Parking
Small pullout or parking area on the south side of Nabesna Road at Milepost 12.2. From the Glenn Highway, turn east toward Slana, then follow Nabesna Road; the road is remote and rough with limited services.
Overview
About Copper Lake Trail
Copper Lake Trail is a remote, rough 15.7-mile one-way corridor from the Copper Lake Trailhead at Milepost 12.2 on Nabesna Road to the lake-side terminus near Copper Lake. This is an ORV and backcountry route, not a tidy single-track day hike. The stored line is the single outbound physical corridor; a visitor returning on foot would travel the same corridor back.
Why go
- Remote Nabesna-side access with solitude, wetland scenery, and backcountry fishing opportunities.
- The opening 2.5 miles provides a realistic day-hiking sample of the corridor.
Heads up
- Only the first 2.5 miles is generally suitable for day hikers; the full corridor is a long, remote commitment.
- Mud bogs, deep ruts, standing water, and changing creek conditions can make travel difficult.
- Tanada Creek must be crossed at the established bridge only; ORV use is not permitted beyond the Wilderness Boundary.
This route suits experienced visitors seeking solitude, ORV access, fishing, or a remote backcountry corridor. It is a poor fit for hikers expecting a maintained day trail or easy access to the lake. Expect insects, mud, changing creek conditions, and limited services. Moose, Dall sheep, and salmon habitat are part of the landscape; keep wildlife wild.
Parkwolf’s verdictWho it suitsMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Wrangell-St. Elias map
Full mapElevation2,526–3,045 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Wrangell-St. Elias Tour Guide
Your drive to Copper Lake Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Wrangell-St. Elias audio tourRecorded for this area
Copper Lake Trail: Bogs and Beaver PondsListen
“The trailhead for Copper Lake is at mile 12.2 on the Nabesna Road. If you're up for a hike, be ready for a wet and muddy path—waterproof boots are definitely a good idea.”
Plays near this trailhead in the Parkwolf Wrangell-St. Elias Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Roadside Shorebirds: Yellowlegs and Snipe
- Creek Fords of the Nabesna Road
- 98 audio storiesacross Wrangell-St. Elias’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Moose, Humpback Whale, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 13 trails, 28 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Copper Lake Trail
Hiking realityNational Park Service guidance says only the first 2.
National Park Service guidance says only the first 2.5 miles are generally suitable for day hikers. Beyond that, the corridor becomes increasingly wet and rough, with deep ruts, mud bogs, standing water, and braided sections. A full on-foot traverse is a long, remote commitment; the 10-hour estimate is for a determined hike of the mapped one-way corridor, while most hikers should turn around within the generally suitable opening section. ORV users should allow roughly 4–6 hours to reach the wilderness boundary, depending on conditions.
Route and water crossingThe route leaves the south side of Nabesna Road at MP 12.
The route leaves the south side of Nabesna Road at MP 12.2 and follows the mapped Copper Lake Trail corridor through wetland and floodplain terrain. Tanada Creek is a serious hazard: use the established bridge crossing only, and turn back if water, debris, or conditions make it unsafe. The first several miles are commonly drier; the remainder can be very wet and difficult. Private lands and structures occur near the western and eastern ends of Copper Lake.
Access and regulationsThe trailhead is a small pullout or parking area on the south side of Nabesna Road.
The trailhead is a small pullout or parking area on the south side of Nabesna Road. Nabesna Road is remote, rough, and intermittently maintained; plan fuel, communications, and vehicle recovery accordingly. Recreational ORV users need the required permit and must remain on designated routes; ORV use is not permitted beyond the Wilderness Boundary. Respect private property and do not enter structures.
Planning notesTreat the first 2.
Treat the first 2.5 miles as the realistic day-hiking section unless you have a well-supported backcountry plan. Wear waterproof footwear, carry insect protection, and check the bridge and route conditions with the Slana Ranger Station before setting out. Do not rely on a rounded online distance: published park materials use different endpoints and conventions, while the verified mapped corridor in this record measures about 15.70 miles one way.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Wrangell-St. Elias
112 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 9 PMSighting map
63 sightingsMooseMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
21 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 1 PMSighting map
46 sightingsSteller Sea LionMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
37 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
48 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 5 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Wrangell-St. Elias. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
