Parking
Small pullout on the north side of McCarthy Road at mile 34.8; look closely for the wooden trail sign.
Overview
About Crystalline Hills Trail
Crystalline Hills Trail is a moderate loop of roughly 2.8 miles near mile 34.8 of McCarthy Road. The route climbs gradually from the road through dense spruce and birch forest, reaches a waterfall and a short side trail to a viewpoint, then loops back along the base of the steep Crystalline Hills. Allow about 2-3 hours for the full loop.
Why go
- Short, road-accessible loop with a waterfall and a viewpoint side trail.
- Optional scrambling above the loop opens views toward the Chitina River valley, Moose Lake, and the Chugach Mountains.
Heads up
- The maintained loop is mostly in dense forest, so the best panoramas require an optional steep scramble.
- Mosquitoes can be persistent in summer.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Wrangell-St. Elias map
Full mapElevation1,473–2,005 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 Crystalline Hills 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 tourMore stories near here in the app
- The Boreal Soundtrack: Thrushes of McCarthy Road
- The Gilahina Trestle: An 8-Day Engineering Wonder
- Reading River Colors
- 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 Crystalline Hills Trail
Route and viewsThe trailhead is on the north side of McCarthy Road.
The trailhead is on the north side of McCarthy Road. After about half a mile, a short side trail leads to a nice view. The main loop continues through the forest and returns along the base of the hills. The strongest views of the Chitina River valley, Moose Lake, and the Chugach Mountains require optional scrambling above the maintained loop; those steep slopes are not part of the mapped loop.
Tips and safetyThe wooded route can be buggy in summer, so bug spray is recommended.
The wooded route can be buggy in summer, so bug spray is recommended. Look closely for the wooden trail sign because the trailhead is easy to miss while driving. If you leave the maintained loop to scramble, expect steep, loose ground and use appropriate footwear. The Crystalline Hills are also a good place to watch for Dall sheep. Dogs are allowed on leash; pack out waste and respect wildlife.
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.
