Remote island community offering a blend of rich Tlingit heritage, gold rush history, and access to pristine wilderness, glaciers, and abundant wildlife.
General Information
How to Get There
From Wrangell Airport (3 mi): Take Airport Rd into town or use local shuttle/taxi services to reach the downtown harbor area.
Overview
Wrangell is a small town at the north end of Wrangell Island, the only Alaska town to have been governed by four nations (Tlingit, Russia, Britain, and the U.S.). It is known for petroglyphs at Petroglyph Beach, the Chief Shakes Tribal House, and jet boat trips to the Stikine River and LeConte Glacier.
Highlights
- Chief Shakes Historic Site and Petroglyph Beach State Historic Site
- Stikine River: a jet boat trip on a fast river to Chief Shakes Hot Springs
- LeConte Glacier: tidewater glacier tours
- Anan Wildlife Observatory: black and brown bears feeding on salmon in July and August, with a permit
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Wrangell, Alaska", and "Wrangell Island", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
Featured Locations and Trails
gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Chief Shakes Historic Site
Historic Tlingit cultural site featuring a reconstructed clan house and totem poles that preserve and interpret Indigenous heritage.
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Gomada, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
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LeConte Glacier
Active tidewater glacier with towering blue ice cliffs that regularly calve into a fjord filled with drifting icebergs and abundant marine wildlife.
gillfoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park
Coastal historic site featuring ancient rock carvings etched into shoreline boulders, offering insight into early Indigenous culture and artistic expression.
Ethan Reitz, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Image Size Adjusted
Stikine River
Wild and scenic river corridor featuring glacier-fed waters, dramatic canyon walls, abundant wildlife, Native Alaskan heritage, and opportunities for sightseeing, boating, fishing, and wilderness exploration.
