| McCarthy Road | |
|---|---|
| Alaska Route 10 east | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by Alaska DOT&PF | |
| Length: | 48 mi (77 km) |
| Major junctions | |
| West end: | Edgerton Highway in Chitina |
| East end: | Kennecott River near the Kennecott Mines National Historical Landmark |
| Highway system | |
The McCarthy Road is a road that runs from the end of the Edgerton Highway in Chitina, Alaska, to about 1 mile (1.6 km) outside of McCarthy, Alaska.
Contents |
McCarthy Road starts at the end of the Edgerton Highway in Chitina. The road is gravel-surfaced, and often very rough with many washboards and sharp turns. The route follows the railbed of the defunct Copper River and Northwestern Railway, and utilizes the spectacular Kuskulana Bridge, built in 1910, spanning 238 feet (73 m) high above the Kuskulana River at mile 17. It is one of two roads leading to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, though it is not part of the park, and gives access to the abandoned copper mines at Kennecott.
The road does not actually lead all the way to Kennecott; visitors must cross the Kennecott River by a footbridge built in the 1990s. Historically, one had to cross the river on a self-propelled tram. Visitors can walk to McCarthy in about 15 minutes, although shuttle vans and busses are available during the tourist season from the bridge to both McCarthy and Kennecott.[1] The road is not maintained during winter.
The road was the inspiration for the 2004 book The Road to McCarthy: Around the World in Search of Ireland by Pete McCarthy.[2]
The entire route is in Unorganized Borough.
| Location | Mile | Destinations | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chitina | 0 | Edgerton Highway | ||||
| Kuskulana River | 17 | Kuskulana Bridge | ||||
| McCarthy | 48 | Kennecott River | Eastern terminus on the banks of the river | |||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | ||||||