greatly underestimating the remoteness and time necessary.

 

You do not have time for all of your list with only a week.

 

IF you insist on this driving, you will have to rent from an independent out of Anchorage, who does allow this. Verify IF you have any insurance coverage, many are void on unpaved roads. Consider purchasing all the waivers offered. It is also recommended you get a 4WD, you need the clearance. I've driven in from each end of the Denali Highway. At most 20 mph is a top speed.

[LuvToCr]

Thanks for the tips...I have checked with some of the Alaska car rentals, A-1, Payless, Advantage, as I was aware of the majors not allowing driving on the McCarty road. Can you tell me if the Hwy 8 (Paxson to Cantwell is gravel as well? ) With the suggestions in mind, I am now going to explore flying into Kennicott. Do you know if there are any one-way float, kayak trips. It would be great to do this one way from Chitna to Kennicott and then fly back in a day or two. (Or vise versa, fly in and take the river back). If we get into Ancorage around 1:00 pm would we be able to drive to Chitina to spend the night. My research indicates about a 5-6 hour drive, so is that about right? I would like to spend the night in Chitina, boat (float, riverraft, kayake whatever) to Kennicott, spend the night and some of the next day exploring and then either spend a second night and fly back to Chitina. If we would plan to just take backpacks with us to Kennicott, would it work to just leave the rest of the luggage in our vehicle?

 

We would then drive via Hwy 8 to Healy to spend several days exploring Denali. (I'm not convinced we will be able to handle all of the people on the tour busses at Denali though, HA!) So we may be looking for some guided hikes or other means to explore "off the beaten path" there.

 

Thanks for the ideas...It is always great to get input from people who have been there or live there.

[GMoney]

If we get into Ancorage around 1:00 pm would we be able to drive to Chitina to spend the night. My research indicates about a 5-6 hour drive, so is that about right? I would like to spend the night in Chitina, boat (float, riverraft, kayake whatever) to Kennicott, spend the night and some of the next day exploring and then either spend a second night and fly back to Chitina.

 

Um, I don't think you can spend the night in Chitina. There's really next to nothing there. I don't remember seeing any places to stay when I passed thru. If there are, I can assure you that options are very limited.

 

The drive from ANC is about 5-6 hours. Not sure where you are flying from, but it may be very aggressive to think you are going to do a long flight to ANC then drive on top of that. Plus, you may be too tired to stop and see places along the way. Overnight in ANC or Palmer maybe.

 

If we would plan to just take backpacks with us to Kennicott, would it work to just leave the rest of the luggage in our vehicle?

Correct. That's what I did.

 

We would then drive via Hwy 8 to Healy to spend several days exploring Denali. (I'm not convinced we will be able to handle all of the people on the tour busses at Denali though, HA!) So we may be looking for some guided hikes or other means to explore "off the beaten path" there.

 

Just to clarify, there are really no guided hikes in Denali. There are only a few actual trails in the front country near the park entrance. The rest is all backcountry trailless hiking. That's the beauty of it. There are ranger-led Discovery hikes, but they have small capacity and are not always offered daily (depending on when you go). You can sign up at the Denali Wilderness Access Center, but space is not guaranteed.

[NancyIL]

I LOVED Kennicott! When our northbound cruise ended last June, we spent that night in Anchorage, then picked-up our Enterprise rental car the next morning and drove to Chitina. We were on the evening Chitina to McCarthy flight, and arrived at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge (5 miles from McCarthy) just in time for dinner. (We used a two-for-one TourSaver coupon for 2 nights at the lodge.) The next morning we did the half-day Root Glacier hike with St. Elias Alpine Guides (again using a TourSaver coupon), then I went on the 2-hour afternoon mill tour. That was way more physical activity than I'm used to, and I was exhausted! We flew back to Chitina the following morning and continued our land trip.

 

After having been a cruise ship tourist for a week, it was refreshing to meet travelers in Kennicott - most of whom were NOT on Alaska cruises. :) I can't compare it to Denali, because we didn't go there. I'd gladly return to Kennicott, and I'd also like to visit McCarthy next time.

[LuvToCr]

Ok...so I am reconcidering my whole planning. I generally have a tendency to think I am going to try and "see everything" and my DH tells me to slow down "we're on vacation.":D Since it may be questionable to try to do Wrangell NP, drive to Denali (I hate to drive the same way twice and doing the Denali Hwy may not be an option with a rented car), and doing Kenai NP...here is a new plan I would love some feedback on.

 

If we took our time getting to Chitina and then spent 2-3 nights at Kennicott, would we be able to drive down to Valdez and then take a ferry to Seward to spend 3 days in that area? Can we leave a car rental in Seward that was picked up in Anchorage? Do you think we would be better to skip Kenai or Denali? We do love wildlife, but also like going to the places a little less traveled.

[NancyIL]

After our 2 nights in Kennicott (which I think is plenty), we spent 1 night in Valdez, then took the ferry to Whittier. (The ferry doesn't go to Seward from Valdez). We continued our drive to Homer for 2 nights, then to Seward for 2 nights, and finally returned to Anchorage to fly home.

 

Your plan to spend several days in Seward would work fine. You can drop-off a rental car there if it's from HERTZ.

[Budget Queen]

As already mentioned, if you want a one way car Anchorage/Seward, you need to book Hertz. The Denali Highway will have the same restrictions you have for Kenicott, with a rental car. And Hertz definately will not allow either road.

 

I do suggest you allow 2 nights in Valdez, as there is fantastic hiking and boat tours to consider. I also suggest the regular ferry to Whittier, more time= more scenery. :)