The National Park That’s Bigger Than Switzerland, with Active Volcanoes, Shifting Glaciers, and Wild Alaskan Beauty

And Why You Should Still Visit

Wrangell-St. Elias is huge, six times bigger than Yellowstone, and covers 13.2 million acres of Alaskan wilderness. But the park’s beauty comes with serious risks.

Located where three mountain ranges meet, this remote park has claimed 23 lives already. Yet every year, brave visitors come to explore this wild place, drawn by its untouched beauty and raw nature.

Here are 11 reasons why even experienced outdoors people need to be extra careful in this park.

Wild Weather Swings

The weather here changes faster than you might believe. While summer days at Kennecott Mines can be warm at 80°F, winter in Chitistone Valley can freeze at -50°F. Wrangell-St. Elias has recorded temperature drops of 40-50°F within hours, especially in winter months.

Even in summer, rangers respond to numerous search and rescue missions. Strong winds at high elevations make it feel much colder than it is, dropping the temperature you feel by 30 degrees in minutes.

Deep Ice Cracks

About 35% of the park is covered in ice, including the massive Malaspina Glacier, which stretches 127 miles. These glaciers hide dangerous cracks, some deeper than a 20-story building.

Sadly, these hidden dangers have claimed lives. In 2019, a climber fell into a crevasse on a glacier in the park and survived after being rescued several days later. The snow that bridges these cracks can break under the weight of just one person.

No Way to Call

Getting help here isn’t easy. Phone signals disappear in deep valleys like Chitistone Canyon, where mountains block satellite coverage for most of the day.

If something goes wrong in remote spots like Skolai Pass, help might take more than a day to reach you. A group of German hikers learned this the hard way in 2018 before anyone knew they needed help.

If you need a hospital, the nearest one is 313 miles away in Anchorage.

Wild Animals

The park is home to lots of large animals: 13,000 Dall sheep (the most in North America), 300 grizzly bears, 100 black bears, and 400 moose. In Alaska in general, there were about 60 bear-related incidents in 2021.

Don’t underestimate moose though, they’re as dangerous as bears. They can weigh as much as a small car and run as fast as a horse. According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, they’re responsible for several vehicle collisions and injuries.

Snow Slides

The Root Glacier alone averages 50 feet of snow per year. The Alaska Avalanche Center has reported snow slides in the area powerful enough to be deadly. In 2018, two climbers died in an avalanche in the Alaska Range, showing how even experienced climbers can fall victim to avalanche risks.

Deceptively Dangerous Rivers

The rivers here play tricks on hikers. Take the Nizina River, its water level can rise owing to glacial meltwater.

The water stays cold all year, at just one degree above freezing (around 33-34°F or 0.5-1°C). The Kennicott River and its tributaries are prone to flooding, which can impact river crossings and safety.

In the Alaska Range, there have been multiple incidents where people have been swept away by strong river currents.

Volatile Weather

The weather here can flip like a coin. When ocean air meets mountain air, clear skies can turn into a blinding storm in half an hour.

A group of hikers found this out near Bonanza Ridge in July 2020, when they got trapped for a day and a half. The winds hit 85 miles per hour (as strong as a hurricane) and you can’t see more than 10 feet ahead.

The weather is so unpredictable that even professional forecasters often get it wrong.

Seriously Tough Climbs

The park has some seriously challenging mountains. Mount St. Elias stands at 18,008 feet, while Mount Blackburn reaches 16,390 feet.

These aren’t your average climbs. The first ascent of Mount Blackburn was in 1958, and since then, fewer than 50 parties have successfully climbed the mountain.

The north face of Mount St. Elias is so tough that only three groups have ever made it up since 1997.

Most Trails Are Unmarked

Unlike other parks, Wrangell-St. Elias only has 69 miles of marked trails in its vast area.

Some paths, like the Goat Trail, are barely two feet wide with thousand-foot drops beside them. The land keeps changing too.

In 2022, a landslide completely changed a mile of the McCarthy Creek trail. In 2019, a significant flood altered a portion of the McCarthy Creek trail, forcing hikers to use alternate routes until repairs were made.

Active Volcanoes

Mount Wrangell, at 14,163 feet high, is one of North America’s biggest active volcanoes. The last major eruption of Mount Wrangell might have been as long as 80,000 years ago.

But you can still see steam rising from its top (nearby Kennicott Glacier area on clear days), and in 2016, it experienced a series of small earthquakes. In 1993, a significant mudflow (also known as a lahar) occurred on Mount Wrangell that traveled 12 miles down the mountain.