Ghost Towns of Alaska
Alaska’s ghost towns tell the story of copper and gold in one of the most rugged corners of North America — remote company towns and mining camps built at the end of long railroads and gravel roads, and left standing when the ore ran out.
Explore the Map
Interactive map of Alaska’s mapped ghost-town sites. Click a marker for details.
A Short History of Alaska’s Ghost Towns
Alaska’s ghost towns were born of gold rushes and remote mineral strikes that drew people far beyond the reach of roads. The most spectacular is Kennecott, a copper-mill town deep in the Wrangell Mountains, where an extraordinarily rich body of ore was discovered in the early twentieth century. A company built a mill, a company town, and a 196-mile railroad through some of the most rugged country on the continent to move the copper to tidewater. For roughly three decades the operation produced enormous quantities of copper, then closed abruptly in 1938 when the ore ran low and prices fell. Workers left on the last train, and the tall red mill buildings were abandoned to the glaciers and the long Alaskan winters.
Getting There & Access
Reaching Kennecott is an expedition in itself. It lies within Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, at the end of the long, unpaved McCarthy Road, which follows the old railroad bed and can be rough, with occasional exposed spikes and washboard sections. Most visitors park near the Kennicott River, cross a footbridge to the town of McCarthy, and continue the final miles to the mill site by shuttle or on foot. Services are limited and distances are enormous, so carry a full tank, a spare tire, food, and warm layers even in summer. The season is short: the road and facilities are practical mainly from late spring through early fall.
Public Land & Responsible Visiting
Kennecott sits on National Park Service land, and its towering mill buildings are a National Historic Landmark undergoing careful, ongoing stabilization. Enter only where the Park Service permits, join a guided tour for the interior of the mill, and never climb on or remove pieces of the fragile structures. The surrounding wilderness is genuine backcountry — glaciers, swift rivers, and wildlife including bears — so travel prepared, store food properly, and respect closures. Leave artifacts, machinery, and building fragments exactly where they rest; collecting is prohibited and each removed piece erases part of the record. Pack out everything, tread lightly on this remote landscape, and let Kennecott’s astonishing ruins endure for the next traveler willing to make the long journey.