Wrangell Mountains

The Wrangell Mountains rise above the Copper River Basin, a great cluster of volcanic peaks covered by snowfields and glaciers. Mount Wrangell, Mount Blackburn, Mount Sanford and Mount Drum are among the summits of this rugged range. Lava flows built the volcanic mountains over immense spans of time, while ice carved their slopes and filled the valleys between them. Rivers descending from the range join the Copper and Chitina, whose basins have long been home to Ahtna communities. Copper deposits in the Chitina country supplied material for tools, ornaments and exchange.