Wrangell–Saint Elias Wilderness

Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness
IUCN category Ib (wilderness area)


Location	Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States
Coordinates	61°16′N 141°36′W / 61.267°N 141.600°W / 61.267; -141.600Coordinates: 61°16′N 141°36′W / 61.267°N 141.600°W / 61.267; -141.600
Area	9,078,675 acres (3,674,009 ha)
Established	1980
Governing body	National Park Service

Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness is a wilderness area in Alaska, United States. At 9,078,675 acres (3,674,009 ha), it is the largest designated U.S. Wilderness Area, and lies within Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest national park in the United States. It is a land of remote valleys, wild rivers, and a fabulous wildlife population that includes Dall sheep, grizzly bears, black bears, coyotes, bison, caribou, wolverines, moose, beavers, mountain goats, gray wolves, red foxes, and marmots. In the north the glaciated peaks drop to tundra and boreal forested uplands. In the south massive glaciers spread from the mountains almost to the Gulf of Alaska. Several trails provide foot or horse access, but large braided rivers often stop progress unless a packraft is used. The classic route across the wilderness links the gold-rush era settlement of Chisana with the copper-mining era community of McCarthy, via 100 miles (160 km) of tundra, trails and gravel bars. Unmaintained trails lead through spruce forests near Chisana, across high tundra plains to the White River, below 16,000-foot (4,900 m) mountains over Skolai Pass, and into the Chitistone Gorge and Canyon with waterfalls to 1,500 feet (460 m) high. Mosquitoes are thick in the low country during the summer, and enough snow accumulates in the high country to make avalanches a year-round danger.

On the Canadian side of the border lies Kluane National Park, and together these two areas house some of the continent's most spectacular mountain landscapes.

References

Wilderness.net (public domain)

Protected areas of Alaska

Federal

National Parks	Denali Gates of the Arctic Glacier Bay Katmai Kenai Fjords Kobuk Valley Lake Clark Wrangell–St. Elias

National Historical Parks	Klondike Gold Rush Sitka

National Monuments	Admiralty Island (USFS) Aniakchak Cape Krusenstern Misty Fiords (USFS) World War II Valor in the Pacific

National Preserves	Bering Land Bridge Noatak Yukon–Charley Rivers

National Wildlife Refuges	Alaska Maritime Alaska Peninsula Arctic Becharof Innoko Izembek Kanuti Kenai Kodiak Koyukuk Nowitna Saint Lazaria Selawik Tetlin Togiak Yukon Delta Yukon Flats

National Forests	Chugach Tongass

Forest Service units	Mendenhall Glacier

U.S. Wilderness Areas	Aleutian Islands Andreafsky Becharof Bering Sea Bogoslof Chamisso Chuck River Coronation Island Denali Endicott River Forrester Island Gates of the Arctic Glacier Bay Hazy Islands Innoko Izembek Karta River Katmai Kenai Kobuk Valley Kootznoowoo Koyukuk Kuiu Lake Clark Maurille Islands Misty Fjords Mollie Beattie Noatak Nunivak Petersburg Creek–Duncan Salt Chuck Pleasant/Lemusurier/Inian Islands Russell Fjord Saint Lazaria Selawik Semidi Simeonof South Baranof South Etolin South Prince of Wales Stikine-LeConte Tebenkof Bay Togiak Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Tuxedni Unimak Warren Island West Chichagof-Yakobi Wrangell–Saint Elias

National Conservation Area	Steese

State

State Parks	Afognak Island Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Baranof Castle Hill Birch Lake Chena River Area Chena River Site Chugach Deep Creek Denali Kachemak Bay Totem Bight Wood-Tikchik

State Forests	Haines Southeast Tanana Valley

Alaska Department of Natural Resources

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Wrangell–Saint Elias Wilderness

See also

References