Alaska, July 2000 - Page 27

Kennicott Overview

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Next we drove to Kennicott, a former mining town located in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. There are extensive ruins from the copper mining operation. Those are not mine tailings beyond the mine buildings; that's actually the Kennicott Glacier, which is covered by dirt and gravel. There's ice beneath a coating that ranges from 2 inches to 2 feet thick.

To get to Kennicott, you have to drive 60 miles down a railway bed converted to dirt road (my brother found a railroad spike), walk across the Kennicott River on a footbridge, and get a shuttle bus to Kennicott. Once there we stayed at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge.


Photo Copyright 2000 - Scott McGuire (smcguire at scottmcguire dot com)
This image may not be used or reproduced in any format without the express permission of the photographer.