Wrangell-St Elias National Park

Wrangell Saint Elias, a half-day drive east of Anchorage, is a park of enormous size, 13.2 million acres (53 thousand squares kilometers) six times the size of Yellowstone, larger than Switzerland), which is populated by enormous mountains, glaciers, and rivers. There are 9 of the 16 highest mountains in the US, and more than 150 glaciers, among them the Malaspina which alone is the size of Yellowstone, the Nabesna, which is 75 miles long, and the Hubbard, which advances 10 meters per day.

Unlike most of the Alaskan parks, Wrangell Saint Elias is penetrated by two roads, which make it easier to explore on a tight budget. I have driven four times the McCarthy Road, which leads to the impressive abandoned old copper mining town of Kennecott, situated right above the glacier of the same name. The view from Kennecott is dominated by Donoho Peak, which lies like an island between the two vast Kennicott and Root glaciers. Walking from Kennecott, in three days, I navigated across the crevasses and streams of the Root glacier and climbed the steep scree slopes of Donoho Peak to get a commanding view of the wide local glaciers and of the entire Wrangell range. I rounded my exploration of the park by driving twice the less-traveled Nabesna road and touring the remote University range and Bagley Field (largest non-polar glacier) by airplane.