Adventures in Wrangell-St. Elias Park

In Adventure, Alaska Travelgram, Lodging, Parks, Videos by scott

Last summer, we had some great adventures in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. We stayed at Kennicott Glacier Lodge, just up the road from McCarthy. From there, you’re in a great place to take advantage of hikes, glacier walks, mountain biking and all kinds of adventures. Here is a  shot from the deck of the lodge, looking over the Root Glacier–and part of the mining town of Kennicott:kgl

Right now, there is a special $99 rate for Alaskans who want to stay at Kennicott Glacier Lodge. That’s a great deal. We like the “Main Lodge”, because the dining room and the big stove are just steps away. All your meals are served up in the main dining room.

We stayed at the lodge one night, before flying out with Wrangell Mountain Air for an overnight adventure to do some ice climbing. Kelly and Natalie Bay have been flying travelers all around the park for many years. Their office is in downtown McCarthy, but they will come and get you at the lodge and take you to the airport for flightseeing or wilderness drop-off!

Here is a shot of us flying over the Tana River. We were hiking near the Tana Glacier at a place called Iceberg Lake.

flightseeingWe flew out with our friends from St. Elias Alpine Guides. Wayne Marrs and his wife Gaia offer wilderness adventures, including day hikes on the glacier, guided walks through the old mine building at Kennicott — even expeditions to unnamed peaks in the park! As Wayne likes to say, “This park is our 33 million-acre playground.” Jeez.

So, we spent a couple of days hiking around and doing some ice-climbing. I was mostly taking pictures, although I did indeed strap on the crampons and crawl-and-scrape my way up and down a couple of ice falls. If I can do it, you can, too!

ice-climbingSo, take advantage of Kennicott’s $99 rate for Alaska residents. Book by April 15, 2009 for the 2009 season. This is a great deal. It’s a great park, with lots of cool stuff to see and do. Call them at (907)258-2350. Tell ’em Scott sent you. Oh, we actually filmed some cool segments on our last visit. You can see them at the Alaska HDTV site.

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