Kennecott Mines Ghost Town: An RV Traveler's Guide
PickRV Editorial
The small team behind PickRV
Kennecott (also spelled Kennicott) is an abandoned copper-mining camp inside Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve in Alaska, managed by the National Park Service and designated a National Historic Landmark. Once home to a few hundred workers, the camp closed in 1938 and its red mill buildings have stood empty above the Kennicott Glacier ever since. For RV travelers it is one of the most remote and most striking preserved ghost towns in the country.
Can you visit the Kennecott Mines ghost town in an RV?
The historic camp is managed by the National Park Service inside Wrangell-St. Elias, but it sits at the end of the long, unpaved McCarthy Road and is reached on foot or by shuttle past the road's end. Many travelers base an RV at the road's end or in the region and continue in. Always confirm current road and access conditions on the NPS site before you go.
- ·National Historic Landmark managed by the NPS
- ·End of the gravel McCarthy Road, deep in Wrangell-St. Elias
- ·14-story timber-frame mill still towers over the camp
State
Alaska
Manager
National Park Service (Wrangell-St. Elias NP & Preserve)
Status
National Historic Landmark
Closed
Copper processing ceased in 1938
Landmark
14-story concentration mill
The Kennecott Copper Corporation processed nearly $200 million worth of copper here between 1911 and 1938, the National Park Service notes, before declining ore and rising costs ended operations and left the camp a ghost town. At its peak roughly 300 people lived in the town with 200 to 300 more in the mines.
After the mines closed the buildings stood empty for decades. In June 1998 the National Park Service acquired many of the significant buildings and lands of the historic mining town, and has worked to stabilize and restore them since, so that the mill, bunkhouses, depot, and power plant can still be seen.
This is true wilderness travel: the camp lies far inside Wrangell-St. Elias, the largest national park in the country. Check the National Park Service site for current directions, road conditions, the visitor center, and any guided-tour options before planning your route.
Official sources
Nearby & related
Keep planning Alaska
Sourced costs, campground directories, and the places worth a detour — the next layer of Alaska trip planning.
- Alaska RV rental costFuel · camping · tax, sourced
- Alaska RV-friendly campgroundsHookups, rig limits, booking tips
- Campervan & van rentals in AlaskaVan-life routes, rules & rigs
- RV rentals in AlaskaPickRV Wiki · 6 min read
- Alaska RVPickRV Wiki · 14 min read
- National recreation areasBig-water recreation guides
- Estuary reservesQuiet coastal reserves
- National grasslandsWide-open prairie drives
Planning an RV trip near Kennecott Mines Ghost Town: An RV Traveler's Guide?
Was this guide helpful?