Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve

In order to reduce hazards on a popular hiking route, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve has closed an area beneath an unstable hill on the Root Glacier access trail north of Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark.

The 2026 federal subsistence hunt for the Chisana caribou herd was announced by acting Wrangell-St. Elias Superintendent Joshua Scott, the designated federal manager for the hunt. Consistent with the cooperative management plan for the herd, the harvest quota is six bull caribou which has been the same since 2023. The hunt will open on August 10 and close on September 30 or when the quota is reached.

Federal subsistence registration permits for hunts in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve will be available starting Monday, July 20, at the park’s Visitor Center in Copper Center and at the Slana Ranger Station. Both are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Sunday, September 20.

On July 18, local observers noted that the level of Hidden Creek Lake had begun to fall. On July 19, rangers observed new, significant releases of water next to the Kennicott Glacier and into the Kennicott River. Residents and visitors should use caution as the river rises and can get updates about its level from the US Geological Survey. These conditions can be dangerous for anyone on the Kennicott River as well as downstream in areas such as the Chitina and Copper Rivers.

Three U.S. hunters who illegally crossed into Canada to poach two Dall sheep have been convicted in both the United States and Canada following a years-long coordinated investigation by the National Park Service, Alaska Wildlife Troopers, Yukon Conservation Officer Services and other U.S. and Canadian law enforcement partners.