Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Alaska
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 03-13-2010, 10:58 AM
 
65 posts, read 160,817 times
Reputation: 39

Advertisements

Hi all- We took a fanstastic road trip to Alaska last year, and the urge is setting in to do it again. we sold the 5th wheel we had, and are thinking truck camper this time. Not bought yet, just thinking about it.

A place we did not get to, but saw from a distance, is the wrangell St Elias Park. I have been reading their website and see there are some rough roads going into the park and it sounds like some serious fun.

we will get back to Alaska for sure, sometime in the next few yrs, although a brand new grandson (first!) is keeping us close to home for now. But it never hurt to start planning the next trip. We also did not do any of the ferries and islands, figuring we could save that for future trips.

What we did the first time: Alaska Highway start to end, including a great night by Muncho Lake watching the ice break up, Fairbanks, Anchorage, Denali by Talkeetna air Taxi (clear day, too.. wow!) and school bus, train trip from whitehorse to Skagway (anyone want a t-shirt? That's the place), Homer, Seward.

Opinions? Other suggestions for future trips?

And- what's Bob B up to these days?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-13-2010, 01:34 PM
 
Location: Interior alaska
6,381 posts, read 14,507,661 times
Reputation: 3520
Where did you see roads? That is in the Gulf Coast of Alaska, access is by boat or plane...

Are you refering to Denali National Park? That touches the road system but you can only drive a few miles back to Savage River, that road is paved til there and then you need permits or ride on a bus to go farther back to Wonder Lake.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-13-2010, 02:50 PM
 
65 posts, read 160,817 times
Reputation: 39
Just a few snippets from the national park service website:

Three Days
With more time to spend, you can explore the major roads more thoroughly and still have time for some hiking. A drive along the Nabesna Road will take you to remote corners of the park with great camping, hiking, and wildlife viewing. A trip along the McCarthy Road allows for leisurely explorations of a rural Alaskan town, and the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark. An easy hike along the Root Glacier Trail brings you up close and personal with the area’s rich history
The Nabesna Road offers abundant hiking, camping, and wide-open views.
This 42-mile gravel road from Slana to Nabesna traverses the headwaters country of the Copper and Tanana drainages. It is a dusty, gravel, dead end road that is short on services but big on wilderness! The Nabesna Road offers Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve visitors a unique opportunity to explore interior Alaska. The drive is an adventure in the midst of the Wrangell, Mentasta and Nutzotin Mountains. Camping, hiking, wildlife viewing, fishing and hunting are just a sampling of the activities available just off of the road.
The Nabesna Road was originally built in 1933 by the Alaska Road Commission to supply Nabesna Mine and to ship out its ore. Today, the Alaska Department of Transportation maintains the Nabesna Road and, generally, the road is passable by most two-wheel drive vehicles.


I have not looked at a map, so I suppose the roads mentioned might have to be accessed by a boat. I will go back and read more carefully.
We did the bus ride at Denali last year. Drove to Savage River ourselves one day, then went back by bus to the visitor center the following day. They had just started running the buses for the season a day or 2 before we were there, and the full route to Wonder Lake was not open yet. What a ride though.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-13-2010, 03:03 PM
 
3,763 posts, read 8,727,594 times
Reputation: 4064
Yes, Wrangell St-Elias and McCarthy can be accessed via the road system, no boat necessary. It's a beautiful albeit slow drive in on the McCarthy road, but worth it. We've hiked from McCarthy up to Kennecott, an easy hike. I recommend including Valdez & Haines in this next trip too.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-13-2010, 03:23 PM
 
65 posts, read 160,817 times
Reputation: 39
Just noticed the red-faced smiley I accidentally put on my original post. Apparently 'delete red-faced smiley' is not an option offered by c-d.com... Oh well.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-13-2010, 05:13 PM
 
Location: on top of a mountain
6,992 posts, read 12,673,625 times
Reputation: 3286
Quote:
Originally Posted by RockyTopNC View Post
Just noticed the red-faced smiley I accidentally put on my original post. Apparently 'delete red-faced smiley' is not an option offered by c-d.com... Oh well.
awww it's cute and appropriate!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-14-2010, 03:32 AM
 
Location: Interior alaska
6,381 posts, read 14,507,661 times
Reputation: 3520
Quote:
Originally Posted by RockyTopNC View Post
Just a few snippets from the national park service website:

Three Days
With more time to spend, you can explore the major roads more thoroughly and still have time for some hiking. A drive along the Nabesna Road will take you to remote corners of the park with great camping, hiking, and wildlife viewing. A trip along the McCarthy Road allows for leisurely explorations of a rural Alaskan town, and the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark. An easy hike along the Root Glacier Trail brings you up close and personal with the area’s rich history
The Nabesna Road offers abundant hiking, camping, and wide-open views.
This 42-mile gravel road from Slana to Nabesna traverses the headwaters country of the Copper and Tanana drainages. It is a dusty, gravel, dead end road that is short on services but big on wilderness! The Nabesna Road offers Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve visitors a unique opportunity to explore interior Alaska. The drive is an adventure in the midst of the Wrangell, Mentasta and Nutzotin Mountains. Camping, hiking, wildlife viewing, fishing and hunting are just a sampling of the activities available just off of the road.
The Nabesna Road was originally built in 1933 by the Alaska Road Commission to supply Nabesna Mine and to ship out its ore. Today, the Alaska Department of Transportation maintains the Nabesna Road and, generally, the road is passable by most two-wheel drive vehicles.


I have not looked at a map, so I suppose the roads mentioned might have to be accessed by a boat. I will go back and read more carefully.
We did the bus ride at Denali last year. Drove to Savage River ourselves one day, then went back by bus to the visitor center the following day. They had just started running the buses for the season a day or 2 before we were there, and the full route to Wonder Lake was not open yet. What a ride though.

Yes you are correct, you can drive to McCarthy. Never really thought of that area as National Park, but that was part of the D-2 Lands issues that got sucked up from the State before it had a chance to pick it statehood land fromt the Feds....

If you do go out that way, there is a lake called Silver Lake about halfway down that road, very good fishing there.

But as far as the road going up into the park, regardless, you will have a good time and don't plan on driving fast.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Alaska
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:07 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top