At 13.2 million acres, Wrangell-St. Elias is one of the world's largest national parks, with the largest concentration of mountain peaks for 14,500 feet in North America. More than 5 million acres of the park are covered with glaciers. Combined with adjacent Kluane National Park in Canada's Yukon, the parks are designated as United Nations World Heritage Sites, recognized as outstanding wilderness resources.
The park has few trails, so reaching the heart of the wilderness can be challenging. The obstacles are many: raging glacial rivers, tall peaks and glaciers, and alder thickets. For some, the country is just too wild. More than a hundred years ago, man's quest for gold and copper led him to the rivers and valleys of the Wrangell Mountains. We take advantage of an old miner's route, as well as wildlife trails--steep, rocky, and rough--to climb into the mountains and experience this special place, and a classic Wrangell Mountains hiking trip.
The 'Goat Trail' ascending the Chitistone Canyon is a rugged, spectacular route that takes us from deep, tree-filled canyons with colorful rock formations and across glacial streams, rivers, and outwash plains, clamoring through boulders to the base of Chitistone Falls, and then ascending to the alpine tundra of the high country, and crossing a pass that bisects the Wrangell and St. Elias ranges. This is a hiking route through a landscape both raw and sublime, offering the contrast of rugged glaciers, colorful rock canyons reminiscent of the U.S. Southwest (but a bit cooler!), tiny wildflowers growing out of rock crevices, and the opportunity to observe some of Alaska's most impressive large mammals.
A short bush plane flight from McCarthy takes us a landing spot on a bench above Glacier Creek, just below the entrance of the Chitistone Canyon, and from here we spend the next 8 days trekking and climbing to higher elevations, with layover days for exploring side canyons along the way. We experience the grandeur of Chitistone Falls and Chitistone Pass, and by trip's end we are perched on the tundra in the Skolai Valley, surrounded by glaciers.
For blow-your-mind scenery, and the possibility of observing such wildlife as Dall sheep, moose, caribou, marmot, and grizzly bear, and a challenging climb into Alaska's spectacular mountain country, this is a strenuous expedition for experienced backpackers who want to move beyond the ordinary definition of a 'trail.'
