As a sign along Sterling Highway proudly proclaims, Anchor Point is the most westerly point on the North American continent accessible by a continuous road system. A town of nearly 2,000 residents located 62 miles south of Soldotna and just 14 miles north of Homer , Anchor Point is known throughout the Kenai Peninsula for incredible scenery and around the world for exceptional sport fishing…, ABOUT ANCHOR POINT (DENA'INA ATHABASCAN: K'KAQ'), Captain James Cook’s ship, the HMS Resolution, lost a large Kedge anchor while attempting to sail north against the hard flowing tidal waters in the area in May 1778. That event led to the name Anchor Point for this quiet coastal community. Visitors to Anchor Point will find a selection of restaurants, grocery stores, a tackle shop, an antique shop, an art gallery, a museum, and incredible views…, THINGS TO DO, The Anchor River begins attracting salmon anglers in early May and then offers more excitement through the summer and fall with fishing for Dolly Varden, silver salmon, and steelhead trout. May to September, local sports fishing charter operators utilize a tractor on the beach to launch boats to fish for Cook Inlet’s big halibut, salmon, and other sport fish. Anchor Point offers more than just…
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Located on the shore of its namesake lake and sprawling over 138 square miles is the community of Big Lake, with a population of almost 3,000 people and lots of sled dogs, including the kennel of four-time Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion Martin Buser., ABOUT BIG LAKE, Many residents of Big Lake commute to work in Anchorage , 60 miles to the south, but choose to live in Big Lake for its limitless recreation opportunities and the views of Mount Susitna, Denali , and the Talkeetna Mountains., THINGS TO DO, Not surprisingly, recreation in the area centers around the lake - and it is indeed big - with 67 miles of shoreline. Popular activities include swimming, camping, boating, fishing, jet skiing, and tour boat rides in the summer. Local outfitters rent out all the equipment you need to enjoy the water - including jet skis, pontoon boats, kayaks, and more – on an hourly or daily basis. Once Big Lake…
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Once a center of coal mining activity, Chickaloon is now a popular staging area for a variety of outdoor adventures ranging from sport fishing and glacier trekking to whitewater rafting and ice climbing. , ABOUT CHICKALOON (AHTNA ATHABASCAN: NAY'DINI'AA NA'), Chickaloon is located at Mile 76 of the Glenn Highway and is surrounded by the Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains and flanked by the mighty Matanuska River, making it a great starting point for outdoor adventures. Originally the area was a center of trade by Athabascan people who brought copper, sheep, and goats from the north to swap for salmon, beluga whale, and fur seals from tribes from the…, THINGS TO DO, The most popular activity in Chickaloon is whitewater rafting on the Matanuska River. Guides lead parties of rafters down the river’s famous Lion Head, a stretch of Class III-IV whitewater that often includes a stop to explore the foot of Matanuska Glacier . Chickaloon is the staging area for a number of adventures, from easy, scenic river floats to heart-pounding whitewater trips. Several…
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Strategically located at the confluence of the Klutina and Copper Rivers, Copper Center was originally a large, winter village for Ahtna Athabascan families who have lived in the region for more than 5,000 years. The first lodge in the Copper River Basin was built in 1896 and provided a soft bed and a hot meal to travelers, most of them miners following the Valdez-Fairbanks Trail during the…, ABOUT COPPER CENTER (AHTNA ATHABASCAN: TL’ATICAE’E), Since the creation of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in 1980, Copper Center has served as one of the gateways for visitors entering the massive national park. It is a full-service community with a small selection of accommodations, restaurants, campgrounds, supplies, gas, and tire repair. The Wrangell-St Elias National Park Headquarters & Visitor Center is along the…
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If catching one of the state’s most prized varieties of salmon is on your list, look no further than Gakona., ABOUT GAKONA (AHTNA ATHABASCAN: GGAX KUNA’), Gakona and neighboring Gakona Junction sit at the confluence of the Copper and Gakona Rivers, 15 miles northeast of Glennallen and just east of the Richardson Highway on the Tok Cut-off Road. With a combined population that barely tops 200, the communities make up for their size with awesome recreational opportunities., THINGS TO DO, Regarded as a paradise for anglers and rafters looking for big fish and whitewater adventure, Gakona is a great place to base your quest for the famed Copper River red (sockeye) salmon and king salmon. Popular fishing areas include the Copper, Gulkana, and Klutina Rivers. Local outfitters lead full-day and half-day fishing and sightseeing trips and can provide gear rentals and shuttle service if…
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Glennallen sits at the junction of two of Alaska’s most important highways and serves as a jumping-off point to the largest national park in the United States, , Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, ., ABOUT GLENNALLEN, The indigenous Ahtna Athabascan people have lived in the region for countless years. The town of Glennallen was established in the mid-1940s as a highway construction camp for the Glenn Highway, which stretches 180 miles west towards Anchorage . The town sits along the Glenn Highway near its intersection with the Richardson Highway, and provides traveler services to motorists as well as those…, THINGS TO DO, As the gateway into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve , Glennallen is the base for a variety of guides, outfitters, and tour companies, offering adventures including world-class fishing, rafting, wildlife viewing, flightseeing through the peaks, off-road vehicle trips on old mining trails, and snowmobile tours in the winter. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park boasts 9 out of the…
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Located on the west shore of the Kenai Peninsula , the town of Kasilof is a fishing village centered around its boat harbor on the Kasilof River. Located just 12 miles south of the town of Soldotna , residents enjoy a small-town atmosphere with easy access to services in larger nearby communities., ABOUT KASILOF (DENA'INA ATHABASCAN: GGASILAT), Fishing is the lifeblood of Kasilof, which supports a small commercial fleet and fish processing plant. Locals also participate in subsistence red salmon dip-net fishing on the Kasilof River., THINGS TO DO, Kasilof features dozens of guides and outfitters catering to resident and non-resident sport fishers, who congregate from late May to early July to launch drift boats and troll for king salmon. There’s plenty of great fishing in the area all summer long, however, and several premium sportfishing lodges offer comfortable accommodations for visitors. Thanks in part to the sport fishing industry,…, Kasilof River State Recreational Site, on the south side of the Sterling Highway Bridge at Mile 109. The popular day-use area has a boat launch on the river, a picnic area, and nature trails. Other nearby recreation areas near Kasilof include , Crooked Creek State Recreation Site , and, Johnson Lake State Recreation Area, . Kasilof Beach is a popular destination for dip-netting and the adjacent estuary is a great place to view birds and other wildlife., HISTORY, Long before the Russians established a fort on the banks of the river in 1786, nomadic Dena’ina Athabascans spent time in the area to take advantage of the river’s bounty. Later, salmon canneries and fox-fur farms led to population growth, but by the time the Sterling Highway was built in the mid-1940s, the population had become relatively stable and centered around sport, commercial, and…
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The city of Kenai is in many ways the heart of the Kenai Peninsula , both economically and because the massive Kenai River draws thousands of Alaskans from all over the state every summer for salmon fishing. Read Top 6 Things to Do in Kenai., ABOUT KENAI (DENA'INA ATHABASCAN: SHK'ITUK'T), Kenai is the largest community on the Kenai Peninsula with a population of around 7,800. The city sits on a low rise overlooking the mouth of the Kenai River. To the west, majestic views of the Alaska Range and three active volcanoes (Mount Spurr, Mount Iliamna, and Mount Redoubt) make for a dramatic backdrop. Located on the western side of the Kenai Peninsula , the town of Kenai is accessible…, THINGS TO DO, The main reason most visitors come to Kenai is for the world-class salmon fishing in the lower Kenai River and at its mouth. King salmon, red salmon (also called sockeye salmon), silver salmon (coho), and pink salmon spawn up the river and are caught by anglers each summer. The Kenai River was responsible for producing the world-record-holding king salmon, which weighed in at more than 97 pounds…, STAYING IN KENAI, For those interested in fishing, Kenai is home to several fishing lodges that include accommodations, meals, and fishing charters. A wide variety of hotels, inns, motels, lodges, B&Bs, hostels, and cabins can be found in Kenai, with many featuring stunning vistas of the Cook Inlet or peaceful views of the Kenai River. There are two RV parks in town and lots of campgrounds in the many parks…, HISTORY, The Kenai River’s legendary salmon is the reason Kenai is one of the oldest continuously inhabited European settlements in Alaska. Before contact with the Western world, Dena'ina Athabascans had a permanent village of more than 1,000 in the area. Russians were the first non-Native people to settle in the area, in 1741, and later established a fortified trading post, Fort St. Nicholas, which…
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ABOUT KENNICOTT AND MCCARTHY, Located deep in the heart of , Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, , Kennicott and McCarthy offer visitors a taste of Alaska’s historic mining era and outstanding recreational opportunities. Kennicott and McCarthy sit five miles apart at the end of the McCarthy Road, about 90 miles from the turnoff from the Richardson Highway. Today, Kennicott is a fascinating ghost town and McCarthy is a little town with a lot of charm, with a year-round population of just a…, HISTORY of KeNnicott and McCarthy, After copper was discovered in the area in 1900, a group of wealthy investors formed the Kennecott Copper Corporation (named when a clerical worker misspelled Kennicott) to mine the incredibly rich veins in the jagged mountains above Root Glacier. The corporation built the Copper River & Northwest Railroad to get the copper ore from Kennicott to the nearest port, in Cordova, and established…, GETTING TO MCCARTHY, Getting to McCarthy is all part of the experience of this quirky town. There are two ways to reach McCarthy: by air or by road. Daily scheduled flights and air taxi service is available from Chitina , which is a 5 hour drive from Anchorage and 6 hour drive from Fairbanks . The 30 minute flight features spectacular scenery of the Kennicott Valley and a taste of what’s to come in the nearby …, Things to Do in Kennicott and McCarthy, EXPLORE MCCARTHY, In McCarthy, visitors will find a few lodging options including a historic hotel, guest house, B&Bs, and cabins, plus a couple of restaurants, a lively saloon, basic services, shuttles to Kennecott Mine, and outfitters that will take them on a range of activities, from glacier trekking and whitewater rafting to flightseeing trips into the alpine heart of , Wrangell St.-Elias National Park, . The town’s rustic charm and unpaved roads will make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. The interesting McCarthy-Kennicott Historical Museum is housed in the town's former railroad depot and features historical photographs, mining artifacts, and a model of McCarthy in its heyday. A dog at a building in McCarthy, WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS NATIONAL PARK, McCarthy is one of the gateways to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve , the largest national park in the U.S. at 13.2 million acres. Within the park, the Wrangell, Chugach, and St. Elias Mountain Ranges merge to create an alpine paradise that includes 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the country. From McCarthy, visitors have access to endless adventures in the park, including hiking,…, KENNECOTT MINES NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK, A shuttle van transports visitors five miles up a dirt road from McCarthy to the historic mining ruins at Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark . In recent years, the National Park Service has restored most of the mine buildings, and tours of the huge mill building, bunkhouses, a train depot, worker's cottages, and the power plant are available. The white-trimmed red buildings stand out…, FLIGHTSEEING, McCarthy's air strip is the starting point for spectacular flightseeing tours of the surrounding mountains and glaciers in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Air charter services offer a wide range of scenic flights that often last from for 30 to 90 minutes., RAFTING, The Kennicott, Nizina, and Chitina Rivers make for popular float trips in the McCarthy area. Outfitters in McCarthy offer day trips, which include floating through the vertical-walled Nizina Canyon, and multi-day adventures in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park or from McCarthy to Chitina ., MOUNTAIN BIKING, Mountain bikes can be rented in McCarthy and are a great way to get around and explore the area. Bikers can ride the 5 mile dirt road between McCarthy and Kennicott or take the Wagon Road Trail that runs parallel to the road through the forest. For a longer outing, mountain bikers head 12 miles south of town to the Nizina River, a scenic spot to spend an afternoon., Lodging and Dining in Kennicott and McCarthy, Since a good part of your day will be spent getting to Kennicott and McCarthy, be sure to give yourself enough time to explore the area by staying overnight for at least one or two nights. For the closest access to Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark, visitors can stay at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge, located right next to the mines. The lodge serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and…
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Located off of the Glenn Highway, 40 miles from Glennallen and 170 miles from Anchorage , this lakeside community of lodges and a few dozen residents is a place to play and relax. , ABOUT LAKE LOUISE, Beginning at Mile 159.8 of the Glenn Highway, Lake Louise Road snakes its way north 19 miles past views of mountains and Tazlina Glacier before coming to an end at the shores of Lake Louise. The clear waters of Lake Louise and adjoining Susitna Lake are spread over 37 square miles and represent Alaska's largest lake system with road access., THINGS TO DO, The 90-acre Lake Louise State Recreation Area features a campground with 67 campsites along with a picnic area and shelters, hiking trails, a boat launch, and a beach where campers can take a quick dip in the chilly lake. Nearby the state recreation area are two waterfront lodges with restaurants and bars. Lake Louise offers great year-round fishing, especially for lake trout, burbot, and…, northern lights viewing, , snowmobiling, and ice fishing., HISTORY, Soldiers originally used Lake Louise as a place for rest and relaxation when the U.S. Army was building the Glenn Highway during World War II. Since it was only accessible by floatplane, Army officials decided to build Lake Louise Road for easier access. After the war, the area was homesteaded but the lake eventually returned to being an outdoor playground when the state designated Lake Louise…
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