Skip to content
Vacantier

Activity McCarthy, USA

Kennecott Mill Town Tour

5.0 (41 reviews) 2 hours Free cancellation
Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Kennecott Mill Town Tour

About this activity

Kennecott, Alaska is a ghost town frozen in time. When the Kennecott Copper Corporation abruptly abandoned the town in 1938, they left behind their equipment, buildings, and personal belongings; yet, their stories of discovery, perseverance, and ingenuity live on!

St. Elias Alpine Guides holds the exclusive concession with the National Park Service, and access to the 14-story Concentration Mill is only possible through this tour. Come see what it was like to live and work in this remote wilderness as you tour the town site with one of our knowledgeable guides. Listen to tales of lucky fortunes, tenacious frontiersmen, and tragic endings. Gain exclusive access to explore inside the 14-story mill building and several other historic buildings when you join our tour! Our 2-hour historic Mill Town Tour is a must-do for anyone visiting Kennecott, Alaska!

Nature and Wildlife Tours Private and Luxury Historical Tours Walking Tours Nature Walks Excellent Quality Best Conversion Top Product

At a glance

Duration
2 hours
Confirmation
Instant confirmation
Ticket
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group
Up to 15 people
People per booking
1–15
Guide
English
Operated by
St. Elias Alpine Guides

Ages: Infants (0–2 years) · Children (3–12 years) · Adults (13–100 years)

What is included

Included

  • Included: Hard Hat

Itinerary

  1. Kennecott Copper Mine

    2 hours Admission included

    Explore the Kennecott townsite with a knowledgeable guide! Start on the edge of town with a scenic vista as you learn about how the site developed and what it was like to live there. Along the walk your guide will explain the historic buildings that you see. Your guide's main goal is to give you access to the 14-story Kennecott Mill and Ammonia Leaching Buildings, which are only accessible on this tour. Once inside these buildings, your guide will show you the old machinery and explain how the copper oar was processed as well as what it was like to work here in the early 1900s. Please note that access to the mines is strictly prohibited by the NPS due to safety reasons. Some of the buildings that you see along the way are open to the public, so please make time to explore these buildings before or after the tour (buildings are open 9am-5pm).

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

  • Our office is the second building on the left as you enter the Kennecott Town Site. Please meet us there 10 minutes before the start of your tour time! If you are coming from McCarthy, please note that you will need to catch the shuttle that leaves an hour before the start of your tour.

End point

  • Our office is the second building on the left as you enter the Kennecott Town Site. Please meet us there 10 minutes before the start of your tour time! If you are coming from McCarthy, please note that you will need to catch the shuttle that leaves an hour before the start of your tour.

Using your ticket

Check-in with our staff in our Kennecott Office 10 minutes before the start of your tour. We are the second building on the left as you enter the Kennecott Town Site.

Transportation to Kennecott is available via two shuttle options - the Copper Town Shuttle or the Blackburn Heritage Shuttle.

The Copper Town Shuttle 2026 price is $15 for a Day Pass. It has 2 scheduled pick-up locations - on the Eastside/McCarthy-side of the Footbridge and in McCarthy. The Copper Town Shuttle offers an hourly service leaving McCarthy at the bottom of the hour starting at 8:30 am and continuing until 6:30 pm. The first shuttle arrives in Kennecott at 9 am and the last shuttle of the day departs Kennecott at 7 pm. They also provide shuttle rides covering the ½ mile from the Footbridge to McCarthy starting at 8:45 am and running every half-hour following (9:15 am, 9:45 am, etc.) This shuttle does not go to Kennecott. It takes you into McCarthy where you can catch the shuttle to Kennecott.

The Blackburn Heritage Shuttle costs $5 per one-way ticket and runs between the Footbridge, McCarthy, and Kennecott. In McCarthy they pick-up in front of the Potato - a local restaurant. They offer free rides to active duty military and their families, and minors under 18 travelling with parents. They run an hourly schedule starting at 9 am at the Footbridge (with an early bird pick-up at 8:15 am) and departing Kennecott at 9:30 am and every hour following (10:30 am, 11:30 am, etc.). Their final shuttle departs Kennecott at 6:30 pm. Please keep in mind that breaks can impact their schedule. This shuttle is a white short bus that you can’t miss if you see it!

We recommend catching the shuttle at least 1.5 hours before the start of your tour, as space is limited.

Please note that these shuttles are not owned or operated by St. Elias Alpine Guides. The price and schedule of the shuttles are subject to seasonal changes. We do our best to monitor these changes and update the information accordingly.

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel You get back
At least one day before 100%
Less than a day before 0%
  • The operator may cancel if the weather does not allow it; you then get another date or your money back.

Good to know

  • Public transportation options are available nearby

  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

  • Infants are required to be in a hands free carrier.

  • Not recommended for travelers who have difficulty walking.

  • Not recommended for travelers who experience extreme knee pain.

Traveller ratings

5.0 out of 5 · 41 reviews
5
95%
4
5%
3
0%
2
0%
1
0%

Activities, prices and reviews are from Viator. Booking and payment happen on Viator; Vacantier may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Kennecott Mill Town Tour

Pick a day to see the times and the price

Necessary cookies keep the site running and cannot be switched off. With your consent we also load Google Analytics, which tells us how the site is used, and our affiliate partners' scripts (Travelpayouts, Kiwi.com), which set cookies to credit us with bookings made through us. Details in the Cookie Policy.

  • Necessary

    The session, form protection, signing in, your chosen currency and this choice. The site does not work without them.

    Always on
  • Analytics

    Google Analytics. Counts visits and which pages and offers are used, so we know what to improve. It never receives your name, email or account.

  • Marketing and affiliate

    The Travelpayouts scripts and the Kiwi.com flight search. They set their own cookies, through which the partner knows you came from Vacantier.