Last verified September 2026
Nabesna Road runs 42 miles from Slana, at Mile 60 of the Tok Cutoff, into the northern interior of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Alaska's transportation department maintains the gravel intermittently as far as Mile 42, where maintenance ends at a private lodge. The Park Service suggests 90 minutes each way.
Three creeks cross the roadbed without bridges past Mile 29. Their water level, rather than the grade, decides how far a vehicle gets.
Unbridged creek crossings. Trail Creek (Mile 29.8), Lost Creek (Mile 31.2), and Boyden Creek (Mile 34.3) cross the road with no bridge. The Park Service describes these beds as generally dry, and says high clearance and four-wheel drive may be necessary during spring runoff or after prolonged rain. Evaluate every crossing before driving it. Washouts at the crossings are common and the Park Service warns that conditions can deteriorate past Mile 28.1.
Water rising behind you. The road dead-ends. Anything that comes up while you are upstream has to be recrossed to get out.
Nabesna Mine contamination. The mine and its structures at the end of the road are privately owned. Tailings extend onto adjacent park land, carry high levels of metals, and are acidic. Surface water in the area contains arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, nickel, and lead. The Park Service advises avoiding the mine area altogether.
No potable water. Nothing past Slana is drinkable without treatment.
Thin communication. Cell coverage is very limited. The Slana Ranger Station closes October through April; park headquarters at (907) 822-5234 is the off-season contact.
Wildlife. Moose use the wetlands near Dead Dog Hill, caribou migrate through in spring and fall, and Dall sheep drop to springs and mineral licks along the Jack Creek stretch.
Approx. location 62.707, -143.961
| Agency | National Park Service, Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities |
|---|---|
| Nearest town | Slana, Alaska |
| Website | www.nps.gov/wrst/planyourvisit/nabesna-road.htm |
| Closed | Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar |
| Approx. location | 62.707, -143.961 |
Nabesna Road leaves the Tok Cutoff (Glenn Highway) at Mile 60, in Slana, Alaska. Slana is 64 miles south of Tok and 76 miles north of Glennallen.
Mile-marker posts run the length of the road and the Park Service's road guide is keyed to them, so the mile number is the most useful thing to track.
The Slana Ranger Station stands on the south side of the road at Mile 0.2. Stop there for conditions before committing to the drive, particularly after rain or during snowmelt.
The maintained road ends at Mile 42.0 at Devil's Mountain Lodge. The lodge and its airstrip are private property. Public parking is about a quarter mile beyond, on public land, and the Rambler Mine trail leaves from there.
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Wrangell-St. Elias covers more ground than any other national park in the United States, and almost none of it is reachable by car. Two roads enter. The McCarthy Road comes in from the south; Nabesna Road is the northern one, leaving the Tok Cutoff at Slana and running southeast for 42 miles up a valley between the Mentasta Mountains and the Wrangells.
The road exists because of the Nabesna Gold Mine, which operated from 1925 to 1945. That mine sits on private ground at the far end, and the Park Service asks visitors to stay away from it entirely. Tailings there are acidic and high in metals, and surface water in the area contains arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, nickel, and lead. An environmental investigation into cleanup options is ongoing.
Federal ground begins at Mile 2.7. At Mile 5.6 the north side of the road becomes national preserve and the south side national park, a split that decides where sport hunting is legal. Both sides are preserve again from Mile 28.1. Private inholdings adjoin long stretches throughout, including the settlement reached by the "4-Mile" Road at Mile 4.0, opened to homesteading by the BLM in 1983.
Alaska's transportation department maintains the road intermittently, and the Park Service tells drivers to expect rough surface and washouts at the creek crossings. High clearance and four-wheel drive are recommended. The agency's estimate is 90 minutes each way for the 42 miles.
The road climbs gently through the first 28 miles to a watershed divide at Mile 24.7, the high point at 3,320 feet. Water west of that line drains to the Copper River and the Gulf of Alaska. Water east of it reaches the Bering Sea by way of Jack Creek, the Nabesna, the Tanana, and the Yukon.
At Mile 28.1 the Park Service posts a warning that conditions can deteriorate. Three creeks cross the roadbed beyond it with no bridge: Trail Creek at Mile 29.8, Lost Creek at Mile 31.2, and Boyden Creek at Mile 34.3. The agency describes those beds as generally dry, says high clearance and four-wheel drive may be necessary during spring runoff or after prolonged rain, and tells drivers to evaluate every crossing before driving it. The road dead-ends, so water that comes up during the day has to be recrossed on the way out.
The maintained road ends at Mile 42.0 at Devil's Mountain Lodge, private property with an active airstrip. Public parking sits about a quarter mile past the lodge on public land. Nothing beyond that point is maintained, and travel continues on foot.
Kendesnii Campground at Mile 27.8 is the only Park Service campground in Wrangell-St. Elias. Built in 2012, it holds ten sites with picnic tables and fire rings plus two vault toilets. There is no fee and no reservation system, and it stays open year-round. The sites sit back from the road, with lake shoreline, short trails, canoe water, and grayling.
Five roadside pullouts take small and medium rigs first-come. Rufus Creek at Mile 6.1 has a picnic table under aspens beside the creek and no toilet. Kettle Lake at Mile 16.6 looks out at the Wrangells, also without a toilet. Dead Dog Hill at Mile 17.8 and Rock Lake at Mile 21.8 each have a vault toilet. Jack Creek at Mile 35.3 has two tables, a toilet, and room for three vehicles. It sits past all three fords, so reaching it depends on the creeks.
No fuel is sold in Slana or anywhere along the 42 miles. Fill up before turning off the Tok Cutoff.
The Park Service lists Chistochina 28 miles south, where Posty's Trading Post is not open around the clock and is worth a call ahead; Tok 64 miles north; and Glennallen 76 miles south. The park's camping guidance adds Mentasta, 18 miles north.
Potable water ends at Slana. Treat anything drawn from creeks or lakes along the road.
Ahtna Native Corporation (Glennallen, 907-822-3476), Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge (Tok, 907-883-5312), and Alaska State Parks (907-762-2261) hold land near the corridor, each with its own rules and its own camping options.
The McCarthy Road, the park's only other road, does not connect to this one. Reaching one from the other is a long drive around.