Rerouted trail restores hiker access to Root Glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias

Hikers can reach Root Glacier again. The National Park Service announced Monday that a rerouted trail restores access to the glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, after landslide hazards closed the old approach in July.

The new walk is longer and steeper, about 2.5 miles one way against the old route's 1.5 from Kennecott Mill Town. It begins 1.8 miles along the Erie Mine Trail: about 10 yards past the Amazon Creek footbridge, hikers turn left and head downhill through brush and then rocky talus, reaching the glacier's edge after roughly 0.6 miles. Park employees and local volunteers brushed the vegetation and improved the walking surface where they could; past that, it's rocky glacial debris and mud along the ice.

Anyone stepping onto the glacier is strongly urged to wear traction devices, and because the new access point is so steep, to put them on before setting foot on the ice.

The original route near the Erie Mine/Root Glacier Trail stays closed. Park geologists found unstable ground and a possible landslide on the moraine at the trail's northern end in July, shutting one of the park's most-visited summer destinations, and the risk of falling rock and shifting ground there is still serious. The agency asks visitors to keep to the marked route and stay out of the closed area.

"Root Glacier is one of the most iconic destinations in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, and we're pleased to restore safe access while protecting visitors from a changing natural hazard," Acting Superintendent Joshua Scott said.

Conditions can change fast, since glaciers and moraines shift through the season, so the park asks hikers to check before heading out, at www.nps.gov/wrst, at the Kennecott Visitor Center or in Copper Center, or by calling 907-822-5234.