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Lonely National Parks
By Rich Beattie, GORP Editor
Alaska
Wrangell-St. Elias, Alaska

Wrangell
With 13.2 million acres, it's safe to say you'll have plenty of room to spread out in Wrangell-St. Elias. A day's drive east of Anchorage, Wrangell is not only America's most mammoth park (it could hold six Yellowstones), but North America's largest assemblage of glaciers, and its highest concentration of 16,000-foot-plus peaks. Facilities? Sure, if you like small emergency cabins with bunks and wood stoves (potential saviors, though, since snow could come any time of the year). Don't expect maintained trails, but make the effort to get above tree line—it's the best place to see the wild sheep, bear, caribou, moose, and mountain goats. The coastal area adds sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, porpoises, and whales.

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