Mount Hubbard: Alaska’s Towering St. Elias Peak in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Why Visit Mount Hubbard

Mount Hubbard rises dramatically on the Alaska-Yukon border within Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest national park in the United States. Its glaciated slopes and sheer granite faces form part of the Saint Elias Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage site known for some of the continent’s most dramatic vertical relief. Visitors are drawn by the chance to experience true wilderness, where massive icefields and jagged peaks create a landscape shaped by tectonic forces and heavy snowfall.

Getting There

Access requires careful planning due to the mountain’s isolation. Most travelers fly into Yakutat or Juneau, then take a bush plane or helicopter from the small community of McCarthy or Chitina. No roads reach the peak itself, so scenic flights provide the primary way to approach and circle the mountain for photographs and orientation. Ground travel involves long drives on the unpaved McCarthy Road followed by river crossings or further flights.

Best Time to Visit

Summer months from June through August offer the longest daylight and mildest conditions for flightseeing and hiking. Winter brings extreme cold and limited daylight, while spring and fall can deliver unstable weather that grounds aircraft. Clear days remain rare even in peak season, so flexible itineraries are essential.

Things to Do

Most visitors experience Mount Hubbard through aerial tours that reveal its scale alongside neighboring peaks and the immense Malaspina Glacier. On the ground, day hikes from trails near McCarthy or Kennecott provide distant views across valleys filled with braided rivers. Serious mountaineers may attempt the challenging ascent via the southeast ridge, but this demands advanced skills, permits, and self-sufficiency in a remote environment with no rescue infrastructure nearby.

• Book multi-day flightseeing packages that combine Hubbard with Mount Saint Elias for broader context of the range.
• Join ranger-led programs at the park visitor center to learn about glacial geology and wildlife.
• Camp at designated backcountry sites while maintaining strict leave-no-trace practices amid fragile tundra.

Nearby Attractions

The surrounding park holds additional highlights including the historic Kennecott Mines, Root Glacier hiking routes, and the expansive Bagley Icefield. Travelers often combine a Hubbard visit with exploration of the Copper River basin or a boat trip on Yakutat Bay to see tidewater glaciers calving into the ocean.