McCarthy-Kennicott Transportation
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Drive: It takes approximately 7 hours from Anchorage and 8 hours from Fairbanks to drive to McCarthy. Most of the trip is on a paved highway. The the final 2 hours (60 miles) are on the scenic, rugged McCarthy Road. This is a gravel road, and many Alaska car rental companies don’t allow their vehicles on non-paved roads. Alaska 4x4 Rentals, and Alaska Overlander, based in Anchorage, do!
Fly: An alternative is to drive 5 hours from Anchorage to Chitina, and then fly into McCarthy. There are also charter companies that offer flights direct from Anchorage.
Air Taxis & Charters View All
If you want to get a true sense of the 13 million acres within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park — which has a mere 100 miles of roadways — start with an aerial view. Since 1992, Wrangell Mountain Air has been offering safe and fascinating tours of this remote kingdom, which boasts North America’s largest assemblage of glaciers as well as its largest collection of peaks above 16,000 feet. Choose from three main tours.
Rentals for the McCarthy Road
Some of Alaska’s most alluring destinations are along its gravel roads, through timber, tundra and quaint towns. Alaska 4×4 Rental’s 4‑wheel drive vehicles are perfect for navigating these rugged roads. Choose a new model Jeep, SUV, pickup or van for your own custom road trip – and you can drive all the way to the Arctic Circle!
Complete with rooftop tents that set up in minutes, camp stove, and refrigerator, Overlanders are perfect for exploring Alaska. Explore the Denali Highway, McCarthy Road, or Dalton Highway just as easily as you can zip into towns like Homer, Talkeetna, or Fairbanks.
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