The Final Frontier Part III: Wrangell-St.Elias With Kids!

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is the largest area managed by the Park Service with an area totaling over 13,000,000 acres.  It is 25% bigger than the entire country of Switzerland and can encompass six Yellowstone National Parks. The second tallest mountain in the United States is Mount St. Elias and Mount Wrangell is an active volcano. The Park also has a number of glacial features. Source.

Although it was initially on the radar as a possible place to visit, after a neighbor, who had recently returned from a trip to Alaska, identified Wrangell-St. Elias as a must visit, it quickly shot up the list and became a priority. My husband, son, and my in-laws ended up spending two nights in Wrangell-St. Elias and, by all accounts, it exceeded expectations.

How did they get there?

The night before Wrangell, they stayed in Tok, Alaska at an RV camp. It wasn’t the nicest of places, but it was sufficient and they were able to get in a long bike ride on the way to dinner – a nice break from riding in the RV.

biking to dinner in Tok, AK

The next day, it was a four hour drive from Tok to Chitina, where they boarded a small air taxi for a 20 minute flight to Kennicott Glacier Lodge. The decision to fly into Wrangell was made entirely due to the fact that there are only two roads into Wrangell-St. Elias and both are dirt/gravel roads maintained by the state of Alaska, not the Park Service. There are no fuel options within the Park or services along either road, so the decision was made to leave the RV parked in Chitina and fly into Wrangell, instead of possibly risking a vehicle incident that would impact the rest of the trip. The road that they would have taken into Wrangell is only about 60 miles, but would have taken hours had they driven the RV.

Both my husband and my father-in-law loved the flight into Wrangell. The views from the air were incredible and had my husband, who was a private pilot in a former pre-kid life, dreaming of giving up the nine-to-five workday for a bush pilot gig in Alaska. Predictably, my son slept through most of the flight and my mother-in-law, who is not a fan of flying in general, said it was “tolerable.”

“The flight in is spectacular, giving you a great view of the Wrangell Mountains and views of Mt. Blackburn and the Kennecott Glacier as well as big horn sheep and the occasional moose wading in small ponds.” – Charles

Where did they stay?

Kennicott Glacier Lodge, located right in the middle of Wrangell-St.Elias was their home for three days and two nights. Due to the remoteness of the location (and thus, lack of competing options), the decision was made to book one of the special packages that included three meals a day, lodging, and the flights in and out of Wrangell. The Lodge itself was nice, but unremarkable. The views, however, were incredible. The lodge sits several hundred feet above the valley floor and my father-in-law recommends getting a glacier facing room with private bath. He also recommends the meal plan as there is not anywhere else to eat in Kennicott.

What did they do?

There are two vendors that provide guided activities in Wrangell – St. Elias Alpine Guides and Kennicott Guides.  Both outfitters offer similar activities and my father-in-law decided to sign my husband up for a day of ice climbing while he, my mother-in-law, and my son went on a half day hike on Root Glacier with St. Elias Alpine Guides. Since the ice climbing was also taking place on Root Glacier, my son was able to see his dad hang on the ice both coming and going from his hike. All activities were booked and confirmed via the internet well before their arrival. Unless you are experienced in ice hiking yourself, my father-in-law would not recommend going on the ice without a guide. The guides make it easy and safe to explore with kids.

chatting with the guide about glacial ice

Crampons on and ready to go!

my ice-climbing husband

My husband really enjoyed his ice climbing experience and the hike on Root Glacier was a great experience for my son. They provided him with (the required) crampons to walk safely on the ice and he managed the approximately 5 mile hike without incident. The guide was also nice and enjoyed conversing with my son, instead of dismissing him as “just” a kid. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience for everyone’s full day in Wrangell-St. Elias.

What did they eat?

All dining took place at the Lodge as they had booked the plane ride + lodging + food package. The food itself was unremarkable.  It was perfectly suitable but as my husband reports, “you weren’t there for the food.” The meals were served largely buffet/family style and one night was salmon, the other night was steak. Although my son is not the most adventurous eater, my husband was able to get enough to accommodate his taste buds.

Is Wrangell-St. Elias a good experience for kids? 

My son really enjoyed hiking on the glacier with crampons. The guide did a really good job of engaging with him and he was just old enough to experience, remember, and enjoy it. My husband also enjoyed his ice climbing experience. The days they spent in Wrangell-St. Elias ended up being unseasonably warm, so they found themselves quite hot, despite being surrounded by ice. Nonetheless, the views and the experiences made the trip into Wrangell-St. Elias worthwhile and my husband can’t wait to go back. He’s already said, however, that he would like to wait until the boys are older so we can do some back country hiking and camping – which may very well mean that it will be a guys’ trip!

Return to The Final Frontier Part I: Five Days in Seward, Alaska

Return to The Final Frontier Part II: Talkeetna and Denali National/State Park

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