How to Get to Root Glacier in Alaska

If you’re wanting to explore Wrangell St. Elias National Park, Root Glacier is the most accessible glacier to see. With that being said, it’s not easily accessible.

How to access Root Glacier

Root Glacier isn’t a hike that you can just drive to the trail head and get going. There are several fees and buses needed to get there which is not apparent in google maps.

Driving to Root Glacier

To get to Root Glacier, you’ll have to make your way to McCarthy Alaska. However you can’t drive to McCarthy, I know it’s confusing. What you’ll have to do, is take McCarthy Road to Kennicott. Keep driving until you get to the very end of the road, which will be a large parking area.

McCarthy road is about 60 miles of very bumpy, dirt road. The speed limit says 35 but with my trailer I was going between 15 and 25 most of the way. Plan for a 2 hour drive from Chitina! You should have no issues getting there with any size trailer or RV. There are plenty of pull off sites to camp for the night or just to leave your trailer there if you don’t want to haul it the whole way.

After Chitina, there are NO GAS STATIONS. Be sure to have a full tank at this point. When I drove through, the gas station at Chitina was out of service. If I did not have a full tank, I would been cutting it close. There is a Teroso station on the way out about 26 more miles past Chitina.

Parking

Once you get to the very end of the road, on the left hand side you’ll find a small building. You’ll have to stop in here to pay for parking. Prices range depending on full or half day. $6 for 4 hours, or $12 for the full day. Since I was going just for the Root Glacier, I chose a half day. However, if you plan to explore the towns of McCarthy and Kennicott, I suggest going with a full day.

There is some room for RVs in this area, but it could be limited on a weekend when it’s busy. I suggest leaving your trailer or RV somewhere in a pull off, and taking just your driving vehicle to the parking site.

Buses

After you pay, there’s a little foot bridge to cross to get on the buses. The bus system can be confusing as they only run at certain times. There are 2 types of buses that run through the area.

The first one goes to the town of McCarthy first, and then you have to take another one to get to Kennicott. I don’t know the price of these since I went with option 2. However I spoke to the driver and I believe she mentioned it’s around $30 total for the day.

The 2nd option is a cash only bus that costs $5 each way and takes you directly to Kennicott, which is where the trail starts. This option is a bit more unofficial with no set times. Also, the buses are quite small, so you won’t be guaranteed a spot on the first go around.

There is a 3rd option to get to Kennicott – and that’s walking. However it will add 4 miles to your hike each way. I didn’t want to walk an additional 8 miles in the rain, so I was happy to wait a bit for the bus.

Kennicott

Once you get to Kennicott, you’ll walk directly through the center of the old mining town. You can explore this area as several buildings are set up as historical sites. There are some lodging options here too, which could be a cool way to explore the area.

What to take with you on the hike to Root Glacier

The hike it self from the mining town to Root Glacier is not difficult. A little over 2 miles each way depending on how much you explore the Glacier. You’ll be hiking through bear territory, so be sure to have bear spray and a bear canister for your food.

You will also definitely want crampons. I did the hike in my Salomon’s, which did pretty well, however I really wished I had some crampons. I envisiously watched most everyone else effortlessly walk across the ice, as I was tender-footedly climbing around.

The temperature on the Glacier is also colder than the rest of the hike. I didn’t bring my mitts with me either, but I really wished I had. Another suggestion is to be prepared with a poncho or rain jacket, since the climate here is quite wet.

I only had an umbrella with me, and since I couldn’t use it on the Glacier, I was quite cold and wet by the end. Luckily I was wearing a good base layer and water resistant pants, so it could have been much worse.

If you’re still planning your road trip to Alaska, read my post to find everything you need to prepare! I’ve also put together an Alaska Gear Guide to help you prepare for every scenario. And, if you have Denali National Park on your list of destinations (you should), check out my list of best hikes in Denali!