I am trying to avoid renting a car or bush flight into Wrangell St Elias NP. Is there a shuttle or bus service that travels down Nabesna Rd from Slana in the summer ? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
So, you're willing to pay for the shuttle from Anchorage out to McCarthy, and for a bush flight, but not to rent a car? Don't get me wrong, if you're heading into the backcountry for more than a week, then that could make sense, but you might want to acquire some specific prices and crunch the numbers.
The Nabesna Road accesses some beautiful country, and is seemingly one of the least known road access points in the state.
If you do rent a car, be prepared to visit the windshield chip fixer, and buy a pressure washer and a scrub brush, because I dont believe the rental companies will appreciate you driving on gravel roads....ask me how I know this...
I drove about 30 miles down Nabesna Rd a few years ago in the fall. No problems at all. I thought it was actually a pretty good road. In my experience, driving fast is what will chip your windshield. I've driven many thousands of miles on the haul road without a chip simply by slowing down when another vehicle is approaching. What usually chips your windshield is driving fast into a rock that was thrown up in front of you. I would be more concerned with other damage to the vehicle, especially if there has been a lot of rain which can cause washouts, washboard, ruts, etc.