Outdoors · McCarthy
Share McCarthy, AK parks, trails & bike paths
About 85% of McCarthy is conserved land, roughly 80,222 acres. There are about 39 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve (34.2 mi) and Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park (4.9 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in McCarthy, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
At a glance
Share McCarthy outdoors
Conserved land
85%
80,222 of 94,738 acres
Trails
39 mi
0.3 mi per sq mi · 33 on conserved land
Parks & preserves
3
named on the map
Bike routes
0.0 mi
0.0 mi lanes · 0.0 mi off-road paths
Conserved land is a share of the whole town area. Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve 🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve 🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve 🔭 Unnamed scenic view in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve ⛰️ Bonanza Peak ⛰️ Fireweed ⛰️ Porphyry Mountain ⛰️ Sourdough Peak ⛰️ Green Butte ⛰️ Unnamed peak in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve 🏕️ Camping McCarthy 🏕️ Glacier View Campground 1 2 3
Show all of McCarthy
Places to walk
Parks & preserves with trails
Ranked by mapped trail miles. Directions go to the nearest marked trailhead or public parking.
1 Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve Managed by National Park Service
71,820 acres34.2 mi of trail
McCarthy Creek Road Trail Old Wagon Road Trail Erie Mine Trail Jumbo Mine Trail West Kennecott Glacier
🐕 Dogs usually limitedNational parks restrict dogs on most trails. Check posted rules
2 Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park Managed by National Park Service
22,918 acres4.9 mi of trail
McCarthy Creek Road Trail
🐕 Dogs usually limitedNational parks restrict dogs on most trails. Check posted rules
No trailhead mapped yet Show on map
3 Wrangell-Saint Elias Wilderness Managed by National Park Service
3,586 acres
🐕 Dogs usually limitedNational parks restrict dogs on most trails. Check posted rules
No trailhead mapped yet Show on map
Things to do
Beaches, playgrounds, falls & more
Pick a kind of place for the list, directions, or pins on the map above.
Peaks in McCarthy Show all on map
⛰️ Bonanza Peak 6,982 ft elevation · In Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve
⛰️ Fireweed 6,955 ft elevation · In Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve
⛰️ Porphyry Mountain 6,375 ft elevation · In Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve
⛰️ Sourdough Peak 6,201 ft elevation · In Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park
⛰️ Green Butte 6,145 ft elevation · In Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve
⛰️ Unnamed peak in Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve 5,466 ft elevation
Trails
Named trails
Open to bikes 0.7 mi Unpaved 8.4 mi
Showing 1–10 of 11 trails
McCarthy Creek Road Trail 12.5 mi Old Wagon Road Trail 3.6 mi Erie Mine Trail 3.0 mi Jumbo Mine Trail 2.6 mi West Kennecott Glacier 1.0 mi Root Glacier Trail 1.0 mi bonanza mine trail 0.7 mi Kennicott Glacier Trail 0.4 mi Mill Top Trail 0.2 mi Waterfall Trail 0.1 mi Water
Lakes & rivers
Tap a name for directions.
Who protects the land
80,222 conserved acres
Who manages it, from PAD-US. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
National Park Service
80,222 ac Biking & sports
Bike routes, courts & fields
Painted or protected bike lanes 0.0 mi Off-road bike paths 0.0 mi Shoulders & shared lanes 0.0 mi
Courts & fields
Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
Public lands
The biggest protected places in McCarthy
From USGS PAD-US: who manages each one and whether visitors are welcome.
Conservation Area 58,276 ac National Park 21,947 ac
Place Managed by Acres Public access
Wrangell-St. Elias National Preserve Conservation Area National Park Service 58,276 Open Wrangell-St. Elias National Park National Park National Park Service 21,947 Open
History
Historic places to visit
🏛️ Assay ruins In Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve · Ruins
🏛️ Saw mill ruins In Wrangell-Saint Elias National Preserve · Ruins
Trail talk
Conditions & tips from neighbors
No recent posts about McCarthy's trails yet. Muddy, icy, a bridge out, where to park: a quick post helps the next person.
Sources: trails, parks, preserves, courts and bike lanes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), map data as of 2026-09-28. Conserved land: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) . Measured against the Census town boundary.
How we measure "Trails" are OpenStreetMap paths, bridleways, public tracks and unpaved footways, plus footways inside a park or preserve or on a named trail route. Sidewalks are left out. Areas are counted on a 51.5-meter grid, so overlapping parcels count once. "Conserved" includes conservation easements, which protect land from development but are usually private property. Trailheads are the nearest marked trailhead, public parking lot or information board within about 150 meters of a preserve. Dog rules come from OpenStreetMap when someone has tagged them; otherwise we show what's typical for the land manager, or say the rules aren't recorded.
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