Wrangell Mountains Loop — McCarthy Road to Kennecott via Chitina and the Copper River Corridor

The McCarthy Road runs 60 miles east from Chitina to the Kennicott River footbridge, following the abandoned Copper River and Northwestern Railway grade into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The roadbed is unimproved gravel with embedded railroad spikes that have been surfacing through the gravel for a century — tire punctures are common enough that two full-size spares are standard practice, not optional. At the end of the road, you park and cross the footbridge into McCarthy, then continue by foot or vehicle shuttle another five miles up to Kennecott — the National Historic Landmark copper mining complex that operated from 1903 to 1938 and still stands largely intact against the Wrangell Mountains backdrop.

The road itself is classified by the Park Service as primitive and is typically passable by high-clearance 2WD in dry conditions, but the remoteness demands mechanical self-sufficiency. Nearest fuel is in Chitina, roughly 100 miles from McCarthy — carry extra. No cell service for the entire corridor. The road is typically open May through October; freeze-thaw in spring creates significant washboard and soft shoulders. Dispersed camping is available in designated areas near the road. This is not a technical 4×4 trail — it’s a long, isolated gravel run through some of the most dramatic mountain scenery on the continent, and that alone makes it worth the drive.