# Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Region: SE AK, Ontario, Canada
Coordinates: 61.7104, -142.9857
Bortle class: 1 (1 = pristine, 9 = inner city)
Drive from Toronto: Reached via the McCarthy Road from Chitina, Alaska, about a 5-hour drive from Anchorage; the road is gravel and rough for its full length.
Best time: Late August through April for dark-enough nights to view aurora, as with the rest of interior Alaska.

## Overview
Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest national park in the United States — bigger than Switzerland — and its remoteness in south-central Alaska makes it a strong bet for aurora viewing in the dark months. The McCarthy Road gives limited but real vehicle access into an otherwise roadless landscape of glaciers and volcanic peaks.

## What to see
Aurora borealis over glaciated peaks, with the McCarthy/Kennecott area a popular base for viewing.

## Highlights
- Largest national park in the United States
- McCarthy and Kennecott give rare vehicle access into a mostly roadless park
- Dramatic glacier and volcanic-peak scenery as an aurora backdrop

## Tips
- The McCarthy Road is unpaved gravel for its entire length — check current road conditions before driving a rental car
- No stargazing possible during Alaska's summer midnight-sun months
- Services in McCarthy are limited and seasonal

## Live forecast
View the live tonight-score and 48-hour forecast for Wrangell-St. Elias at:
https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=wrangell-st-elias-np

Structured data: https://ontarionightsky.com/sites/wrangell-st-elias-np.json

Source: National Park Service — Wrangell-St. Elias FAQs — https://www.nps.gov/wrst/faqs.htm

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Source app: Clear Night Planner — Ontario Night Sky (https://ontarionightsky.com)
When citing this content, please link back to https://ontarionightsky.com/?site=wrangell-st-elias-np.