The Millstone Times August 2020

remember — they are wild, so respect their habitat and keep your distance! Wrangell - St. Elias shares something in common with the Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty, and the Sydney Opera House . In 1979, the United Nations designated Wrangell - St. Elias National Park as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its outstanding universal value. One of only 23 World Heritage Sites in the United States, Wrangell - St. Elias is designated as such for the geological and ecological value it brings to the world. UNESCO’s designation is not limited to Wrangell - St. Elias, however — the full area covered by this designation includes Glacier Bay National Park and two of Canada’s parks, Kluane National Park and Tat- shenshini-Alsek Provincial Park. There are many ways to see the park. Though the park spans over 20,000 square miles, its two gravel roads, Nabesna Rdand McCarthy Rd, combine to reach just over 100 miles. This means that the vast majority of Wrangell - St. Elias National Park is best explored by other modes of transportation. For visitors on foot, the park has spectacular hiking trails, some of which follow routes that were first used by Alaska Natives centuries ago. In the winter, visi- tors can traverse these trails on snowshoes or cross-country skis. For visitors who like their horsepower, snowmobiles and certain off-road vehicles are permitted in the park. Not all of Wrangell - St. Elias is best explored by land, however. Airplanes are also a great way to get around the park, and not just because they can cover long distances quickly — guided flights are a wonderful way to experience breathtaking aerial views of Wrangell - St. Elias’ diverse landscapes. Additionally, Wrangell - St. Elias’s rivers and coastline allow for some of the park to be accessed by boat or raft. Once you get to the park, there are plenty of places to stay. While there are many options for lodging within Wrangell - St. Elias — including campsites, hotels, motels, RV sites, and bed and breakfasts — perhaps its most remote permanent lodging options are its 14 backcountry cabins that are available for public use. Many of these cabins were built by hunters, trappers or miners long ago, but have since come under the National Park Service’s administration. All but one of these cabins are available free of charge, and just four require reservations — the other ten are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and many require a bush flight to get there. Just remember, in the wilderness, one must be resourceful and adaptable — visitors planning to stay in one of these cabins should bring camping gear with them, just in case the cabin they plan on staying in is already occupied. Wrangell - St. Elias’ lakes, streams and rivers are popular destinations for sport fish- ing. Eighty eight species of fish swim in the park’s waters, including all five species of Pacific salmon that are native to Alaska. Though salmon are abundant in Wrangell - St. Elias, there are few opportunities to catch them within the park — the main river through which they mi- grate often contains a lot of silt, making it difficult to fish. The best places in the area to catch salmon are just west of the park’s border in the Klutina and Gulkana Rivers, where the water is clearer. Wrangell - St. Elias’ lakes and streams still provide opportunities to catch other species, like northern pike, whitefish and several species of trout. For information on places to fish around Wrangell - St. Elias, browse this guidebook or stop by a visitor center. Resources found in the park were important to the Allies’ victory in WWI. In the midst of Wrangell - St. Elias’ beautiful natural landscape is the historic mining town of Kennecott, a community built around copper mining in the 20th century. Though the first train full of copper left the Kennecott mill in 1911, the history of copper in Wrangell - St. Elias goes back much further, as Alaska Native groups such as the Ahtna traded and fashioned tools from copper long before European settlers arrived in Kennecott. During WWI, much of the copper mined and processed in Kennecott was used for ammunition and artillery. Today, many of the lands and buildings in Kennecott are managed by the National Park Service, where visitors can engage with interpretive programs and tour the inside of the Kennecott Mill. Reaching Ken- necott can be difficult, as no vehicles are permitted past the Kennicott River footbridge (that’s no typo — the river and the town are spelled differently!), which is nearly five miles away from the mill site. Fortunately, there is a scenic trail following the historic Wagon Road fromMcCa- rthy to Kennecott, and the destination is well worth the hike! Though the sheer size and number of activities available to visitors of Wrangell - St. Elias may be overwhelming, don’t worry! Because Wrangell - St. Elias is so large and has so much to see and do, visitors can always return for new and exciting adventures.

Seals take in the sunshine on their own private "island." Photo by M. Reid, National Park Service.

The enormous Wrangell Mountains stand tall over the Nazina River. Photo by Neal Herbert, National Park Service.

Airplanes provide an easy means of navigating the expansive wilderness of Wrangell - St. Elias. Photo by Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service.

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