Kennicott Glacier Lodge Review- Wrangell-St. Elias
If you decide to add a visit to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park to your Alaska vacation itinerary, I highly recommend a stay at Kennicott Glacier Lodge, deep in the heart of Wrangell St. Elias National Park. Read our review of what to expect and why this lodge is a great idea for any visit to the park!
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Overview
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, located in southeastern Alaska, is the largest national park in the U.S., covering over 13.2 million acres. It features a diverse range of landscapes, including towering mountains, glaciers, and coastal regions. The park is home to Mount St. Elias, the second-highest peak in the U.S., at 18,008 feet, as well as Mount Blackburn.
The park has tons of wildlife like brown and black bears, caribou, moose, wolves, and numerous birds. There are over 150 glaciers, including the massive Malaspina Glacier and the Bagley Ice Field. Wrangell-St. Elias is one of the most spectacular regions in Alaska with some of the highest mountain peaks, accessible glaciers, glacier lakes, and more.
This region has been inhabited by indigenous peoples, including the Ahtna and Tlingit, for thousands of years. In 1980, Wrangell-St. Elias was established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for its natural beauty. It is also home to the National Historic Landmark of the Kennicott Copper Mine.
History of Kennicott
The Kennecott Copper Mine (often referred to as the Kennecott Mines or Kennicott Mines) in Alaska is designated as a National Historic Landmark. This is because the Kennecott Mine has historical significance as a major mining operation and its impact on the development of the region.
The Kennecott Copper Mine operated from 1911 to 1938 and was one of the largest and most profitable copper mining operations in the world during its peak. Kennicott, the mine and the town built to support it, are located at the center of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, at the end of McCarthy Road. This town has a fascinating history and numerous historic mining buildings visitors can visit.
Kennicott Glacier Lodge
The Kennicott Glacier Lodge is the only lodge in Kennecott. This is a charming family-owned lodge that operates seasonally (typically Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend).
When we visited Wrangell-St. Elias National Park we were lucky enough to secure a reservation to stay here for 3 nights. It was so worth it.
There are three main reasons why you should consider booking a stay at Kennicott Glacier Lodge:
1. Proximity to all the activities in Kennecott. You can literally walk to the tour operations, Kennecott Mine buildings, and more. You really don’t have a choice since privately owned vehicles are not allowed in Kennecott.
2. The spectacular panoramic mountain views of the Chugach Mountains. When we visited there were low clouds for most of the visit, but the clouds did part the morning we left. Still, the view was spectacular!
3. All meals are included in the booking cost and they are high quality and delicious. (more on that below).
What are the rooms like at Kennicott Glacier Lodge?
We really enjoyed our stay at this lodge. The guest rooms are clean and basic, but with modern comforts. We stayed in the newer South Wing so our room had two queen beds and a private bathroom with shower facilities.
On the first floor of the South Wing building, there is a comfy community room on the first floor with some board games, oversized couches, and big tables.
The South Wing rooms are just a short walk from the main lodge building. The rooms in the Main Lodge Building are for guests who want a little more adventure. This building is a replica of the original mining era building. So, there are shared (but private) bathrooms and shower rooms throughout the main lodge. While we didn’t stay at the Main Lodge Building, the dining area is located there, so we spent all our meals in that building.
Both lodge buildings have breathtaking Alaska scenery, but the Main Lodge Building also has artifacts from the Kennecott Mining Town and interesting photos from the Historic Kennecott Copper Mine.
The Main Lodge also has the absolute best deck views of the Kennicott Glacier from the front porch.
Meals at Kennicott Glacier Lodge
When you book your stay at Kennicott Glacier Lodge you can pre-purchase a breakfast only, or a breakfast/lunch/dinner meal package. I highly recommend booking the complete meal package because dining at Kennicott Glacier Lodge is quite the culinary experience. This was one of our favorite aspects of staying at this lodge.
Breakfast is served buffet style. It includes everything you would expect from a hearty breakfast buffet: eggs, pancakes, breakfast meats, juices, and baked goods. I loved the fresh fruit options, as well as the delicious muffins!
There are two options for lunch. If you are staying close to the lodge, you can eat lunch in the dining room from a limited menu. Limited is not really the correct word.. as you get to choose from delicious options like a salmon caesar salad and a bison burger.
Plus there are really nice selection of soups that come with lunch. If you will be busy exploring the park though, the lodge will pack you are really big packed lunch which includes a huge deli sandwich, and apple or orange, potato chips, and a big homemade cookie.
Dinner at the Lodge is served at one sitting (the website says 7pm). You will be assigned a table and the menu changes every day… but everything is so delicious. It’s called ‘wilderness gourmet.’ And I have to say, they have the gourmet part of that absolutely correct! Dinner includes a main course like filet or salmon, warm bread, salad, two sides, and really phenomenal desserts.
Even though the food is amazing, the dining room experience still has a casual atmosphere.
How to Get to Kennicott Glacier Lodge
Kennicott Glacier Lodge is as remote as Kennecott itself. Rental cars are not even allowed to drive on McCarthy Road and you can’t drive your own vehicle to McCarthy or Kennecott.
There are two main options to get to McCarthy. You can take a shuttle bus or van from Chitina, which will take you on the very bumpy gravel road until you get to the footbridge a few minutes walk from McCarthy. If you have your own vehicle, you can also drive to the footbridge. But everyone gets off there and has to walk across the footbridge to access McCarthy and Kennecott.
The second main option for getting to McCarthy is to take an air taxi. There are a number of options that leave from Anchorage, Glenallen, and Chitina. We took the air taxi service from Chitina. Wrangell Mountain Air was fantastic and we booked our flights on the small plane to and from the hotel when we booked the lodge stay. The entire flight took about 30 minutes and the view was spectacular.
Once you arrive in McCarthy, the Kennicott Glacier Lodge shuttle bus (really a van) will pick you up and literally drive you to the lodge. The trip between McCarthy and Kennecott is about 5 miles. You can walk this (and any people do), but the shuttle service is quite convenient and runs continuously throughout the day.
The service specifically for the lodge though is only for lodge guests. So, you don’t have to compete with everyone else for a spot on the van. All of this is pre-arranged at the time of booking.
Activities at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Kennicott Glacier Lodge.
If you are staying at Kennicott Glacier Lodge there are lots of outdoor activities you can participate in! And because you are literally right in town, you just have to walk steps to the main tour outfitters for the start of your excursions (for the most part).
St. Elias Alpine Guides
Many people love hiking on Root Glacier, or even doing more strenuous day hikes to ice caves and blue pools (yes, you can jump in the blue pools). St. Elias Alpine Guides is the tour operator I would recommend. We booked at half day float trip with them, but unfortunately we all got really sick (could have been COVID, could have been the crud from the boat tour we did a few days earlier).
Officially we were outside our window to get a refund. However, St. Elias Alpine Guides was so understanding and they refunded us the tour cost. Thank you! Still, this is a very popular tour and when we go back, we will absolutely book another excursion with them!
St. Elias Alpine Guides is also the sole tour operator allowed to give an insider look into the Kennecott Mine Building- a 14-story building where the copper ore was mined and processed into copper.
This is a fascinating tour and if you are coming all the way to Kennecott and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, this tour is highly recommended. There are a number of public buildings that are part of the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark. You can tour a number of them without an official tour, but the tour is fantastic.
Wrangell Mountain Air
Another recommendation for a half-day excursion would be to book a flight-seeing tour (or more than one) with Wrangell Mountain Air. This tour was probably one of the biggest highlights of our entire trip. Yes, it is pricey. But it is sooo worth it!
Pin For Later!
