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What can I do on the drive to McCarthy & Kennicott? |
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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 61 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): |
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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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Thunderbird Falls (mile 25.2): |
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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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Eklutna Village Historical Park (mile 26.5): |
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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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907-696-2828; exit at mile 26.5 and take Eklutna Lake Rd. |
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Eklutna Lake: |
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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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More Eklutna Lake hiking» |
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Old Glenn Highway (mile 29.6): |
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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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Parks Highway Junction (mile 35.3): |
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Here's the start of the George Parks Highway, [link to North on Parks Highway page] which leads north to Talkeetna, Denali, and Fairbanks. Continuing east on the Glenn brings you toward Palmer, Matanuska Glacier, and McCarthy-Kennicott. |
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Palmer (mile 42): |
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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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Sutton (mile 61): |
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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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NOVA (mile 76.5): |
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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 (see below) 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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Matanuska Glacier (mile 101.7): |
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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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Sheep Mountain Lodge (mile 113.5): |
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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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Eureka Summit (mile 129.5): |
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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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Lake Louise State Recreation Area (mile 159.8): |
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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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Richardson Highway Junction (mile 189): |
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Here at Glennallen, turn south onto the Richardson Highway to mile 82.6 (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. |
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