Kennecott Mill Town Tour at Wrangell-St Elias National Park, an Alaska Icon

One of the most famous or most popular historic sites in Alaska is the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark in Wrangell-St Elias National Park. You’re able to explore the mill area on your own, and then continue through hiking the different mine trails, but to go inside the towering mill building (THE icon of Alaska mining) and hear the stories and learn about the booming Kennicott mine community, you need to do a guided tour of the Kennicott Mill Town. This is definitely a tour for history lovers and engineers.

Is doing the Kennicott mill tour worth it? Well, it’s not an expensive tour and it’s pretty darn fascinating, so I would say yes. I’ll get into more detail below, because it is really cool, but maybe it’s not for everyone. If you have any questions about the Kennecott Mill Tour or visiting McCarthy, Alaska, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan an unforgettable visit to AK!

Is the Kennecott Mill Tour Worth It

To start with, visiting the town of Kennicott is really neat. It’s just a snapshot of what turn of the century Alaska was like. And I mean turn from the 19th to the 20th century. The Kennecott Mill operated in the early 1900s so it was built with both historic industrial architecture and it modernized as it grew. Doing the Kennecott Mill Town Tour is a great way to understand just what it was like here in this remote Alaska town. When you’re doing the Kennecott Mill Town Tour, it’s a combination of sightseeing as you walk through the red painted town and Alaska history as you hear about the building of the railroad, the town buildings, and the tragedies that swept through Kennicott.

While you can always just check out the free exhibits of Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark, having a guide that can string together all of the historical information with stories is a completely different type of experience. I like getting to hear about the nuance of money, separation of women and men at the Kennicott mine, the quirky stories of McCarthy and Kennicott, and all the other random facts during the tour. Getting to go into and down through the actual copper mill is the reason most people want to do the Kennecott Mill Town Tour. It’s a trip!

TOUR TICKET COST: the 2026 / 2027 price for a ticket for the Kennecott Mill Town Tour is $36 for adults (13+) and $18 for kids 3-12 years old.

This structure looks like a mishmash of buildings, and it is, but it’s all well maintained and reinforced by the National Park Service (it’s within Wrangell-St Elias National Park). When you’re moving through the copper mill building, learning about the process and conditions of copper mining is fascinating, and seeing the spaces and tools in person paints a much more vivid picture of the lived-experience than just reading the exhibit placards. As a side note, you may have noticed that I’ve been spelling “Kennicott” differently as you read. The Mill is named for the Kennecott Utah Copper Co, and then completely unrelated, the Kennicott Glacier, Kennicott River, and the town of Kennicott are named at the naturalist, Robert Kennicott. Yes, the names are spelled differently because the namesakes are unrelated. Funny!

Book the Kennecott Mill Town Tour here!

Tips for a Great Kennecott Mill Tour

When you’re planning your Kennecott Mill Town Tour, keep in mind that this is 100% a walking tour. It is not a wheelchair accessible tour, nor is it a tour for somebody who struggles with hills and stairs. The Kennecott Mill is built on a very steep hill, and about a half hour or so into the guided tour you’ll start to go up the trail to the top of the mill building. It’s a huff-and-puff trail, but it can be taken slowly. The view from the top is amazing as you look across the valley at the Kennicott Glacier, Root Glacier and Mt Blackburn.

From the top, you head into the mill and it’s a lot of stairs and precarious steps. Within the workings of the mill building there are both regular sized staircases and very thin, boat-style stairs that are best gone down like you would a ladder. You’re not going back up at all, but it’s a lot of downward movement through the old copper mill. The guides for the Kennecott Mill Town Tour are all very knowledgeable. The tours are run only through St Elias Alpine Guides and they’re the ONLY authorized concessioner for accessing the Kennecott Mill building. Other tours may go for a guided hike on the Root Glacier or the toe of the Kennicott Glacier, but this is the only one that grants access to the restricted iconic Kennecott Mill building.

Note: this is NOT a Kennicott mine tour. The mines are located at the end of several different INTENSE hiking trails that go up the mountain and over. There are no mines accessible through Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark that are a part of the Mill Tour.

Being Prepared for the Kennecott Mill Town Tour

The most important thing to know before arriving for your Kennecott Mill Town Tour is that it’s a walking tour. Wear comfortable shoes (close toed) that you’ll be able to do a short hike up a hill in, and that you’ll be comfortable descending steps and shallow staircases in. The tour lasts around 90 minutes and there are very few opportunities to sit, so you need to be comfortable. Dress for the weather your see and be prepared for the weather you don’t. Most of the Kennecott Mill Town Tour is indoors, but there is a fair portion that happens outside as you go from the town of Kennicott to the actual mill buildings, and then when you’re on the guided tour between buildings you’re full outside as well.

A part of dressing for the weather includes being ready for mosquitoes. Indoors there aren’t mosquitoes, but for the outside portions if you’re visiting in July and August, there will be bugs. I usually don’t mind mosquitoes but they were intense here at the Kennecott Mill. I recommend a mosquito hood or to wear a buff (balaclava) that you can cover your face with. Long sleeves are a good idea too, even on a warm day.

Photography within the Kennecott Mill building is really interesting. There are endless interesting subjects within the mill. The textures, changing lighting and industrial chic of it all is a photography bonanza. Be sure you’re well-versed in your camera’s light settings before you start the Kennecott Mill Town Tour. When you’re faced with an epic chute and gears with dusty light streaming in, you’ll want to be ready to capture it. A regular camera phone works too, just in case you don’t have a fancy mirrorless or DSLR camera. It’s a really cool building and town to explore on the guided tour.

Interesting Facts about the Kennecott Mines

The Kennicott mines started operating in 1911 and ran for 27 years, closing in 1938. There was a huge power plant there, there were cable tram lines to transport people to and from the Kennecott Mill buildings to the actual mines, and it was a bustling place to be. The mill operated in every season and it was COLD. The Kennecott mine and mill are not operational anymore, but if you stop into the NPS visitor center here you can see a whole bunch of types of copper that the mines would produce. There’s a lot of history here at the mine, throughout the mill town, and in the nearby town of McCarthy, Alaska.

Getting to Kennicott for the Mill Town Tour

If you’re staying at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge, walk across the street to the meeting place for the Kennecott Mill Town Tour at St Elias Alpine Guides. If you’re staying in McCarthy, you’ll need to take the Copper Town Shuttle from the McCarthy Mercantile to the town of Kennicott and then walk to the St Elias Apline Guides building. If you’re visiting Wrangell-St Elias National Park just for the day or if you’re staying on the west side of the Kennicott River Footbridge, you’ll need to cross the river and catch the shuttle into Kennicott town.

For those driving the McCarthy Road just for the Kennecott Mill Town Tour, you’ll park at the end of the road (pay for your daily parking) and then cross the footbridge. You’ll likely want to be sure to have a meal in Kennicott or McCarthy before you head back to wherever you’re staying, as the drive in on the McCarthy Road is two hours of a gravel highway. Make your visit count!