Richardson Highway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 32

4. Isabel Pass
After passing colorful wildflowers, a peak called Donnelly Dome, and a retreating glacier
thatoncenearlyengulfedtheroad,theRichardsonHighwaypeaksitshighestpoint—3,000
feet—at Isabel Pass. As it descends from the pass, the route skirts picturesque wildlands
with campsites, lodgings, lakes, and free-flowing rivers. The Wrangell Mountains, with
three peaks over 16,000 feet, rise to the southeast.
5. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Severalmountainrangesconvergehereinourlargestnationalpark,whereglaciers—oneof
them larger than Rhode Island—engulf alpine summits and valleys. Park headquarters and
a visitor center lie near mile marker 105,just north ofCopper Center.Only two roads, both
ofthem dirt,lead intothepark'sinterior.Theydead-end atthetinytownsofMcCarthy and
Nebesna, the limits of civilization.
A real challenge to the hiker, who must be self-sufficient, the park offers few services
or facilities. Those adventuring away from the towns find themselves crossing vast untrod-
den tracts—the realm of Dall sheep, mountain goats, bears, and caribou.
Did you know…
St. Elias National and Preserve contains an important grouping of Athabascan
prehistoricandhistoricarcheologicalsites,includingnumerousvillages,camps,
andhuntingsitesofthesepeople,aswellastheremainsofotherculturalgroups,
such as the Tlingit and Eyak Indians and the Chugach Eskimos.