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The
drive to McCarthy
and Kennicott isn't your run-of-the-mill
road trip. It's at least 7-8 hours
from Anchorage, with the last 60 miles-between
Chitina and the Kennicott River-on
a washboard dirt road. A footbridge
brings you across the river to McCarthy
and Kennicott. Once a rowdy pioneer
town, McCarthy now makes a great basecamp
for adventures into American's largest
national park, Wrangell-St.Elias.
Four
mountain ranges converge in this remote
park the size of six Yellowstones.
Kennicott was abandoned during the
Depression, and visitors can explore
the past on a tour of this historic
ghost town. Leave early enough from
Anchorage and you can enjoy some of
the scenic highlights and activities
on your way there:
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| Eagle River Nature Center (Mile 13.4) |
| Just 30 minutes out of town, you'll come to the dramatic Eagle River Valley and the nature center, the gateway to Chugach State Park. Pick the brains of the rangers for activities; perhaps you'll hike a section of the Iditarod Trail and hark back to the days when the trail was used as a mail route. Albert Loop Trail meanders three miles through prime beaver-watching territory and serves up great peak views. |
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907-694-2108 |
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Exit at mile 13.4 and take Old Glenn Highway, follow signs to mile 12.5 Eagle River Rd. |
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| 32 min from downtown |
27 miles one-way |
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| Thunderbird Falls (Mile 25.2) |
| Walk through the mossy forest of birch trees about one mile; you're soon surrounded by ferns, and then at the viewing platform, where you can watch the thunderous falls tumble down the rocky cliff face. |
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| 31 min from downtown |
26 miles one-way |
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| Eklutna Village Historical Park (Mile 26.5) |
| Dating back to 1650, the park is the area's oldest continuously inhabited Athabaskan Indian settlement. Russian Orthodox missionaries came here in the early 1800s, and you can still see St. Nicholas Church, the oldest standing building in greater Anchorage. Snap some pictures of the colorful Spirit Houses build over the graves of the deceased-a custom that came from the melding of the cultures. Up for a walk? It'll pay off with a glacier view, as well as the chance to see foxes, eagles, and black bears. |
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| Details |
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907-696-2828 |
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Exit at mile 26.5 and take Eklutna Lake Rd. |
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| 32 min from downtown |
27 miles one-way |
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| Eklutna Lake |
| On the other side of the highway, a 10-mile road leads to this secluded lake, a great spot to picnic, hike, or fish. Trails include the easy 8-mile Lakeside Trail or 6.5-mile Twin Peaks Trail, which climbs to magnificent views. |
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| 44 min from downtown |
37 miles one-way |
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| Old Glenn Highway (Mile 29.6) |
| To explore the road less traveled, take the Old Glenn Highway to Palmer, a back road that feels like old Alaska. The roadside homes and farms are rural and private, with space and beauty all around them. You'll cross the old Knik River Bridge where you can get out and hike around, but there tend to be a lot of four-wheelers in the area. |
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| 36 min from downtown |
30 miles one-way |
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| Palmer (Mile 42) |
| This charming agricultural village was founded in 1935, when FDR moved 203 farm families out of the Dust Bowl for a fresh start in Alaska. Set between two ranges of towering mountains, Palmer's the home of the 80-pound cabbage and other freakishly large vegetables. See these giants at the visitor center, along with the world's only musk-ox farm. While you watch mating bulls butt heads, the farm harvests wool for the Oomingmak Producer's Coop in Anchorage. |
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Visitor Center: Exit at mile 42, right on W. Evergreen, right on S. Valley Way; 907-745-2880; www.palmerchamber.org; open weekdays 9am-6pm from May-Sep |
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Musk-Ox Farm: Exit at Archie Rd., mile 50.1; 907-745-4151; www.muskoxfarm.org; open daily 10am-6 pm from Mother's Day-Sep; tours every half hour from 10:00am-5:30pm, $8. |
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| 52 min from downtown |
43 miles one-way |
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| Sutton (Mile 61) |
| Drive up the Matanuska River Valley and through Sutton, an outdoor adventure center. Hike or boat around the glass-like Coyote Lake or Bonnie Lake. |
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| 1 hr 14 min from downtown |
62 miles one-way |
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| NOVA (Mile 76.5) |
| Get wild with the outfitter that pioneered the first river rafting trips in Alaska, including runs down the glacier-fed waters of the Matanuska River. Great views of the Matanuska Glacier await, whether you opt for a more mellow float or the fast and fun whitewater. NOVA also offers guided glacier hiking tours. |
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| 1 hr 32 min from downtown |
77 miles one-way |
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| Matanuska Glacier (Mile 101.7) |
| Stop here at the State Recreation Area for a photograph of the Matanuska Glacier-a rare roadside glacier that you can actually look down on. Get closer to the glacier via a one-mile interpretive trail. To access the face of the glacier, continue on to Glacier Park Resort at mile 102. For a small fee you can drive to the terminal moraine and walk around on the ice. Check out the oddly formed rock, Lion Head, at mile 108. |
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| 2 hr from downtown |
103 miles one-way |
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| Sheep Mountain Lodge (Mile 113.5) |
| Stop for lunch (or bed down) at this cozy lodge, run by affable, lifelong Alaskans Zack and Anjanette Steer. You can watch Dall sheep through a telescope, hike and bike over the colorful mountainous tundra, or just stroll through their greenhouses and gardens. Then relax in the hot tub or sit out on the deck. |
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| 2 hr 17 min from downtown |
114 miles one-way |
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| Eureka Summit (Mile 129.5) |
Continuing along, you'll pass the Glenn Highway's highest point, the Eureka Summit. Stop here for unobstructed views of the stunning peaks of the Chugach Mountains. To the northwest are the peaks of the Talkeetnas, and to the west the highway descends through river valleys that separate these two ranges.
Past the summit, enjoy a gradual drop into the Copper River Valley and some of America's most remote, beautiful land. |
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| 2 hr 36 min from downtown |
130 miles one-way |
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| Lake Louise State Recreation Area (Mile 159.8) |
| If you're not heading right back to Anchorage, here's another great side trip. A scenic 19-mile drive north takes you into the park. Lake Louise is known for its trout and grayling fishing, views of Tazlina Glacier and Lake, and berry picking-harvest wild strawberries and blueberries in July and August, or cranberries come September |
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| 3 hr 36 min from downtown |
180 miles one-way |
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| Richardson Highway Junction (Mile 189) |
| Here at Glennallen, head south on the Richardson Highway for about 32 miles, to mile 82.5 (counting down as you move toward Valdez). From here you can access the Edgerton Highway, which links up with the McCarthy Road-the simplest land route to McCarthy and Kennicott. From here you have another 59.5 miles to road's end. Due to rough going and narrow, winding stretches, the recommended speed limit is 25 miles per hour. |
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| 3 hr 38 min from downtown |
190 miles one-way |
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| End of McCarthy Road |
| Once you reach the Kennicott River, cross the pedestrian bridge and you're just a mile from McCarthy and five from Kennicott (accessible by foot or shuttle). |
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| 7.5 hr from downtown |
315 miles one-way |
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