View source for McCarthy Road

{{Short description|Highway in Alaska, United States}}
{{about|Alaska Route 10 between Chitina and the Kennecott River|other segments of the route|Alaska Route 10}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox road
|state=AK
|type=AK
|route=10
|name=McCarthy Road
|alternate_name=Alaska Route 10 east
|maint=
|map=McCarthy Road.svg
|length_mi=59.3
|length_round=0
|length_ref=
|length_notes=
|established=
|decommissioned=
|direction_a=West
|terminus_a={{jct|state=AK|AK|10}} [[Edgerton Highway]] in [[Chitina, Alaska|Chitina]]
|junction=
|direction_b=East
|terminus_b=[[Kennecott River]] near the [[Kennecott, Alaska|Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark]]
|previous_type=
|previous_route=
|next_type=
|next_route=
}}
The '''McCarthy Road''' is a [[Gravel road|gravel-surfaced]] road that runs from the end of the [[Edgerton Highway]] in [[Chitina, Alaska|Chitina]], Alaska, to about {{convert|1|mi|km}} outside of [[McCarthy, Alaska]].

==Route description==
{{multiple image
| align = left
| image1 = McCarthy Road.jpg
| width1 = 220
| alt1 = 
| caption1 = Along the McCarthy Road
| image2 = Crnwbridge.jpg
| width2 = 220
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = CRNW Rail Bridge along McCarthy Rd
| footer = 
}}

McCarthy Road starts at the end of the Edgerton Highway in Chitina. The road is gravel-surfaced, and often very rough with many [[Washboarding|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 {{convert|238|ft}} high above the [[Kuskulana River]] at mile&nbsp;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]] [[mining|mines]] at [[Kennecott, Alaska|Kennecott]].

The road does not actually lead all the way to Kennecott; visitors must cross the [[Kennecott River]] by a [[footbridge]] built in the 1990s.  The road is not maintained during winter.

The road was the inspiration for the [[2004 in literature|2004]] book ''The Road to McCarthy: Around the World in Search of Ireland'' by [[Pete McCarthy]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Road to McCarthy: Around the World in Search of Ireland|last=McCarthy|first=P|authorlink=Pete McCarthy|year=2004|location=New York|publisher=Fourth Estate|isbn=0-00-716212-X|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/roadtomccarthyar00mcca}}</ref>

==Major intersections==
{{jcttop|state=AK|borough=Unorganized|length_ref=}}
{{AKint
|location=Chitina
|mile=0
|road=[[File:Alaska 10 shield.svg|20px|alt=|link=]] [[Edgerton Highway]]
|notes=}}
{{jctbridge
|location_special= [[Kuskulana River]]
|mile=17
|bridge=[[Kuskulana Bridge]] (built 1910, span 525 feet, height above river 238 feet)}}
{{AKint
|location=McCarthy
|mile=60
|road=Kennecott River
|notes=Eastern terminus on the banks of the river}}
{{jctbtm}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Attached KML|display=title,inline}}
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090827090034/http://www.largestnationalpark.com/ Wrangell-St. Elias National Park visitor information]}}
* [https://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&q=Alaska+route+10&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&ll=61.530224,-144.349022&spn=0.044761,0.108662&z=13 Google map of McCarthy road]

[[Category:Copper River Census Area, Alaska]]
[[Category:Gravel roads]]
[[Category:State highways in Alaska]]
[[Category:Transportation in Unorganized Borough, Alaska]]
[[Category:Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve]]