Kuskulana Bridge — 238-Foot-High Railroad Bridge on the McCarthy Road

The Kuskulana Bridge is a steel trestle built in 1910 for the Copper River & Northwestern Railway. It hauled copper ore out of Kennecott, and it’s about 525 feet long, hanging roughly 238 feet above the Kuskulana River. When the rails came up after the mine closed, the roadbed became the McCarthy Road. You still drive the old span, with the gorge dropping away under your tires. It’s a one-lane crossing, so slow down, look ahead, and let oncoming rigs clear before you roll on. Railings were added to the bridge years ago, but the drop is still plenty real. Stop at the pullout, walk up, and take in the canyon and the engineering. Men built this thing a century ago with no help from a computer.

It’s roughly 17 miles of gravel from the pavement at Chitina, with the next stretch of railbed spikes and washboard waiting past it. Any vehicle with decent tires can make it, but carry a full-size spare because the railroad spikes that gave this road its reputation have mostly gone. Cell service is gone out here. Summer is the season, and the road is usually rough in spring breakup. Check conditions with Alaska DOT&PF before you go. Have a dirty day.

Drive the 1910 railroad bridge over the gorge