|
|
|
Attractions |
| |
- Wrangell-St Elias National Park
- Wrangell Museum
- City Park
- Cathedral Peak
- Great Glacier
- LeConte Glacier
- The Stikine River
|
| | | | Wrangell-St Elias National Park |
| |
 |
| |
Wrangell Saint Elias, a half-day drive east of Anchorage, is a park of enormous size, 13.2 million acres (528 thousand squares kilometers) six times the size of Yellowstone, larger than Switzerland), which is populated by enormous mountains glaciers, and rivers. There are 9 of the 16 highest mountains in the US, and more than 150 glaciers, among them the Malaspina which alone is the size of Yellowstone, the Nabesna, which is 75 miles long, and the Hubbard, which advances 10 meters per day.
Unlike most of the Alaskan parks, Wrangell Saint Elias is penetrated by two roads, which make it easier to explore on a tight budget. The most interesting road leads to the quirky community of Mac Carthy and the impressive abandoned old copper mining town of Kennecott, situated right above the glacier of the same name. The view from Kennecott is dominated by Mt Donohue, a peak which lies like an island between the two vast Kennicott and Root glaciers. Walking from Kennecott, in three days, I navigated across the crevasses and streams of the Root glacier and climbed the steep scree slopes of Mt Donohue to get a commanding view of the wide local glaciers and of the entire Wrangell range. |
| |
| Top |
|
| Wrangell Museum |
| |
 |
| |
The Museum's collection reflects Wrangell's colorful past. Four of the finest carved Tlingit houseposts are on loan to the museum from the local Wrangell Cooperative Association, IRA. Carved in the late 1700's these are thought to be the oldest known houseposts still in existence today.
The museum has an enviable collection of spruceroot and cedarbark baskets from the turn-of-the-century on display. Early settlement of Wrangell by the Russians and the English are represented in our collection on early exploration history. Chinese and Japanese collections depict later foreign influences in Wrangell.
Wrangell was a major supply center for three major gold rushes to impact the area. Beginning in 1861 with the Stikine Rush, Wrangell was a bustling boomtown replete with saloons, hotels, and warehouses. In 1898 Wrangell provided early access to the Klondike gold fields up the nearby Stikine River. The Museum's photo collection, now numbering over 3,000 photographs and negatives, begins its documentation of Wrangell history during the gold rush heyday.
Trapping, Fishing and Forest industries, all major players in the development of Southeast Alaska, are represented in the collection, as is the community's character and charm with memorabilia from local business, families and individuals throughout this small, local museum. |
| |
| Top |
|
| City Park |
| |
 |
| |
| City Park is located approximately one mile south of town on Zimovia Highway. The park is a waterfront park on Zimovia Straits and has a scenic view of the inland waters and surrounding islands. It is adjacent to a historic cemetery and the Little League practice ball field. The park has 4 covered shelters, fireplaces and several picnic tables. Tent camping is allowed on a 24-hour basis only and there are restroom facilities available. Please call to schedule use of the covered area. |
| |
| Top |
|
| Cathedral Peak |
| |
 |
| |
Cathedral Peak is the crowning peak of the Cathedral Range, a mountain range in the south-central portion of Yosemite National Park in Tuolumne County, California. The range is an offshoot of the Sierra Nevada. The peak, which lends its name to the range, derives its name from its cathedral-shaped peak, which was formed by glacial activity: the peak remained uneroded above the glaciers in the Pleistocene.
The body of the Cathedral is nearly square, and the roof slopes are wonderfully regular and symmetrical, the ridge trending northeast and southwest. This direction has apparently been determined by structure joints in the granite. The gable on the northeast end is magnificent in size and simplicity, and at its base there is a big snow-bank protected by the shadow of the building. The front is adorned with many pinnacles and a tall spire of curious workmanship. Here too the joints in the rock are seen to have played an important part in determining their forms and size and general arrangement. The Cathedral is said to be about eleven thousand feet above the sea, but the height of the building itself above the level of the ridge it stands on is about fifteen hundred feet. A mile or so to the westward there is a handsome lake, and the glacier-polished granite about it is shining so brightly it is not easy in some places to trace Front of Cathedral Peak the line between the rock and water, both shining alike. |
| |
| Top |
|
| Great Glacier |
| |
 |
| |
| It was during this first trip that John Muir was able to view the "Big Stickeen" glacier. Known today simply as the "Great Glacier," Muir described it as a "broad white flood, though apparently rigid as iron, sweeping in graceful curves between its high mountain-like walls, small glaciers hanging in the hollows on either side, and snow in every form above them, and the great down-plunging granite buttresses and headlands of the walls marvelous in bold massive sculpture...". Great Glacier is a ice-tongue glacier that calves in to a pro glacial lake. It's seperated from the main channel of the Stikine River by a relic terminal moraine. Local legend claims it once covered the Stikine river completely, filling the valley on the opposite shore as well. The mighty river bored a tunnel through the ice. As punishment, the natives sent an old woman adrift on the River, and it was she that discovered the islands below. Great Glacier is the largest of its kind on the Stikine River. A short walk to the sandy shore of its pro glacial lake offers an incredible viewing opportunity. The Province of British Columbia has developed an excellent camp and picnic area at the outlet of Great Glacier on the Stikine River. |
| |
| Top |
|
| LeConte Glacier |
| |
 |
| |
| LeConte Glacier is 38 miles from Wrangell by boat. The Glacier itself is 35 km long and is Northern hemisphere’s southern most calving glacier, located in a stunningly beautiful fjord. The glacier is extremely active and has regular calving events and is famous for its “shooters” (massive submarine icebergs dramatically rising to the surface). The fjord where the glacier terminates is surrounded by steep snow capped mountains adorned with waterfalls. LeConte Glaciers’ calving events produce a phenomenal collection of bergs making a great place for you to experience the best of what Alaska has to offer. Join us for this interesting excursion by jet boat. We’ll take you as close as the glacier will safely allow. Enjoy the eagles and seals (LeConte is a seal nursery) and spend the balance of the day in the historic Norwegian fishing port of Petersburg. Then continue return to Wrangell via the scenic Wrangell Narrows. |
| |
| Top |
|
| The Stikine River |
| |
 |
| |
Wrangell is the Gateway to the Stikine River, or Stik-Heen, which means 'Great River' in Tlingit. The Stikine River certainly lives up to its name. Traveling 400 miles from headwaters in British Columbia to its mouth near Wrangell, it continues to carve its channel through glacial valleys and delta flats. The delta flats are 11,000 hectares (27,200 acres), and 16 miles wide, extending from the river mouth, almost to the town itself, five miles away and are visible from the jet when landing at Wrangell airport.
The river is truly a photographer's dream. The delta is a haven for over 120 species of migrating birds in the spring and fall, including tundra (whistling) swans, Canadian geese, sandhill cranes, mergansers, waterfowl and over 150,000 shorebirds. In April, the second largest concentration of eagles in the world occurs when as many as 1,600 arrive to feast on the annual hooligan run. In late April, 8,000 to 10,000 snow geese stop on their migration northward. There are other wildlife such as sealions, otter, bear and moose.
You can explore the river in many different ways. Jet boat charters offer immediate access to glaciers, lakes, and sidewaters of the Stikine River. See the river and its glaciers and valley's by air, flying through the spectacular coastal mountains. For a more leisurely trip, canoes, kayaks, and rafts are available locally.
Wrangell is an excellent staging area for guided or personal float trips from Telegraph Creek in British Columbia. Telegraph Creek is a small historic town 160 miles upriver from Wrangell. Visit the Garnet Ledge, located at the mouth of the Stikine River. It is the site of a historic garnet mine. Wrangell's children dig the semi precious stones to offer as visitor souvenirs. | |
Save time, money and stress! For reservations: Fill out the vacation planner to be contacted by a Wrangell vacation specialist.
Contact : Travelwizard.com
Phone: 1-800-330-8820 or 1-415-446-5252
|
