Page 67 - Richardson And Glenn Highways (East Alaska)
P. 67
East Alaska 0 with Bearfoot
ARRIVING AT THE TOWNS
The Copper River & Northwestern Railway (once nick- named "The Can't Run & Never Will") brought copper ore from the Kennicott Mines down to Cordova from 1911 to 1938. The McCarthy Road follows that old rail- road track. The towns of McCarthy and Kennicott lie at the eastern end of the road. The McCarthy Road ends at the Kennicott River. Here, a footbridge crosses the river. It is a half mile to the town of McCarthy and five miles to Kennicott. You'll walk across the solid metal footbridge and either take a shuttle to McCarthy and Kennicott, or simply make the 15 minute walk to Mc- Carthy yourself. The townsite of Kennicott is a 5 mile trip on bike or foot. Many businesses have shuttles. Most people spend at least two or three days visiting this area.
LINK TO THE PAST
McCarthy and Kennicott are the southern entrance towns to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. They are beautiful, historic mining towns. McCarthy was the rebellious town where miners came for debauchery and supplies. Kennicott was the elite mining com- pany town, with a skating rink and fresh fruits and vegetables brought in on the train. You can feel the history in the air here, it's that well-preserved. Check out the local museum right at the turn into McCar- thy. The National Park Service has a Visitor Center at the beginning of the Kennicott mill town. The park's restoration crew has restored parts of the Kennicott Mines National Historic Landmark. Park rangers offer programs and and a local guide service offers build- ing tours every day.
WILDERNESS AREA
The Wrangell-St. Elias Park that surrounds McCarthy and Kennicott is wild. Take a flightseeing trip here to fly over mountains, wild rivers , and canyons. The back- country in Wrangell-St. Elias is a place that most tour- ists only dream of experiencing. Ifyou go backpacking or hiking here, you 'll need to be especially prepared. Shorter hiking trails lead to the Root Glacier and aban- doned mines on the Kennicott hillside. Information and maps ofthese hiking trails can be obtained at the Kennicott Visitor Center. If you are going on a more extensive trip, it is recommended you hire guides. Be warned: in this area of Alaska , there is no safety net. Cellphones don 't work in the wild. The park does have 14 public use cabins. Contact the park for more information. Be especially careful if you cross a river or hike near glacier ice. Contact the visitor center for advice about guides and outfitters.
ARRIVING AT THE TOWNS
The C~p~~r Rive~ &_Northwestern .~~.il~ay (~nce nick-
McCARTHY & KENNICOTT