Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Paddling adventures in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve consist of coastline kayaking in the wild, open waters of the Bay of Alaska, or running rivers with Class I or Class II rapids. And paddling, like everything else in Alaska, is big. The trips highlighted here cover dozens or hundreds of miles and take days to complete. Click on trip names for more details.

Icy Bay: The coastline of Wrangell-St. Elias. 150 miles, exposed to the open waters of the Gulf of Alaska or Yakutat Bay.

Chitina River: 125 miles, 5-10 days. Air access is necessary, and upon landing it is necessary to haul boats and gear one mile south to the main channel of the river.

Copper River: 140 miles, a 5- to 10-day trip. Road access is via the Richardson Highway to the Tazlina River rest area at Mile 110.6.

Kennicott-Nizina-Chitina: 70-mile trip, 3-5 days. Access by road is via the Edgerton Highway.

Nabesna River: 70 miles, 3-4 days are recommended. Air access via local air taxi from Chistochina, Gulkana etc., to Orange Hill airstrip.