Alaska is filled with stunning scenery and memorable drives. One of the best known is the road to the small community of McCarthy, located at the southern end of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. While there are only 35 permanent residents in McCarthy, it’s a popular and busy summer destination. Except for those well-heeled enough to fly in, driving on McCarthy road is the only way to reach this remote town.
(Topographical map gives you an idea of how mountainous the area is)
The road to McCarthy was built on top of a pre-existing railway track, the rail originally built in 1909 to transport copper from the Kennecott Copper Mine to global markets. The rail was abandoned after Kennecott closed in 1938, and decades later covered with gravel. It’s a very narrow, rough, winding road, although it theoretically is “maintained”. One of the hazards people are warned about is railroad spikes protruding from the road’s surface — a very real puncture hazard! Most national car rental companies won’t let you drive their cars on this road, although local Alaskan companies do (we obviously rented from an Alaskan car rental). There are no services available along the road, so be prepared — full gas tank, check the spare tire, lots of water, etc.
(an unusually well-maintained section of McCarthy Road)
The scenery on this drive is spectacular and in this blog I hope to share some of the highlights with you.
The drive begins at the Copper River, where it is joined by the Chitina River. The Chitina is a “braided river”, fed by glaciers.
(Chitina River in foreground, flowing into Copper River in the distance)
(The Chitina River is a “braided” glacier river)
You pass several lakes and ponds along the drive, including the one below where three ducks were posing for me….
At mile 17 you cross the Kuskulana River on a memorable bridge.
Kuskulana Bridge was constructed during the winter of 1910 and is 238 feet above the river. It’s the only railroad bridge in the area constructed with steel girders embedded in bedrock, rather than timber pilings driven into a streambed.
Kuskulana is a one-lane bridge so watch for oncoming traffic and don’t stop while on it for pictures. There is a good viewpoint on the opposite side.
(Kuskulana bridge is a one lane bridge)
Your journey takes you past more lakes, one prettier than the next:
At Mile 29 you encounter the Gilahina River & Gilahina Trestle. This wooden structure was originally 890 feet long and 90 feet high and is representative of the many trestles used to complete the railway (15% of the rail was built on trestles because of the rugged landscape). It took only 8 winter days and one-half million board feet of timber to complete this trestle bridge in 1911.
(Ruins of the Gilahina Trestle)
The remainder of the drive is characterized by wonderful scenery, like this:
The road ends at a parking area almost a mile away from the McCarthy townsite. From here you have to enter the town on foot or by bike, after crossing a lengthy pedestrian bridge across the Kennicott River.
More on the town of McCarthy soon.
