How to hike the Root Glacier trail in Wrangell-St. Elias

In this guide we’re sharing how to safely hike the Root Glacier trail in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park!

Getting the chance to walk ON a glacier is a must have experience in Alaska!

While you can walk or climb on glaciers with guides across the state (we ice climbed on the Matanuska Glacier!), the Root Glacier trail is a bit unique. It is one of the only glaciers where you can get up close and personal on your own (and for free)!

Watch us explore Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, including walking on the Root Glacier and camping overlooking it!

If you plan on visiting Wrangell-St. Elias National Park while in Alaska (we highly recommend it), the Root Glacier trail needs to be on your to-do list. While it takes a bit of effort to get to, you’ll be rewarded with an insanely memorable Alaskan experience.

And in this guide we’re sharing everything you need to know to hike the Root Glacier trail, including the many steps to get to it, what to bring, safety tips, and more!

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About the Root Glacier

Miles (roundtrip): 5.7. This distance includes part of the walk to the trailhead, plus walking on the glacier. The actual hike from the trailhead to the base of the glacier is closer to 2 miles (one way).
Elevation gain: 793 feet
Reviews & Current Conditions

Out of the 5,000 square miles of glacial ice in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the Root Glacier is the most accessible! Located near the Kennecott area of the park, the Root Glacier is an icy paradise filled with waterfalls, crevasses, moulins, blue pools, and other icy features.

And the scenery around the glacier is just as impressive as the glacier itself! The Root Glacier has an epic backdrop of Mount Blackburn (at 16,391 feet!), plus other gorgeous mountains. While on the Root Glacier you’ll also be able to see the Stairway Icefall, which is one of the largest icefalls in the world at 7,000 feet tall. Yes, you read that correctly, it’s over a MILE tall! How wild is that?!

While AllTrails ranks the Root Glacier trail as hard, we’d say it’s more easy to moderate. There is some elevation change, but it feels more gradual and you’ll find yourself doing a mix of uphill and downhill as you go. It’s a hike suitable for most abilities!

Before embarking on your adventure, please review the Leave No Trace principles to ensure you leave every place better than you found it, so that others can enjoy these beautiful places for many years to come!

These seven principles include planning ahead and preparing, hiking and camping on durable surfaces, disposing of waste properly (pack out what you pack in!), understanding campfire rules and always fully extinguishing your fires, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors.

Where is the Root Glacier trail?

The Root Glacier trail is located right at the end of the Kennecott mining town, but to get there, it requires quite a bit of effort. You’ll have to drive down a dirt road for hours and either hike or take a shuttle into the park, before getting to the trailhead.

Below is a rundown of how to get to the Root Glacier trail!

Step #1: Drive McCarthy Road

McCarthy Road | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

The first step when getting to the Root Glacier trail is to drive the 60 mile (one way) unpaved McCarthy Road. This drive takes about 2 hours each way and while once known for giving many flat tires, the road conditions have improved a lot.

While you could take a large RV on this road (and people have!), we think it’s better suited for vans, Class B or C RVs, and regular vehicles. We had no issue driving our Sprinter van down this road!

Read more about driving McCarthy Road, including some suggested stops, history, and more, in our detailed McCarthy Road guide.

Step #2: Get to Kennecott

Pedestrian bridge to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

The McCarthy Road ends right at a pedestrian footbridge just outside of McCarthy and about 5 miles from Kennecott. You cannot take a private vehicle past this point and will need to either take a shuttle, bike, or walk, which is what we did!

If taking a shuttle, you’ll find signage at the footbridge with different companies that can take you to Kennecott. There is also a phone you can use to call them and get a ride. Some of these companies do allow dogs on the shuttle.

For walking, you can either walk the road or take the Wagon Road trail. We took the Wagon Road trail both ways, which follows the road at some points, but also ducks more into the forest. This is where we saw our one and only grizzly bear in Alaska, so be bear aware!
The McCarthy Road ends right at a pedestrian footbridge just outside of McCarthy and about 5 miles from Kennecott. You cannot take a private vehicle past this point and will need to either take a shuttle, bike, or walk, which is what we did!

If taking a shuttle, you’ll find signage at the footbridge with different companies that can take you to Kennecott. There is also a phone you can use to call them and get a ride. Some of these companies do allow dogs on the shuttle.

For walking, you can either walk the road or take the Wagon Road trail. We took the Wagon Road trail both ways, which follows the road at some points, but also ducks more into the forest. This is where we saw our one and only grizzly bear in Alaska, so be bear aware!

As for where to leave your vehicle while you explore the park, Base Camp Kennicott has a large lot where you can park your car for a day (or multiple days) to explore the park. It costs $10 per day to park ($5 for only 4 hours). You can also camp overnight here, right on the river, for $35 per night. We camped for one night and then moved to a parking spot for two nights while we tent camped in the park!

Step #3: Walk to the trailhead

Kennecott Mine | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Once making it to Kennecott, you still have a little bit of a journey ahead until the actual Root Glacier trailhead! You will wander through the historic mining town (which is SO cool) for about 0.5 mile or so, before the road dead ends at the Root Glacier trail.

When to hike the Root Glacier trail

The best time to hike the Root Glacier trail is between June and early September. This is when the park is accessible, mostly snow free, tours are offered, and visitor services are open.

We hiked the Root Glacier trail at the end of August and it was perfect! While the weather was a bit gloomy during some parts of our visit, we lucked out with little to no rain. The crowds were also very light.

Things to know before hiking the Root Glacier Trail

Root Glacier Trail | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

You can walk on the glacier

As we mentioned earlier in this guide, you CAN walk on the Root Glacier! But even more importantly, you are allowed to walk on it on your own, without a guide. While the park does recommend having a guide, if you are prepared, you can safely walk on it on your own.

However, there are a couple things to keep in mind. For one, you MUST have microspikes or crampons. Without these, it is unsafe to walk on a glacier and you may slip and fall. You also should not get too close to the edge, as glaciers can be fragile and may crack.

We’d also suggest going with a buddy. That way, in case you get into any trouble, you have someone to help you or call for help. Make sure to brush up on glacier safety beforehand!

Don’t want to hike the Root Glacier trail alone? Hire guides!

If you feel a bit uneasy about walking on a glacier on your own, hire a guide! We’d suggest this for anyone who hasn’t been on a glacier before. Not only will this be safer, but you’ll learn so much about the geology and area, plus get to explore parts of the glacier that you may not have found otherwise.

There are several guide companies you can hire for a guided tour:

St. Elias Alpine Guides offer a variety of glacier activities. You can go on half or full day tours of hiking, ice climbing, and ice cave exploring.
Kennicott Wilderness Guides offers half and full day Root Glacier hiking tours.
McCarthy River Tour & Outfitters has a half day Root Glacier tour. See below for a discount on this one! 😃

Want to save some money on this tour or experience? Book it on Tripadvisor and use our code APLUSK10 for 10% off!

Dogs are allowed

Despite most national parks not allowing dogs, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park DOES allow dogs on the trails. However, they must be kept on leash. Please follow this rule! Not all dogs or humans want strange dogs running up to them. We had a less than fun encounter with an off leash dog in the park that sprinted up to us. There are also bears and other wildlife in the area.

Kona hiked the Root Glacier trail with us, but she did not go on the glacier. We were unsure if it would be good for her paws, plus we didn’t want to risk her pulling us and causing us to fall.

Cell service

We had some cell service with Verizon while exploring Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, especially by McCarthy and Kennecott. However, we hear that AT&T does not work as well within these areas. Make sure to download offline Google Maps and AllTrails maps in advance!

Root Glacier Campsite | Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Want an even cooler experience? Camp overlooking the Root Glacier!

When we visited Wrangell, we camped in a dispersed area that overlooked Root Glacier. It was one of our best campsites to date!

There is a larger, open area right before you hike down to the glacier, which many people camp at. But we went up a bit higher and had an even better (and more secluded) spot! To find where we camped, look for the sign for a food storage locker. As you walk towards the food storage locker, you will notice a hill to your left. That is where we camped! There are a couple faint paths that can get you up there.

Besides the camping area closest to the glacier, there is also the Jumbo Creek Campground which is a little bit down the trail, closer to Kennecott.

Camping in any of these spots is totally free and does not require a permit. These spots do require hiking to get to them, which means you will need to carry all of your gear. There is a food storage locker and supposedly pit toilets, but we never went to find them.

What to expect on the Root Glacier Trail

The Root Glacier trail starts from the Kennecott Mine area and the first part of the trail takes you through trees and brush, with occasional views. This part of the hike is super straightforward, so feel free to move quickly through this part.

After about 0.4 miles, you’ll reach a junction. Here you’ll find a pit toilet, which is a nice convenience! We suggest bringing toilet paper though, as it was out the first time we used it.

At this junction you can either go straight or to the right. Going to the right will take you towards the Bonanza Mine trail, so make sure to continue straight!

The trail will continue to go through trees and brush and at about 1.3 miles in you’ll reach a fun feature: a beautiful waterfall! This is a good spot to refill on water (make sure to filter it!) if needed.

Just 0.2 miles after the waterfall you’ll make it to another junction. Make sure to go to the left here! At this point the views really open up and you should be able to see the glacier pretty well, as well as the nearby mountains!

From here, it’s a straightforward, mostly downhill walk to the edge of the glacier. Once you make it to the glacier, you’ll want to strap on your microspikes or crampons. There isn’t a ton of space to sit down and do this, but we managed to find a mound to sit on. After getting your gear on, it’s time to go explore!

The ice on the glacier starts out a bit gray, which may look like dirt, but be careful, it is icy! As you continue up the glacier, it gets whiter and whiter.

Since we had to take turns due to Kona, neither of us went too far on the glacier. We tried to stay within eyesight of each other for safety reasons. But even just walking on it a little bit, we still were able to see some cool crevasses, canyons, and blue pools.

Despite already having one glacier experience in Alaska, this experience was still just as meaningful. Being able to wander around on our own, hear the satisfying crunch of the ice below us as we walked, and be one of the only humans on the ice, while surrounded by stunning scenery, is something we will never forget.

And speaking of scenery, the photos above were taken when we actually went on the glacier, which was a very gloomy day. However, the next morning we woke up to much clearer skies, so here are a few photos of what the scenery looks like on a nicer day!

What to Bring on the Root Glacier Trail

To see everything we take hiking, check out our hiking gear as well as our guide about how to make a 10 essentials kit. But for hiking the Root Glacier trail and on the Root Glacier, we have a few items we really want to stress bringing with you.

Microspikes or crampons

If you plan on walking on the ice, you WILL need microspikes or crampons. It is unsafe to hike on the glacier without them. We’ve had these Kahtoola Microspikes for years and love them! They are easy to put on and take off and light enough to carry around. We feel really secure walking on ice with these–so much so we feel like we could run on the ice! Although, we don’t recommend doing that. 😃

Hiking shoes

Kathryn rocks Lowa Women’s Renegade GTX on the trails and she LOVES them! Adam wears the ALTRA Lone Peak 6 Trail Running Shoe, which is a trail running shoe, so they are less bulky than boots, but still great for the trail!

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Bear spray

Alaska is home to a variety of wildlife, including both black bears and grizzly bears, with grizzlies being the more aggressive of the two.

Carrying bear spray is highly recommended. We encountered our first grizzly on the roadside trail in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Well, only Adam saw it, but it was enough to make us a bit nervous the rest of the walk. We always have our bear spray strapped to our hip or chest when hiking on trails, plus next to us in our tent at night.

Not only is it important to have bear spray on you, but you need to have it readily available and know how to use it. We’d recommend watching this video that explains how to use bear spray, if you aren’t familiar.

AllTrails Map

We highly recommend having AllTrails maps downloaded. There are a couple turn offs on the trail and this will ensure you do not get lost. It also will be handy for when exploring the glacier, so you can retrace your steps back to the trail.

Want to get 30% off an AllTrails+ membership? Click this link or use our code aplusk30 (you must redeem this code on the website, not the app)!

We use AllTrails+ on every single hike and it is the most helpful hiking tool out there! Some of the features we love are offline maps (so we can navigate even without cell service), wrong-turn alerts, and its 3D maps feature, so we can get a feel for trails before we hike.

Bug Repellent

If you haven’t heard, the common joke is that the state bird of Alaska is the mosquito. Although we didn’t have much of an issue with mosquitos during our adventures in most of Alaska, we may have just gotten lucky. In order to not have a miserable time swatting mosquitoes all day, make sure to bring bug spray with DEET!

Garmin inReach

While you may have some cell service in the park, it’s good to have a backup option. Some sort of satellite communication device, like a Garmin inReach Mini, will be extremely valuable in case you need help. We take this with us everywhere and it has come in handy several times on our adventures, mostly to text family (not for SOS reasons thankfully)!

Trekking poles

Trekking poles may be useful when hiking on the Root Glacier Trail. We have the Black Diamond Equipment Distance Z poles and highly recommend them!

Layers

Weather in Alaska can be extremely unpredictable. Carrying some layers will help you be prepared for all conditions in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, especially when going up in elevation and getting onto the ice.

Rain jacket

Just like the temperatures can swing drastically in Alaska, rain can also come and go at the drop of a hat, so make sure to pack rain gear! Kathryn wears the Patagonia Torrentshell jacket and Adam wears the North Face Alta Vista rain jacket.

Sun Protection

The trail is very exposed most of the way and glaciers reflect sunlight, so bring a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.

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How to hike the Root Glacier trail in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park