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What to Do
Here are a few of the more popular activities in the area:
Wrangell Mountain Air
Flying in to the backcountry of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is, for many, a trip of a lifetime. McCarthy is the geographic center of this 13.2 million acre wilderness. The remote areas of this pristine world heritage site are accessible by bush plane, offering a variety of outdoor experiences unique to Alaska.
Many visitors are finding that a fly-in guided day trip is a great way to experience the backcountry, yet return to the comfort of a lodge or B&B in the evening. Exciting fly-in glacier trekking, alpine hiking and river rafting are all available in day, or multi-day trips. We use landing areas throughout Wrangell-St. Elias National Park that provide access to some of the most pristine mountain wilderness in North America.
(Visit the Wrangell Mountain Air web site)
McCarthy Air
Owner Gary Green has been living and flying year around in McCarthy for over 30 years! We offer Flight seeing, backcountry drop offs, and charter flights.
Shorter and longer flights are available. Two passengers minimum, and our unique Porter aircraft can take up to seven passengers maximum per flight.
Backcountry Drop Offs:
We offer a variety of drop off locations, with prices ranging from $120.00 to $400.00 or more per person round trip. Again, prices are based on a minimum of two fares per flights.
Kennicott Wilderness Guides
Kennicott Wilderness Guides can show you places you’ll never want to forget. On the glaciers, in the mountains, a tour through town, we specialize in personalized service and maintaining low client to guide ratios to ensure you don’t get lost in the shuffle. It’s important to us that the experience you have is worthy of the country you’re exploring. We are owned, operated, and staffed by Alaskans.This year we continue to offer both group and private tours. Group tours are limited to 8 clients. - 1/2 Day Root Glacier hikes depart office 2 times daily. (more than 6 clients have a second guide) - Ice climbing groups with more than 4 clients have a second guide.- Full day hiking and ice climbing tours depart at 9:30 a.m. Private Tours- schedule own times / sign up by day before for lunch included - reservations encouraged.
We offer full transportation to & from McCarthy for Day Hikers & Climbers. We support car-pooling, and only use our shuttles when the community shuttle is not available. Tell the driver you’re with KWG and it’s covered!
We are offering McCarthy Lodge guests special tours and packages, call our office or stop by for more details on special offers for McCarthy Lodge Guests!
The McCarthy Then & Now Tour Over a Century of Living in the Wrangells - and counting … Join your local guide for a 2.5 hour introduction to life in McCarthy. Learn about lifestyles from the boom-town days while Kennicott struck it rich, through the ghost town era, into the pioneering 70's revival, to the arrival of the National Park and the communities current development. Learn about the amazing area mining history and frontier spirit. Learn about what it’s like to live a subsistence life style. Life in Alaska is unusual and we want to share how fishing, gardening, jobs, shelter, hunting & trapping, tourism, isolation, and other stories, help shape the characters and lifestyles from a century of living in the Wrangells.
Tour includes a visit to the McCarthy Museum (donation included with price)
Tour Times: 9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Staying in McCarthy or across the Footbridge?Meeting point: Kennicott Wilderness Guides’ office on Main St, McCarthy, next door to the McCarthy Lodge (8:45am or 3:45 pm)
Staying in Kennicott? Kennicott Shuttle: Meet at 8:30 am 3:30 pm (in front of lodge)
Return by 11:45am & 6:45 pm or take a later shuttle.
$35 per person (Family & Group Rates available)
McCarthy Now & Then Tour & ½ Day Glacier Hike9:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. McCarthy Tour/1:00–@5:30 p.m. 9:30 a.m.–@2:00 p.m.
GLX Hike/4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. McCarthy Tour$95 per person (Group & Family Rates available) Reservations recommended / Inquire at front desk or at Kennicott Wilderness Guides office in McCarthy (960-1070) or Kennicott (554-4444) For making reservation before arriving to town: 1-800-ON-HIKES or mail@kennicottguides.com
St. Elias Alpine Guides & Copper Oar
Each season we welcome more visitors to the McCarthy area who are seeking the beauty and wilderness that the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park has to offer. Whether venturing into the backcountry on a multi-day backpacking or mountaineering expedition, or joining a day adventure to explore Kennecott's historic buildings, to hike on the nearby Root Glacier, or to raft the braided glacial rivers, St. Elias Alpine Guides offers the most unique and professional program available. Our service is the only operation in the Park with certified guides (by the American Mountain Guides Association) on staff. In addition, our guides are trained and supervised by AMGA Senior Certified Alpine Guides.
We offer full transportation to and from McCarthy for Day Hikers - we have two 15 passenger vans and one smaller van
We have 3 offices where clients can get information, wait comfortably and/or enjoy historic documents and readings- the Mother load Powerhouse in McCarthy and the Chinese Laundry in Kennecott, as well as our Visitor Center located about mile before the end of the McCarthy Road.
Copper Oar offers fully-outfitted, first-rate Alaska outdoor adventures. Our operation is based in McCarthy, Alaska, in the largest protected wilderness area on earth. We outfit extended wilderness river float and whitewater journeys, classic wildlife excursions, day raft, canoe and hiking trips, glacier explorations, multi-activity adventures, and so much more. Our one-day rafting and flight seeing trip from McCarthy has been called "the best one-day adventure in Alaska." Our trips focus on the land and its glory and are led by Alaskan's who are proud to share all of Alaska's grandeur.
Our one-day flight seeing and rafting trip promises to be a highlight for all Alaska visitors. On this trip you raft through scenic canyons with glacier views and splash through fun whitewater before returning to McCarthy by bush plane from a riverside gravel bar. Our shorter Paddle and Peddle trip features one hour of scenic rafting and a leisurely and vista-filled mountain bike tour. We also offer guided hiking, glacier and natural history tours in and around Kennicott. We outfit a variety of extended wilderness rafting and wildlife trips.
Copper Oar guides share their natural history knowledge in as safe, professional and friendly manner as possible as we travel amidst enormous mountain peaks, fabulous cliffs, waterfalls, flowing glaciers and converging rivers. We explore the geology, flora, fauna, and glaciers and we help our guests investigate this home of the salmon and large fur bearers of the north. Along with the natural history, Copper Oar guests are treated to tales of the rich and colorful human history, past and present.
Ellis Air
Ellis Air specializes in backcountry trips, air taxi service, and they even deliver the McCarthy mail twice a week!
Contact Ellis Air via email at: lellis@alaska.net
If you wish to mail them, you can reach them at the following address:
Ellis Air Taxi, Inc.
Mile 118 Richardson Hwy
P.O. Box 106
Glennallen, AK 99588
907-822-3368