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Copper Center Sightseeing Tours and Activities

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  • Code: SCC

Copper Center Sightseeing Tours And Activities

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Copper Center is located in Southcentral Alaska, on the Old Richardson Highway. Since the establishment of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in 1980, Copper Center has been a starting point for this vast national park. With 13.2 million acres of virtually untouched wilderness, there’s a lot to explore. Strategically located at the confluence of the Klutina and Copper Rivers, Copper Center originally served as a large winter home for the Ahtna Athabascan indigenous families who have settled here for over 5,000 years. The first lodge in the Copper River area was built in 1896; it had a soft bed and a hot meal for transients, most of them gold diggers, who travelled the Valdez - Fairbanks Trail during the 1897-98 gold rush. Explore Alaska's wonders with our breathtaking Alaska driving tours and railroad/road combo tours that include a visit to Copper Center, gateway to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Whether by road or rail, our expeditions promise awe-inspiring views of Alaska's wilderness. Join us for an unforgettable adventure, seamlessly combining the thrill of the open road or the comfort of rail travel with the stunning landscapes of Alaska's interior region.

Weather in Valdez

Thursday,18 15:59
Overcast Clouds
82°F 82°F min 82°F max
Humidity: 80 %
Wind: 9.4 mph West
Pressure: 1,009 hPa

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  • Reviews

Kennecott Mill Tour

SCC1001 Kennicott / McCarthy Historical Day Trip

Meet us at 9 AM at Chitina Airport and join us for a spectacular flight into the Wrangell - St. Elias National Park. Attend our Kennicott History Tour which includes a 2.5 hour guided tour of the Kennicott Mine and lunch at Kennicott Glacier Lodge. Use our shuttle and visit the frontier town of McCarthy. Explore the historic town built in the early part of the century. Copper was discovered on Bonanza Ridge and that discovery led to the development of the famous Kennicott mines. The boom town of McCarthy sprang up 5 miles away and became the miners town, with saloons, gambling and a thriving red light district. In 1938 the mine closed and left two "ghost" towns, right in the middle of what was to become the largest and most spectacular US National Park. Scenic return flight at 5:00 PM. Price: $490.00

SCC1002 Kennicott / McCarthy Glacier Adventure Day Trip

Meet us at 9 AM at Chitina Airport and join us for a spectacular flight into the Wrangell - St. Elias National Park. Our Root Glacier hike is most likely the best day hiking trip in Alaska, and almost certainly the best glacier hiking in Alaska! After meeting your guide and getting fitted for crampons, you'll start out on the 1.8 mile hike to the "white ice" of the Root. Along the way your guide will share interesting details on the local natural and human history. Once on the ice you will explore other-worldly formations unlike anything else you have ever seen: blue pools, waterfalls, canyons, crevasses and moulins - holes drilled hundreds of feet deep into the ice by the flowing meltwater. After a picnic lunch on the ice, you'll head back on the trail to Kennecott. Scenic return flight at 5:00 PM. Price: $560.00

SCC1003 Wrangell - St. Elias National Park Flightseeing Tour

This flightseeing tour takes in some of the unique features found in the Wrangell Mountains. Listen as your pilot explains the geology of a rock glacier, the Mile High Cliffs and the iceberg filled lake found at the toe of the Nizina Glacier. As you round Chimney Mountain look up the massive Rohn Glacier and see the beautiful medial moraines winding their way down the valley. Mt. Regal soars above on the right and the 16,000’ peaks of the University Range are in view on the left. As we cross the ridges each successive valley is filled with a glacier, each with its own unique features. See the Stairway Icefall, Kennicott, Gates and Root Glacier as well as Erie mine and the towns of Kennicott and McCarthy. Price: $390.00 (50 minutes)

History Day Tour to Kennicott --
Since we wanted to see the Kennicott copper mine on our Alaska round trip, we booked the day trip "History Tour". Early in the morning we went from Chitina with a bush plane (pilot and four passengers) to McCarthy. Already during the 30-minute flight we could admire the mountain and glacier world. Our pilot drew our attention to many things on the way. After landing we took the shuttle bus to the small, car-free village McCarthy, after a 45-minute stay we took another shuttle bus to the Kennicott Mine. McCarthy consists only of a few houses, a hotel, a museum, different restaurants and a small store. Our tour included a guided tour through the mine for several hours as well as lunch at Kennicott Lodge. Even though it started to rain after our landing in McCarthy and the rain lasted until the return flight, we enjoyed the day very much. Before the tour through the copper mine we had lunch at Kennicott Lodge. The food was nothing special. But then came the highlight, the highly informative guided tour through the old copper mine. Attention: One walks through the mine from top to bottom over many narrow stairs. Afterwards we took the shuttle bus back to the small airport, again with a short stop in McCarthy. On the return flight the weather god was well disposed to us again and we had fantastic views on glaciers and mountains. Unfortunately we didn't see any animals from above.
Michael W.