Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Flightseeing Tour: Worth It?

Four major mountain ranges converge here: the Wrangell Mountains, the St. Elias Mountains, the Chugach Mountains, and part of the Alaska Range. Nine of the sixteen highest peaks in the United States are located within the park’s boundaries.

Roughly one-third of the park (about 5000 square miles) is covered in glacial ice, giving it the greatest concentration of glaciers in North America.

The park also contains some of the largest valley glaciers on the continent, including the massive Bagley Icefield, which stretches more than 120 miles and ranks among the largest subpolar icefields in the world.

Both were truly spectacular and remain some of my favorite experiences in Alaska. But flying in Wrangell–St. Elias is different, quite frankly, because of scale.

While many Denali flights build toward views of The Mountain itself, flying in Wrangell–St. Elias feels broader in scope.

Almost every time the plane turns, you get a new ridiculously gorgeous view. I remember looking out the window on my flightseeing tours in Wrangell-St. Elias thinking, “This just keeps going and going,” because every turn revealed another glacier pouring off another range!

The mountains also rise directly out of the ice. Mount St. Elias reaches 18,008 feet and is the second-highest peak in the United States. It’s overwhelming to experience these peaks, but in the best way.

Finally, when you fly out of McCarthy, you are already deep inside the park. Within a minute of takeoff, you are over major glaciers and high peaks.

There’s very little transition time. Talk about instant gratification!

If you’re staying in McCarthy or Kennicott, this is the most convenient option, but getting there requires driving the 60-mile McCarthy Road, taking a shuttle, or flying in from Chitina.

Wrangell Mountain Air has a handful of flightseeing options for the area ranging from 50 minutes up to 2½ hour custom tours. There is a two-person minimum when booking a tour.

In addition to flightseeing tours, they offer scheduled service between McCarthy and Chitina (so you can avoid driving the road), air taxi service to other towns in Alaska, and backcountry access.

Copper Valley Air Service has a handful of flightseeing options for the park, ranging from 60 minutes to 2½ hours.

Besides their flightseeing tours, they also have air taxi charters, backcountry drop-offs, and ski-equipped planes to access remote areas of Wrangell–St. Elias.

It was a rainy flight with some clearing closer to when we landed, and I was still dreamy-eyed by the experience!

Flying in the park that summer made such an impression on me that I couldn’t wait to take a dedicated flightseeing tour with them on another trip!

Since then, I have enjoyed several more backcountry flights, plus the Mile High Cliff Tour and the Thirteen Glacier Tour offered by Wrangell Mountain Air.

My kids and I flew the Mile High Cliff Tour with Pilot Oren most recently. The Mile High Cliff Tour is perfect if you are short on time and are paying for your whole family! You’ll see plenty, but if you can swing a longer flight, I recommend it because 50 minutes flies by so quickly.

It was my kids’ second time flying in the area. The first time my son flew in the park, he was quite young, so this felt extra special because I knew he’d remember it.

Our plane was small, and it fit the three of us plus the pilot. My daughter rode up front with Oren so she could connect and ask questions about the controls and everything. He was very enthusiastic and kind.

We were each given headsets so we could chat back and forth and ask the pilot questions once we took off, because these small planes are very loud.

I always wish I could create a recording of everything the pilots tell us on these flights because they provide so much interesting information about the geography and history of the area.

One of my favorite parts of the Mile High Cliff Tour is toward the beginning when you fly over Nizina Glacier Lake, dotted with hundreds of icebergs that calved from the Nizina Glacier. It’s so surreal that it feels like you are on another planet.

On the Thirteen Glacier Tour, you push further east into the park from the Nizina Glacier, so your flight includes Skolai Valley and the University Range. I particularly love the jagged snowy peaks of Mount Bona!

You’ll fly toward Stairway Icefall (a 7,000-foot wall of vertical ice!) over the Root Glacier on both of these tours as well, and that is another highlight for me.

It feels so strange, almost unnerving, to fly so close to it (it feels like you can reach out and touch it), but in reality, you are miles away.

My next goal is the Jewels of the Wrangells tour. I’ve dreamed about seeing Icy Bay for years. The idea of flying all the way out to the coast where the glaciers meet the ocean feels like the ultimate full-circle moment in this park.

You’ll be looking down at braided glacial rivers weaving through wide valleys, melt ponds glowing an almost electric turquoise against dark rock, and entire icefields spilling between mountain ranges.

You will inevitably see towering mountains, rivers, glaciers, and more ice than you thought possible. But you may also spot wildlife if you’re lucky.

Dall sheep cling to impossibly steep cliffs, and moose often stand in kettle ponds, their dark bodies contrasting against that bright blue water. From the air, they look like tiny specks. It always takes my brain a moment to realize, “Oh wow, that’s actually a moose!”

It’s also incredibly cool to get a true bird’s-eye view of both McCarthy and Kennecott. From the ground, they feel so tucked into the wilderness.

From the air, you can see just how small they are in comparison to the vast landscape around them. The layout of the dirt roads, the view of the old mill buildings, and the Root Glacier creeping toward town are fascinating.

It all clicks for me in a way it simply doesn’t from below. And each time I fly, I learn new things about the area because of what I can see!

Shuttle from Kennecott or McCarthy
The McCarthy airstrip is located off the dirt road between McCarthy and Kennecott. Wrangell Mountain Air will shuttle you from your accommodation to the airport.

Small planes
You’re flying in a bush plane that seats 3 or 5 passengers plus the pilot. It feels intimate, not commercial. And yes, everyone gets a window seat!

Weight checks
Everyone provides their weight at the time of booking so the plane can be properly balanced. The pilot will typically decide who sits up front to distribute the weight best.

Headsets and engine noise
The engines are loud, so you’ll wear a headset the entire time. It lets you hear the pilot and talk to everyone. Once you’re in the air, you get used to the sound quickly.

A quick takeoff
The McCarthy airstrip is gravel and short. Takeoff happens really fast! Within seconds, you’re climbing. It’s exhilarating because the views happen so quickly.

Possible light turbulence
You’re flying in mountain terrain, so expect occasional bumps. In my experience, it’s been similar to mild turbulence on a commercial flight, noticeable, but not alarming.

Weather cancellations happen
Mountain weather changes fast, and poor visibility can absolutely delay or cancel a flight. It’s normal, and it’s part of flying in this kind of terrain. Tours do operate in the rain, as long as there isn’t a ton of wind.

The good news is that if your planned route isn’t flyable, pilots will often adjust the flight path to areas with better visibility, offer a shorter route if possible, or try to rebook you for another time or day. And if none of that works, you’ll receive a full refund.

If your schedule allows, I highly recommend not booking your flight during your last couple of hours in town.

All planes have in-cabin heat
I have never been cold on a flightseeing tour! Travel light with just your camera or phone.

Arrive a little early
Plan to check in at the office about 20–30 minutes before your flight.

A smooth landing
Landings on the gravel runway are typically smooth and straightforward. There’s no need to worry, these pilots are very skilled.

Tip your pilot
Tips are not included in the cost of the flight. While not required, 10-20% is appreciated.

To fly among the glaciated mountains, ice falls, and vast landscape of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is such a gift. I can’t imagine traveling all the way to McCarthy for a once-in-a-lifetime trip and skipping the flightseeing.

Flightseeing lets you experience the park from above, and once you’ve seen it that way, it changes how you understand this place. It’s magnificent.

And the truth is, pilots don’t tire of these tours because every time they go up, they see something new, such as a melt pool that wasn’t there the month before, a mountain goat perched incredibly high, or simply the ever-changing glacier reshaping the landscape below.

The enthusiasm and passion you hear from the pilots are exciting, and it’s then that you realize this park is something special, and you are incredibly lucky to be here.