Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Encyclopedia
Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve is a United States
National Park
in southeastern Alaska
. It was established in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
. The park area is included in an International Biosphere Reserve and is part of a UNESCO
World Heritage Site
. It is the largest national park in the United States by area, covering an area of 20,587 mi² (53,321 km²), or over 13 million acre
s (53,000 km²). In fact, it is larger than nine U.S. States, and its size is comparable to the Canadian province of Nova Scotia
.
Mount St. Elias is situated on the border of Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Canada
's Kluane National Park and Reserve
. At 18,008 feet (5,489 m), Mt. St. Elias is the second highest mountain
in both Canada and the United States
. In all, nine of the 16 highest peaks on U.S. soil are located in the park, along with North America's largest subpolar icefield
, glaciers, rivers, an active volcano
, and the historic Kennecott copper mines. The vast majority of the park is designated as wilderness
, and the Wrangell–St. Elias Wilderness
is the largest designated wilderness in the United States.
The park is accessible by highway from Anchorage
; two rough gravel roads (the McCarthy Road
and the Nabesna Road
) wind through the park, making much of the interior accessible for backcountry camping and hiking. Chartered aircraft also fly into the park. Wrangell–St. Elias received 61,085 visitors in 2007 and is quickly gaining popularity through its combination of size, remoteness, and accessibility.
World Heritage Site
in 1979 for the spectacular glacier and icefield landscapes as well as for the importance of grizzly bears
, caribou
and Dall sheep
habitat.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in southeastern Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. It was established in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act was a United States federal law passed in 1980 by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on December 2 of that year....
. The park area is included in an International Biosphere Reserve and is part of a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
. It is the largest national park in the United States by area, covering an area of 20,587 mi² (53,321 km²), or over 13 million acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
s (53,000 km²). In fact, it is larger than nine U.S. States, and its size is comparable to the Canadian province of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
.
Mount St. Elias is situated on the border of Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
's Kluane National Park and Reserve
Kluane National Park and Reserve
Kluane National Park and Reserve are two units of Canada's national park system, located in the extreme southwestern corner of Yukon Territory. Kluane National Park Reserve was established in 1972, covering 22,016 square kilometres....
. At 18,008 feet (5,489 m), Mt. St. Elias is the second highest mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
in both Canada and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In all, nine of the 16 highest peaks on U.S. soil are located in the park, along with North America's largest subpolar icefield
Bagley Icefield
The Bagley Icefield in southeastern Alaska is the largest nonpolar icefield in North America. It was named after James W. Bagley, a USGS topographic engineer who developed the Bagley T-3 camera and mapped Alaska prior to World War I...
, glaciers, rivers, an active volcano
Mount Wrangell
Mount Wrangell is a massive shield volcano located in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in southeastern Alaska, United States. The shield rises over above the Copper River to its southwest. Its volume is over , making it more than twice as massive as Mount Shasta in California, the...
, and the historic Kennecott copper mines. The vast majority of the park is designated as wilderness
Wilderness
Wilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
, and the Wrangell–St. Elias Wilderness
Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness
Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness is a wilderness area in Alaska, United States. At , it is the largest designated U.S. Wilderness Area, and lies within Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest national park in the United States...
is the largest designated wilderness in the United States.
The park is accessible by highway from Anchorage
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
; two rough gravel roads (the McCarthy Road
McCarthy Road
The McCarthy Road is a road that runs from the end of the Edgerton Highway in Chitina, Alaska, to about outside of McCarthy, Alaska.-Route description:...
and the Nabesna Road
Nabesna Road
The Nabesna Road is a minor highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends from the Slana to Nabesna, providing access to some interior components of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The entire length of the road is gravel and has few services...
) wind through the park, making much of the interior accessible for backcountry camping and hiking. Chartered aircraft also fly into the park. Wrangell–St. Elias received 61,085 visitors in 2007 and is quickly gaining popularity through its combination of size, remoteness, and accessibility.
World Heritage Site
The transborder park system Kluane / Wrangell–St. Elias / Glacier Bay / Tatshenshini–Alsek (comprising Wrangell–St. Elias and three other national and provincial parks) was declared a UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
in 1979 for the spectacular glacier and icefield landscapes as well as for the importance of grizzly bears
Grizzly Bear
The grizzly bear , also known as the silvertip bear, the grizzly, or the North American brown bear, is a subspecies of brown bear that generally lives in the uplands of western North America...
, caribou
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
and Dall sheep
Dall Sheep
The Dall sheep , Ovis dalli, is a species of sheep native to northwestern North America, ranging from white to slate brown in color and having curved yellowish brown horns...
habitat.
See also
- Kennecott, Alaska, a historic mining town found within the park
- Ferdinand von WrangelFerdinand von WrangelBaron Ferdinand Friedrich Georg Ludwig von Wrangel – May 25 , 1870) was a Russian explorer and seaman, Honorable Member of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences, a founder of the Russian Geographic Society...
— Russian explorer & admiral for whom Mount Wrangell (sic) volcano is named; more accurately transliterated as Vrangel (sic).
Further reading
- Eppinger, R.G., et al. (2000). Environmental geochemical studies of selected mineral deposits in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska [U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1619]. Reston, VA: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
- Winkler, G.R. (2000). A geologic guide to Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska : a tectonic collage of northbound terranes [U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1616]. Denver: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey.
- Bleakley, Geoffrey T., (2002). "Contested Ground, An Administrative History of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska, 1978–2001" [National Park Service Publication] Copper Center AK: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.