Wrangell-St. Elias, << RANG guhl `saynt` uhl EYE uhs, >> National Park is the largest national park in the United States. In southeastern Alaska, it is so vast that few tourists have ever visited its remote parts. A national preserve adjoins the park. For the area of the park and preserve, see National Park System (table: National parks) (table: National preserves) .
The park includes the country’s greatest collection of mountains that stand more than 16,000 feet (4,880 meters) high. The tallest, Mount St. Elias, rises 18,008 feet (5,489 meters). The park also has the largest group of glaciers in North America. Animals that live in the park include black bears, grizzly bears, caribou, moose, Dall’s sheep, mountain goats, minks, sea otters, and trumpeter swans. The area was established as a national monument in 1978 and became a national park and preserve in 1980.
