Uncover the Wonders: 14 Fascinating Fun Facts About Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

1. Nine Tallest Peaks Playground

While mountain climbers might feel like they've hit a "peak" moment of achievement when they scale the likes of Half Dome in Yosemite or dream of conquering Everest, they may need to St. Elias themselves down from the clouds and visit the glorious lands of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve: Within its awe-inspiring confines lie nine out of the sixteen highest peaks in the United States, including the towering, majestic Mount St. Elias – which, at 18,008 feet, proudly stands as the second highest peak in all of North America.
Source => travelalaska.com

2. Rhode Island's Icy Twin

Rhode Islanders might be feeling a little "ice"olated to hear this: The Malaspina Glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is larger than their entire state, earning it the title of the biggest non-polar piedmont glacier in North America.
Source => nps.gov

Did you know that Bryce Canyon National Park has one of the darkest skies in North America, making it perfect for stargazing? 🌌 Discover more about this celestial wonderland and its annual Astronomy Festival!

=> Fun Facts about Bryce-Canyon

3. Nabesna: The 53-Mile Ice-Lemonade

When life gives you lemons, you make 53 miles of ice-cold lemonade: The Nabesna Glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve holds the title for being the longest valley glacier in North America, stretching an impressive 53 miles (85km) within the masterpiece of nature's majesty spread across four massive mountain ranges and a seemingly infinite expanse of icy formations.
Source => nps.gov

4. Frost-etude Majesty Showcase

Glacier enthusiasts, prepare to meet your icy behemoths in all their Frost-etude majesty: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is home to not only North America's largest subpolar icefield, the colossal Bagley Icefield, but also the titanic Malaspina Glacier, which covers more ground than the state of Rhode Island and reigns supreme as the largest non-polar piedmont glacier in North America.
Source => nps.gov

5. The Ultimate Glacial Hub

Have an ice day at the one-stop glacial bonanza: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park houses the largest glacial system in the entire United States, complete with the impressive Bagley Icefield stretching for 127 miles and reaching thicknesses of up to 3,000 feet!
Source => nps.gov

6. The Epic Mountain Musical Chairs

If mountains could play musical chairs, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park would be the most epic game ever: This gargantuan park houses four mountain ranges, including the mighty St. Elias Mountains, where the second highest peak in the US, Mount Logan, proudly sits. Born from the thrilling dance of colliding and shifting terranes, even the park's bedrock has a nomadic past, journeying all the way from the Californian coast!
Source => nps.gov

7. Smoking Hot Shield Volcano

Mount Wrangell, the park's "smoking hot" shield volcano, really knows how to steal the show and reach for the sky! *wink*: The towering natural marvel, situated in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, is the largest andesite shield volcano in North America, boasting a dizzying summit of 14,163 feet and sporadically puffing steam plumes - a testament to being the park's one and only active volcano.
Source => nps.gov

8. Nabesna: Landscape Tying Champion

If the Big Lebowski were a glacier, it'd probably be called the Nabesna: the reason? It ties the landscape together, man! The serious reveal: This laid-back giant of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is the longest valley glacier in North America, stretching an epic 53 miles (85 km) and snagging the title of the world's longest interior valley glacier.
Source => nps.gov

9. The Colossal Mountain Playground

Move over, Mount Everest, there's a new mountaineering hotspot in town: Wrangell-St. Elias reigns as home to not only five Canadian giants, but also two equally enormous American peaks, each towering over 16,000 feet high – making it the colossal playground of North America's most formidable mountain range.
Source => peakvisor.com

10. Alaska's Swiss Conqueror

If you're trying to break the ice in Switzerland, just tell them you've got more acreage back home in Alaska: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park spans an impressive 13.2 million acres, dwarfing Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks combined while putting the size of the entire Swiss nation to shame as one of the world's largest national parks.
Source => a-z-animals.com

11. Big Leaguers: Icy Giants' Showoff

In a land where glaciers challenge state sizes and create a high-stakes game of "My ice is bigger than yours": Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve houses the 53-mile-long Nabesna Glacier - the lengthiest interior valley glacier in North America - and the Malaspina Glacier, a non-polar piedmont glacier larger than Rhode Island, proving that even icy giants don't mind showing off their sizable assets.
Source => nps.gov

12. Jigsaw Terrane Adventure Park

Feeling a bit "lost in Alaska"? Fear not, for you are probably traipsing on a jigsaw puzzle of globally-renowned terranes: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is a mishmash of seven exotic terranes – Windy, Gravina Belt, Wrangellia, Alexander, Chugach, Prince William, and Yakutat – that hitchhiked their way to the edge of North America throughout the past 200 million years, only to make up a teeny-weeny 1 percent of Alaska's total area, thanks to their accretionary tectonic prowess.
Source => nps.gov

13. Malaspina: Rhode Island's Glacier Lookalike

Step aside, Rhode Island: you've met your icy, glacier twin! The Malaspina Glacier in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is North America's largest piedmont glacier, sprawling across an area larger than the Ocean State itself.
Source => nps.gov

14. Mega Titan Park Flexing

If Yellowstone is the granddaddy of national parks, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is the titan flexing its massive muscles in the corner, quietly chuckling at the sheer spectacle: But seriously, Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest unit of the U.S. National Park System and the largest national park and preserve in the United States, covering a whopping 13 million acres. This park boasts of nine of the sixteen highest peaks in the country, including the formidable Mount St. Elias, standing tall at 18,008 feet.
Source => travelalaska.com