The road to McCarthy from Chitina is 60 miles long and gravel. The road used to be a the old rail road track, so there may be a left over rail road spike to jump up and attack your tires. Although we didn't get a flat tire on the road we did manage a flat tire on a sharp rock at the campground. The problem with the road is some people tend to drive like they are on pavement. Several vehicles went by very fast and kicked rocks up.
Here is a link for the map of the route. Palmer to McCarthy
In the early 1900’s prospectors discovered a rich deposit of copper ore near what is now the town of Kennecott. Mines, a concentration mill, and a company town were quickly established to support the extraction of the valuable metal. The management of the mine decided that a railroad would provide the much needed transportation and the 196 mile Copper River and Northwestern Railroad was constructed between 1907 and 1911. Beginning at the coast in Cordova, the railroad was a monumental feat of engineering as it crossed raging rivers, active glaciers, bogs, and impenetrable forests on its way to Kennecott. However, once completed, the railroad provided the much needed transportation and was vital for the success of the mines in Kennecott. The railroad operated for 27 years until the mines closed in 1938. Over 200 million dollars worth of copper was removed from the area. Eventually, the rails and ties were removed from the road bed and the road was first graded for vehicles in the 1960’s.
A picture just getting on to the Edgerton Highway. The Edgerton Highway is 33 miles long that goes from the Richardson Highway to Chitina. The McCarthy road starts at Chitina and ends at McCarthy.
Looking into the Copper River from the Edgerton Highway.
Leaving Chitina going through a single lane hole in the rocks. This was originally just for railroad tracks.
Where the Chitina River flows into the Copper River.
The Kuskulana Bridge, built in 1910, is 525 feet long and 238 feet above the Kuskulana River. Before 1988, vehicles had to pass over wide open gaps on the wooden decking of the bridge with only 18-inch safety rails on either side. Now, this 3-span steel bridge has solid wooden decking and sturdy safety rails, along with gorgeous views of a deep river canyon.
Looking down into the Kuskulana River from the bridge.
The Gilahina trestle, which is 880 feet long and 90 feet high, was built in 1911 with a half million board feet of timber.
A great view of Root Glacier.
McCarthy sprang up partly because alcoholic beverages and prostitution were forbidden in Kennecott, McCarthy grew as an area to provide illicit services not available in the company town. By 1938 the population of McCarthy and Kennecott fell to almost zero until the 1970s. In 1980 the area was designated Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
I think this plane has seen better days.
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