Wrangell Alaska is a small town with a big welcome as stated in their visitors guide. It is the only town in the state to have been ruled by four nations: Tlingit, Russia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
A community of about 2,100 people, Wrangell is located on the northern tip of the 30-mile-long Wrangell Island nestled amid the forests and mountains of the Inside Passage. Wrangell offers many opportunities to bike, hike, explore, fish, and immerse yourself in Island life. Today I want to take you on a journey to Petroglyph Beach, a state historic site. Put on your walking shoes and let's go.
If you arrive by cruise ship, great you can take a walk over to the beach and circle around to walk up Dewey Mountain for a great view of your ship as we did. So let's go. The terrain is a 2.5 once you get to the ferry or cruise terminal. You need to take a cruise (7 days), ferry (6 hours 48 nminutes one way), fly, or take a private boat to get to the Island so we put the terrain at a 5 to make it worth while.
It is believed he petroglyphs were probably carved into the rocks by early Stikine Tlingit possibly 1000 years ago. However the carvings may be much older as there is evidence of human habitation in the southeast Alaska for more than 8000 years.
Wrangell's Petroglyph Beach has the highest concentration of petroglyphs in Southeast Alaska and is easily to access for exploration. The viewing platform is wheelchair accessible, but the last few steps to the beach require the use of stairs.
The word Petroglyph is a word derived from the Greek "petra" for rock and "glyphe" for carving. On the viewing platform there are replica's of the carvings which are available for making rubbings. Please do not make rubbing on the original petroglyphs that you will find on the shore. You can view petroglyphs in the museum in town, but this will not satisfy the requirement for logging.
From the viewing platform you will find upwards of 40 petroglyphs to your right. Check out the whale in front of the house, but step lightly and be gentle with these treasures.
To log a find. You must make your way here and find at least one of the petroglyphs. A photo is required as proof of your visit. Put some part of you or your gps in the photo.
At N56 29.003 W132 23.647 you will find a metal disk imbedded in the rock. There are two four digit numbers. Please record at least one of these numbers.
Please let us know how you got here and the tide at the time.
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.