Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve - Alaska

Wrangell-St. Elias in the largest US national park, a staggering 13.2 million acres in south-central Alaska (six times the size of Yellowstone!).  The park protects much of the St. Elias Mountains, which include most of the highest peaks in the US, highlighted by 18,000-foot Mount St. Elias.  Other features of the park include extensive glaciers, icefields, volcanoes, and coastline, as well as the remains of the early-twentieth-century boomtown of Kennecott, once one of the world’s richest copper mines.  Most of the park is difficult to access due to lack of roads, and most of its hiking trails are maintained for only the first few miles before becoming cross-country routes.  Backpacking can be a rewarding experience, but hikers must be prepared to travel through rugged wildlands.