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Kennecott/McCarthy
Location: At the end of the McCarthy Road into
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

The ghost towns of Kennecott and McCarthy
sprang up in the early 1900s in response to one of
the world’s richest copper discoveries. Kennecott
quickly became the most modern city in Alaska,
See Video boasting running water and a hospital at a time when
Anchorage was populated with tents. Abandoned in
1938, many of the mines, buildings, and equipment
stand as they were on that last day, leaving a living
history of those rugged days of high adventure. The
National Park Service has purchased the property
to stabilize the structures, and tours of many of the
impressive mine buildings are available.
Wrangell - St. Elias National Park The Kennicott Glacier Lodge is located near the
photo by:
VC TRAVEL GUIDE center of the 40 remaining structures in Kennecott,
overlooking 25 miles of glacier and surrounded by
many of the highest mountain peaks on the continent.
centers. The Copper Center Lodge was built in 1932 The lodge offers gracious hospitality and breathtaking
AT GLENNALLEN and was placed on the National Register of Historic views, and can help arrange for easy glacier hiking,
JCT. GLENN HWY 1 / TOK CUT OFF & Roadhouses. The George Ashby Memorial Museum is
RICHARDSON HWY 4 SOUTH TO VALDEZ & housed in two rustic log cabins located next to the Old ice climbing and instruction, alpine hiking, mountain
biking, rafting, and spectacular flightseeing.
PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND Town Copper Center Inn and Restaurant.
The first cabin showcases many historic photographs,
documents, items from the Kennicott Copper Mine,
Richardson Highway #4 treasures from ‘Old Alaska’ and Native cultural items.
The first major road built in Alaska, the 360-mile The second cabin is dedicated to the 1898 Gold Rush
long Richardson Highway runs as Alaska Route 4 and is filled with photographs and artifacts of that time
from Valdez to Delta Junction and as Alaska Route period. An adjacent historic building known as the
2 from there to Fairbanks. In 1898, to provide an Chapel on the Hill was the first church in the area, built
“all-American” route to the Klondike gold fields, the by Vince Joy in 1942 with the assistance of US Army
US Army constructed a 409-mile pack trail from the volunteers.
port of Old Valdez (which lay about 4 miles east of Wildlife is abundant and frequently spotted
present-day Valdez prior to being destroyed in the throughout the area between Glennallen and Valdez.
1964 Good Friday Earthquake) to Eagle near the Fishing charters and guides are available in Copper
Yukon border. After the rush ended, the Army kept Center. Other services include a variety of food and
the trail open in order to connect its posts near the lodging, fuel, post office, bar and liquor store.
two towns.
The 1902 Fairbanks gold rush and the construction JCT. RICHARDSON HWY 4
of a telegraph line along the trail in 1903 made the & EDGERTON HWY 10 TO KENNY LAKE
Valdez-to-Eagle route one of the most important & CHITINA & McCARTHY ROAD
access routes to the interior, so the Alaska Road TO KENNICOTT / McCARTHY
Commission upgraded it to a wagon road in 1910.
In addition to regular construction workers, the
government hired failed gold prospectors, many of Edgerton Highway/McCarthy
whom subsequently made enough money to leave
Alaska. Several roadhouses now on the National Road
Register of Historic Places were constructed along The paved Edgerton Highway begins at mile
the route at this time. 82.6 of Richardson Highway 4 South and travels
33 miles southeast, through Kenny Lake to Chitina.
Copper Center The Edgerton skirts the Copper River, legendary for
its world-class red salmon fishery, which forms the
Copper Center is located on Richardson Highway western boundary of Wrangell-St. Elias National
4 South on the west bank of the Copper River Park.
at the confluence with the Klutina River; about The Chitina Ranger Station can provide park
16 miles southeast of Glennallen (at the junction and road information. Kenny Lake is home to a
with Glenn Highway 1) and 100 miles north of mercantile and an RV Park, offering a pleasant respite
Valdez. Considered the gateway to Wrangell- for adventurous visitors, while shops, services, and
St.Elias National Park and Preserve, which accommodations are available in Chitina, also home
maintains a headquarters with a Visitor Center to the last gas station for sixty miles.
and bookstore in Copper Center. Population: Running 60 miles from Chitina to the historic
370. mining towns of Kennecott and McCarthy within
In 1896, Ringwald Blix built a roadhouse which Wrangell St. Elias National Park, the McCarthy
offered much needed services along the Trail of ‘98 Road was long considered one of America’s most
from Valdez, which joined at this spot with the Eagle primitive wilderness roads. Substantial upgrades
Trail to the Forty-mile area and Dawson. Historically, have been performed in recent years and the
Alaskan roadhouses were founded as havens for weary first third is now paved. The road is laid over the
gold miners, trappers, and travelers, providing food original railway bed; coupled with extreme Alaskan
and lodging, mail, and medical help. As services temperatures and permafrost, the result is a narrow,
were needed, roadhouse owners responded; stores and pot hole filled, washboard surface, which can be
gas stations were added and warehouses were built. very hard on vehicles. Not all car rental companies
Eventually, small communities developed around in Anchorage and Fairbanks allow for travel on the
established roadhouses, which became community McCarthy Road.

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