Remote gravel airstrip at McCarthy Airport in Alaska, bordered by spruce forest and the snow-capped Wrangell Mountains under soft morning light

Airport

McCarthy Airport (MXY)

McCarthy Airport (MXY) is a small public-use airport serving McCarthy, Alaska, and the gateway to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Travelers can arrange transfers and shuttles onward to McCarthy, Kennecott and the Kennicott Mines National Historic Landmark.

Passengers

Luggage

About McCarthy Airport

McCarthy Airport (MXY) is a state-owned, public-use airport serving McCarthy, Alaska, in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area. It functions as the main air gateway to the McCarthy–Kennecott area and to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, the largest national park in the United States.

Located about one nautical mile (2 km) northeast of McCarthy's central district, the airport operates a single gravel and dirt runway designated 1/19, measuring approximately 3,501 by 60 feet (1,067 by 18 m). It is primarily a general aviation and air taxi facility with no control tower, and it is unattended; there is no fuel service on site.

Wrangell Mountain Air and other air taxi operators offer scheduled and charter flights connecting McCarthy with Chitina and other Alaskan communities, along with flightseeing and day tours in summer. Visitors can continue from the airport to McCarthy and Kennecott by shuttle or lodge pickup, reaching the historic Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark nearby.

Because the airport sits close to the community and the national park, it provides a simple but convenient arrival point for hikers, backcountry travelers, and visitors exploring the park's glaciers, trails, and historic mining sites.

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Terminal Overview

Travelers walking beneath terminal signs inside an airport

Terminals

McCarthy Airport is a small, state-owned general aviation airport with one gravel and dirt runway (1/19) and no conventional multi-terminal passenger building. Air taxi and charter flights use a basic passenger shelter and small administrative area rather than separate domestic or international terminals.

Ground Transportation Services to and from McCarthy Airport

Transfers

Arrange private transfers from McCarthy Airport to lodges, guesthouses and camps in McCarthy, Kennecott and the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park area.

Hourly Chauffeur

Book a local driver by the hour for flexible travel around McCarthy and Kennecott, including visits to the historic Kennicott mine buildings and nearby trailheads.

Car Rental

Rent a vehicle in Chitina, Glennallen or Anchorage and drive along McCarthy Road to the footbridge, then connect by shuttle or on foot to McCarthy, Kennecott and McCarthy Airport.

Bus & Group Transfers

Organize shuttle vans or charter vehicles for groups travelling between McCarthy Airport, the McCarthy footbridge, McCarthy, Kennecott and nearby lodges or trailheads.