Traveling to Alaska by Road
- When traveling to Alaska, you can drive to Kennicott Glacier Lodge or take a bus. We are 314 miles from Anchorage by road
- DRIVE YOURSELF
- Many of our guests drive out to Kennicott in order to enjoy the scenic countryside along the way. All of the major car rental firms are available in Anchorage and provide possibly the least expensive means of getting to Kennicott. Some of these rental companies will try to discourage you from driving on the Chitina-McCarthy road. This road is a state maintained gravel road passable by any kind of passenger car. You should check with your insurance company to make sure you are covered to drive rental cars. Two companies that will specifically allow travel on the McCarthy road are:
High Country Car & Truck Rental at 1-888-685-1155 in Anchorage,
or
Go North Alaska Travel Center 1-866-236-7272, in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
TO DRIVE FROM ANCHORAGE:
*Take the Glenn Highway (Alaska Hwy #1) from Anchorage to Glennallen (189 miles).
*Turn south (right) on the Richardson Highway (AK#4) for 32 miles to the Edgerton Highway (AK #10).
*Turn east (left) on the Edgerton for 33 miles to the ghost town of Chitina. The road from Anchorage to Chitina is all paved highway.
*At Chitina, stay on Hwy #10, cross the Copper River and enter the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Continue east through the Park for 60 miles to the end of the road at McCarthy. This is a state maintained gravel road which follows the path of the historic Copper River and Northwestern Railroad. This road is narrow in spots, so you need to watch out for other traffic. You should also watch for railroad spikes that could damage your tires.
*At the end of the road near McCarthy, you must park your car and cross the Kennicott rivers on a footbridge. We'll pick you up on the other side in our comfortable shuttle van and bring you 5 miles up the mountain to the ghost town of Kennicott and Kennicott Glacier Lodge.
THE END OF THE ROAD!
The road ends at the Kennicott River, approximately 1/2 mile from the town of McCarthy. In 1997, the State built a sturdy foot-bridge across this river.
There is a paid parking lot next to the footbridge on private property. In past years this lot has charged $20 per day. There are less expensive parking options within the last 1/2 mile before the footbridge. Watch for signs for "Copper Oar" or "Kennicott Glacier Lodge" parking. You may want to drive to the footbridge, call us to let us know you have arrived, leave your luggage and most people there, and have one person drive to the parking lot and walk back to the footbridge. Near the footbridge, before you cross, there is a public phone booth. You should call us at 554-4477 and let us know you have arrived. We will then start down to pick you up. It will take us 30 minutes to get there.
To cross the two forks of the Kennicott River there are two footbridges with a short walk of about two city blocks in between. Most times the second fork is dry and we can drive our shuttle van out to the first bridge you will cross. If the river is flooding, you will need to walk to the second bridge for pickup. We will give you instructions when you call for a ride.
For more information, visit the Wrangell- St. Elias National Park McCarthy Road website.
You'll really feel like you're stepping into the wilderness as you leave the world of autos and RVs behind ... and you are!
| APPROXIMATE DRIVING TIMES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Anchorage to McCarthy | (314 miles) | 8 hours |
| Anchorage to Glennallen | (189 miles) | 4 hours |
| Glennallen to McCarthy | (125 miles) | 4 hours |
| Glennallen to Chitina | ( 65 miles) | 1 1/2 hours |
| Chitina to McCarthy | ( 60 miles) | 2 1/2 hours |
| Valdez to McCarthy | (176 miles) | 5 1/2 hours |
| Fairbanks to McCarthy | (374 miles) | 9 1/2 hours |
| Denali N.P. to McCarthy (via the Denali Highway) |
(359 miles) | 11 hours |
PLANNING YOUR TRAVEL TO ALASKA
When planning your driving trip in Alaska, please remember that we do not have many multi-lane highways here. It will take you longer than you might think to travel from one place to another. If you are coming to Kennicott from Fairbanks or Denali Park, you might want to consider driving to Chitina and taking the 5:45 pm flight to McCarthy. If you want to drive all the way, you will have a much more comfortable trip if you plan to stop along the way. A good place is in the Glennallen area and there are comfortable lodgings there. We recommend:
Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge in Copper Center: (800) 426-0500
Caribou Hotel in Glennallen: (907) 822-3302
Copper Center Lodge in Copper Center: (907) 822-3245
Dinner at Kennicott Glacier Lodge is served at 7:00 pm. Dinner is family-style, one seating. If you plan to have dinner with us, you should arrive at the footbridge by no later than 6:00pm.
If you plan to travel the roads in Alaska, you should get a copy of THE MILEPOST, an excellent road guide to the highways of the north. You can purchase it at many bookstores, or by calling 1-800-726-4707. It costs about $28 plus postage.
- TAKE A BUS
- If you would like to leave the driving to someone else, you might take a van from Glennallen or Chitina to McCarthy with:
*BACKCOUNTRY CONNECTIONS
PO Box 65
Glennallen, AK 99588
(907) 822-5292
This scheduled bus service runs seven days per week from Glennallen to McCarthy, leaving at 7 am, with a stop in Chitina at 8:15 am, and costs about $139 per person round trip.
However you decide to get to Kennicott, you'll have the opportunity to see some of the best scenery while traveling to Alaska. If we can help with your travel arrangements in any way, please write, phone or email us.
Book your reservation online and make Kennicott Glacier Lodge one of your Alaska wilderness lodges of choice!
