Day Trips in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Fly-In Adventure & Historical Experiences iN Kennecott and McCarthy, Alaska
Photo by flightsee passenger and photographer, Lucas Moore.
Short on Time? Make it a Day Trip.
Can’t imagine skipping this tucked-away little place, but don’t have much wiggle room in the schedule? No worries! Visitors on a time crunch love the fly-in and fly-out day-trips. Whether setting foot on a blue-white glacier is high priority on your bucket list or you are fascinated by the rich copper mining history of Kennecott, this option is for you. You may still leave thinking, “I’ve got to come back!” but this will hold you over until then.
Flights Leave
Chitina 9:05a
McCarthy 5:00p
Flights Arrive
McCarthy 9:40a
Chitina 5:30p
Glacier Adventure Day Trip
$575/person (includes excise tax)
Guided Glacier Adventure + Flight Package
(Children 12 years and younger - $20 discount)
Join your St. Elias Alpine guide on Main Street in Kennecott for a half-day hike on the Root Glacier with sack lunch included. Along the moderate hike out of Kennecott, your guide will explain the natural history of the area. Once at the Root Glacier, you’ll strap on crampons and step onto an undulating blue river of ice. You'll discover many features on the surface of the glacier: crevasses, blue pools, moulins, and perhaps even an ice cave. Included is a delicious sack lunch provided by the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. The glacier hike requires the ability to walk on lightly rolling terrain with some uneven surfaces for 5 miles. Bring a camera, warm clothes, rain jacket, and boots or shoes you can hike in.
“Joined a day trip with Wrangell Mountain Air - flight from Chitina to McCarthy, followed by a transfer to Kennecott and an afternoon hiking to and on the Root Glacier. The flight tour was fantastic, the weather was great and you could see the Kennicott and Root Glaciers on your way in and out of McCarthy. Glacier hike was fantastic as well, it was a quiet day so I got to explore the glacier with my guide who showed me many interesting features and answered all my questions about the park. Highly recommended!”
Historic Adventure Day-Trip
$495/person (includes excise tax)
Kennecott Tour and Flight Package
(Children 12 years and younger - $17 discount)
As a less strenuous option, start the day with the lovely 9:05am flight to McCarthy, a quaint little frontier town, and visit the McCarthy - Kennicott Historical Museum housed in the century-old train depot. They offer an excellent self-guided walking tour of McCarthy. Once you have finished exploring McCarthy, take the shuttle up to Kennecott for a delicious meal at Kennicott Glacier Lodge. Afterwards, join the 2.5 hour guided tour of the town before the 5pm scenic flight returns to Chitina.
“...Our guide did a great job walking us through town and ultimately into the actual mine building. He was a wealth of information and obviously very enthusiastic about what he does. He was also very patient and helpful to some older people in our group who needed a little extra help with the stairs... The flight back was smooth and very scenic, and [the pilot] was informative as we flew over sights. Really nice guy. Would definitely recommend this day trip with Wrangell Mountain Air, it was surprisingly affordable, very enjoyable, and very well organized. Everyone we dealt with, from making the reservation to our flight back, was a pleasure.”
Reservations
Full payment is required for each reservation. You will receive a confirmation letter via e-mail after your payment has been received. Reservations made through our online portal will receive a payment request which must be met within 3 days to maintain confirmed status. Flights to/from Chitina are subject to a 7.5% federal excise tax which is included in the rates above.
All flights include ground transportation from the McCarthy airstrip to and from your accommodation in Kennicott or McCarthy, or to and from the footbridge if your accommodation is located on the westside of the Kennicott River. Wrangell Mountain Air does not provide scheduled transportation to and from Kennicott.
Weight Considerations
If a passenger weight exceeds 300lbs and/or the average body weight of a party of two or more people exceeds 250lbs, an additional seat must be purchased.
Cancellation Policy
All flights cancelled by Wrangell Mountain Air due to weather will receive a full refund. Cancellations received up until 24 hours prior to a flight result in a 10% cancellation fee of total flight cost. No refunds will be issued for a cancellation made within 24 hours of the flight.
Fuel Surcharge
Due to the fluctuating cost of fuel recently, all flights may be subject to a fuel surcharge.