Official State of Alaska Vacation and Travel Information

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Sutton

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In 1918, Sutton was founded as a station on the Matanuska Branch of the Alaska Railroad, which was built for the sole purpose of exporting coal and was also the base camp for construction of the Glenn Highway. But it was coalmines that kept the economy of Sutton humming. Today the railroad and the coal industry are gone and Sutton is a community of 1,310 residents located 11 miles northeast of Palmer in the Mat-Su Borough.

Today Sutton’s coal history can still be seen at Alpine Historical Park, a museum complex on site of the Sutton Coal Washery. Among the buildings preserved is a Chickaloon bunkhouse and the original Sutton Post Office from 1948 now a museum with displays on the coal industry and building the Glenn Highway. Nearby Moose Creek State Recreation Site and Seventeen Mile Lake offer fishing opportunities while locally grown produce is available at a farmers market during the summer.

Sutton

Sutton-Alpine is spread out between Milepost 52 and 72 of the Glenn Highway but the heart of the community is accessible by road via Chickaloon Way and Jonesville Road.

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Sutton

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Attractions

Alpine Historical Park +

Sutton's coal history is well preserved at Alpine Historical Park, a museum complex on site of the Sutton Coal Washery. Among the buildings that can be viewed is a Chickaloon bunkhouse and the original Sutton Post Office from 1948 now a museum with displays on the coal industry and building the Glenn Highway.
Mountain Biking +

Mountain bikers take to the two-tracks and old mining roads in the area for scenic and sometimes heart-pounding rides. One is King River Trail, a multi-use trail reached from Mile 66.3 of the Glenn Highway, just west of the King River Bridge.
Rafting +

Excellent whitewater rafting lies near Sutton on the Matanuska River. Outfitters lead parties of rafters down the river on a variety of trips including the rivers's famous Lion Head, a stretch of Class III-IV whitewater, as well as milder sections.
Sportfishing +

Good fishing opportunities abound at Moose Creek, Mile 54.6 of the Glenn Highway for rainbow trout and Dolly Varden during the summer and at Seventeen Mile Lake, accessed from Mile 58 of Glenn Highway, for grayling in early spring.