Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve

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Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
IUCN Category II (National Park)
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Location Valdez-Cordova Census Area, Yakutat City and Borough, and Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska, USA
Nearest city Anchorage
Coordinates 61°0′0″N 142°00′0″W / 61, -142
Area 13,175,901 acres (53,321 km²)
Established December 2, 1980
Visitors 61,085 (in 2007[1])
Governing body National Park Service
1979

Established in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is a United States National Park in southern Alaska. The park area is included in an International Biosphere Reserve and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest national park in the United States by area, covering an area of 20,587 mi² (53,321 km²), or over 13 million acres (53,000 km²). The Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness is the largest designated wilderness in the United States. It includes the second-highest peak in the country, Mount Saint Elias, at 18,008 feet (5,489 meters). It borders on Canada's Kluane National Park and Reserve. The vast majority of the park is designated as wilderness.

The park is accessible by highway from Anchorage; two rough gravel roads (the McCarthy Road and the Nabesna Road) wind through the park, making much of the interior accessible for backcountry camping and hiking. Chartered aircraft also fly into the park. Wrangell-St. Elias received 61,085 visitors in 2007 and is quickly gaining popularity through its combination of size, remoteness, and accessibility.

Contents

[edit] World Heritage Site

The transborder park system Kluane-Wrangell-St. Elias-Glacier Bay-Tatshenshini-Alsek (comprising Kluane, Wrangell-St Elias, Glacier Bay and Tatshenshini-Alsek parks) was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 for the spectacular glacier and icefield landscapes as well as for the importance of grizzly bears, caribou and Dall sheep habitat.

[edit] Gallery

Mount Sanford

Hikers on a pass between Mt. Sanford and Mt. Drum

Mount Sanford

Welcome sign at the entrance to Wrangell-St. Elias visitor center.

[edit] See also

  • Ferdinand von Wrangel — Russian explorer & admiral for whom Mount Wrangell (sic) volcano is named; more accurately transliterated as Vrangel (sic).

[edit] References

  1. ^ National Park Service. Park Visitation Report

[edit] External links

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