- McCarthy Road
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McCarthy Road
Alaska Route 10 east 
Route information Maintained by Alaska DOT&PF Length: 48 mi (77 km) Major junctions West end: Edgerton Highway in Chitina East end: Kennecott River near the Kennecott Mines National Historical Landmark Highway system The McCarthy Road is a road that runs from the end of the Edgerton Highway in Chitina, Alaska, to about 1 mile (1.6 km) outside of McCarthy, Alaska.
Contents
Route description
McCarthy Road starts at the end of the Edgerton Highway in Chitina. The road is gravel-surfaced, and often very rough with many washboards and sharp turns. The route follows the railbed of the defunct Copper River and Northwestern Railway, and utilizes the spectacular Kuskulana Bridge, built in 1910, spanning 238 feet (73 m) high above the Kuskulana River at mile 17. It is one of two roads leading to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, though it is not part of the park, and gives access to the abandoned copper mines at Kennecott.
Along the McCarthy RoadCRNW Rail Bridge along McCarthy RdThe road does not actually lead all the way to Kennecott; visitors must cross the Kennecott River by a footbridge built in the 1990s. Historically, one had to cross the river on a self-propelled tram. Visitors can walk to McCarthy in about 15 minutes, although shuttle vans and busses are available during the tourist season from the bridge to both McCarthy and Kennecott.[1] The road is not maintained during winter.
The road was the inspiration for the 2004 book The Road to McCarthy: Around the World in Search of Ireland by Pete McCarthy.[2]
Major intersections
The entire route is in Unorganized Borough.
Location Mile Destinations Notes Chitina 0 
Edgerton HighwayKuskulana River 17 Kuskulana Bridge McCarthy 48 Kennecott River Eastern terminus on the banks of the river 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi References
- ^ "McCarthy Road". The Milepost (59th ed.). p. 487. ISBN 9-781892-15421.
- ^ McCarthy, Pete (2004). The Road to McCarthy: Around the World in Search of Ireland. ISBN 0-00-716212-X.
External links
Categories:- State highways in Alaska
- Valdez–Cordova Census Area, Alaska
- Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve
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