McCarthy & Kennecott
RSSNews from McCarthy & Kennecott, Alaska
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Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
Photo: National Park Service, Alaska Region via Wikimedia Commons · Photo source · Public domain
Wrangell-St. Elias keeps winter subsistence moose quota at five bulls
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve will again cap its winter subsistence moose hunt at five bulls, the third straight season at that level, according to a federal bulletin issued Nov. 6.
The hunt opens Nov. 20 and runs through Jan. 20 in the country south and east of the Chitina and Nizina rivers, part of game management Unit 11. Each hunter may take one bull, and the season closes early if hunters reach five.
The park cut the quota from seven bulls in 2024, after a fall 2023 survey of a nearby part of Unit 11 found adult moose down about 40% since 2013 and the number of bulls for every cow down about 30%, according to the park's 2024 announcement. This year's bulletin gives no reason for keeping the number at five.
Hunters haven't come close to the cap. Eight moose were taken in this hunt from 2016 through 2025, never more than two in a season, according to park harvest records. The park issued between seven and 21 permits a year over that time, but no more than eight people have gone hunting in any of those seasons.
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Latest
October 2026
State ends maintenance on the Taylor and Top of the World highways and McCarthy Road until May
The state stops maintaining four remote roads Thursday, including the only road into McCarthy. Until May, the traffic is snowmachines and dog teams.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read
Copper Valley's first 20-year transportation plan lists $848 million in projects
The Copper Valley has no city or borough government, so its planning group wrote the region's first 20-year transportation plan. Comments are due Nov. 6.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read
Snow and freezing rain advisories cover Copper Valley and McCarthy into Sunday morning
Winter weather advisories cover Copper Valley and McCarthy through Sunday morning, with 2 to 4 inches of snow and freezing rain expected to make travel very difficult.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
September 2026
McCarthy meeting to take up Copper River proposals on salmon eligibility and dip net limits
A local subsistence panel meets Oct. 9 in McCarthy on proposals to add McCarthy Road residents to a salmon fishery and ban dip nets near Copper River streams.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks judge sentences Julian Miranda to 30 years in 2012 sexual assaults
A Fairbanks man got 30 years for two 2012 sexual assaults. The DNA kits that linked him to both women sat untested for years before they were run.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom 
The park could have added ten days of moose hunting. It added two.
Unit 11 subsistence moose hunters get two extra days out of a possible ten, with the park citing a declining population and no current estimate.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Helicopter work at Erie Mine Bunkhouse brings noise to Kennicott Valley
Helicopter crews are clearing fallen rock at Erie Mine Bunkhouse this month. Kennicott Valley residents and pilots should expect added aircraft activity.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Wrangell-St. Elias subsistence commission meets next month in McCarthy
The commission advising on subsistence hunting in Wrangell-St. Elias meets in McCarthy next month, with time set aside for public testimony.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
More from McCarthy & Kennecott
Falling rock rerouted the Root Glacier trail, and helicopters are coming
Falling rock closed the main Root Glacier trail in July. The reroute is still in place, it runs across talus, and the park wants you in traction devices.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Wrangell-St. Elias weighs 10 more days of subsistence moose hunting
Rural subsistence hunters in the Wrangell-St. Elias area could get 10 more days to take a moose this fall, with the park set to decide Monday.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
August 2026
Wrangell-St. Elias weighs letting e-bikes park at Kennecott
You may soon be able to e-bike into Kennecott and park like every other vehicle, under a Wrangell-St. Elias rule change fixing an odd gap that left e-bikes out.
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Rerouted trail restores hiker access to Root Glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias
Root Glacier is reachable again in Wrangell-St. Elias on a rerouted trail, longer and steeper than the old one, after landslide hazards closed the original approach.
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July 2026
Copper River Valley and McCarthy under a heat advisory through Sunday, up to 83
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Wrangell-St. Elias closes section of Root Glacier Trail after landslide risk found
Wrangell-St. Elias closed part of Root Glacier Trail after geologists found landslide risk on the moraine, blocking access during peak summer season with no alternate route yet available.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kennicott River rising after Hidden Creek Lake drains; crest expected Monday
Hidden Creek Lake is draining into the Kennicott River near McCarthy, expected to crest Monday with fast-moving water and debris. • Dangerous conditions extend downstream to the Chitina and Copper Rivers, putting boaters and subsistence fishermen at risk. • This annual glacial flood is called a jökulhlaup; NWS warns against parking, camping, or crossing near riverbanks.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
About McCarthy & Kennecott
McCarthy and Kennecott (also spelled Kennicott) are neighboring settlements in the Copper River Basin, near Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Kennecott grew up around a historic mine whose buildings still stand in the Kennicott Valley, and McCarthy lies just down the valley. The gravel McCarthy Road is the only road in, and the state stops maintaining it through the winter.
The settlements are the park's main gateway, and the Root Glacier trail, the Kennicott Glacier and the old mine buildings draw summer visitors and glacier fieldwork. Recurring subjects include trail closures and reroutes caused by falling rock, outburst floods when Hidden Creek Lake drains into the Kennicott River, and weather advisories shared with the Copper Valley.
Residents hunt and fish under subsistence rules, and the Wrangell-St. Elias subsistence commission and a local subsistence panel meet in McCarthy on moose seasons in Unit 11 and on Copper River salmon and dip net proposals. Floodwater from the Kennicott River carries on downstream into the Chitina and Copper rivers.
More from McCarthy & Kennecott
Three U.S. hunters convicted in both countries after poaching Dall sheep through Wrangell-St. Elias
Three U.S. hunters convicted in both countries for poaching Dall sheep in Yukon and smuggling them through Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, ending a four-year investigation.
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June 2026
Two Things Worth Watching at the Marijuana Board
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JBER seeks contractor for youth sports officials after 6-month gap
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May 2026
UAF glaciology program returns to McCarthy for eighth summer
UAF Tom Sawyered 28 young folks who will now be spending 11 days out on a glacier.
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McCarthy Road opens for season with difficult conditions, 35 mph advisory
McCarthy Road opened May 8 for the season with a 35 mph advisory due to soft shoulders, potholes, and rough conditions on the 60-mile gravel route to McCarthy and Kennicott.
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