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Drone Rules for Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve

Name: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve
Address: Alaska, USA, AK, US

Alaska (AK) • United States

Alaska, USA

Lat: 60.9234 • Lng: -142.734

Ground Not allowed Last updated: May 28, 2026

Summary

Drone operations are strictly prohibited at Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve under NPS regulations, controlled by the National Park Service. No recreational or commercial flights are permitted without an explicit Special Use Permit from the park superintendent. As the largest national park in the United Stat

Authorization Status

Recreational: ❌ 100% Banned
Commercial (Part 107): ❌ Not allowed without NPS Special Use Permit
Wilderness: ❌ Wrangell-St. Elias Wilderness absolute motorized ban
UNESCO WHC: ⚠️ Kluane/Wrangell-St. Elias/Glacier Bay/Tatshenshini transboundary World Heritage Site

Geographic Boundaries

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve is located in Copper River, Valdez-Cordova, and Southeast Fairbanks Census Areas, Alaska.

Total area: ~13,175,901 acres (largest U.S. national park)
Coordinates: 61.7106° N, 142.9856° W
Includes Mount St. Elias (18,008 ft MSL — second highest peak in U.S.), Bagley Icefield, Malaspina Glacier (largest piedmont glacier in North America), and Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark
International border with Canada (Yukon Territory)
Nearest city: Glennallen, AK (~7 miles from park boundary)

Regulations

NPS Management Policies § 8.2.2 prohibits UAS in all NPS units
36 CFR § 1.5 — Superintendent's closure authority
36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3) — Prohibits air delivery/retrieval within park
Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. § 1131) — ~9.1 million acres of designated wilderness within park
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA, 16 U.S.C. § 3101) — governs subsistence access and resource management in Alaska NPS units
National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. § 300101) — Kennecott Mines NHL protections
International border proximity — CBP coordination required
FAA 14 CFR Part 107 governs commercial operations nationwide
Airspace: Class E above 1,200 ft AGL; surface Class G within park

Penalties

NPS fines up to $5,000 per violation
Wilderness Act penalties for motorized equipment violations
ANILCA subsistence zone violation penalties
NHPA penalties for Kennecott NHS disturbance
CBP penalties for unauthorized border zone operations
FAA civil penalties up to $27,500 per violation per day
Equipment confiscation by park rangers

Special Permissions

NPS Special Use Permit required
Scientific/glaciological research with NPS + USGS approval
Mountaineering operations require separate NPS climbing permit
ANILCA subsistence research requires tribal coordination Submit requests to: Wrangell-St. Elias NP Superintendent, Mile 106.8 Richardson Highway, PO Box 439, Copper Center, AK 99573

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Rule sources

https://www.nps.gov/wrst/planyourvisit/rules.htm
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-16/chapter-I/subchapter-L/part-13 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, ANILCA Alaska-specific provisions (16 U.S.C. § 3101), NHPA Kennecott NHS protections, and FAA 14 CFR Part 107 ban all unauthorized drone operations within park boundaries.
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-2/section-2.17 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, ANILCA Alaska-specific provisions (16 U.S.C. § 3101), NHPA Kennecott NHS protections, and FAA 14 CFR Part 107 ban all unauthorized drone operations within park boundaries.
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/part-107 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, ANILCA Alaska-specific provisions (16 U.S.C. § 3101), NHPA Kennecott NHS protections, and FAA 14 CFR Part 107 ban all unauthorized drone operations within park boundaries.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/sound/uaspolicy.htm — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, ANILCA Alaska-specific provisions (16 U.S.C. § 3101), NHPA Kennecott NHS protections, and FAA 14 CFR Part 107 ban all unauthorized drone operations within park boundaries.
https://faa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=9c2e4406710048e19806ebf6a06754ad — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, ANILCA Alaska-specific provisions (16 U.S.C. § 3101), NHPA Kennecott NHS protections, and FAA 14 CFR Part 107 ban all unauthorized drone operations within park boundaries.
https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-36/chapter-I/part-1/section-1.5 — NPS regulations under 36 CFR § 2.17(a)(3), Wilderness Act motorized equipment prohibitions, ANILCA Alaska-specific provisions (16 U.S.C. § 3101), NHPA Kennecott NHS protections, and FAA 14 CFR Part 107 ban all unauthorized drone operations within park boundaries.

Parent Rule Pages

United States
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve