Wilderness for a Day

Photo by passenger and photographer, Mitchell Clark.

Access to Wilderness

We’ve been at this flying thing for more than three decades now and have made access to wilderness a cinch! It’s a long haul in a rental car from Anchorage to McCarthy and most rental companies don’t allow their cars on the 60-mile-lightly-maintained McCarthy Road anyway.

So how does one get to the heart of America’s largest national park with only a few precious vacation days?

Fly!

We offer three flights, daily, from Chitina to McCarthy. Park your rental car and let us show you the wonder of Wrangell - St. Elias National Park from the skies. Spend several days exploring the area (raft, fly, ice climb, enjoy live music, hike, or simply meander). Or, if on a time crunch, fly in on the morning Chitina flight and back in the evening. One of our Day Trip options includes a guided tour of the Kennecott Mines National Historic Monument’s 14-story mill building.

Photo by passenger and photographer, Mitchell Clark.

History and Scenery - All Day Long

Start the day with the lovely 9:00am flight taking off from Chitina. Seen as you enter the Kennicott valley (and accessible via a very challenging hike) is the dilapidated Kennecott Erie Mine and Bunkhouse. After getting a bird’s eye view of the town of Kennecott, you’ll land a few miles down-valley in 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, 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.⁠

Photos by backcountry passenger and photographer, Jacob W. Frank.

“Out of the way” does not mean “hard to access.” You’ll be glad you came.