ALASKA
Hiking Maps & Trails
Maps & Trails
Hiking The Chilkoot Trail
Hiking The Resurrection Pass
Trail
Hiking The Russian Lakes Trail
Chugach National Forest Cabin
Policies, (USFS)
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Denali National Park may be the most popular park in Alaska, but the Chilkoot is unquestionably the most famous trail and often the most used during the summer (more than 2800 hikers followed it in 1992). It is the same route as that used by the Klondike gold miners in the 1898 to 1900 gold rush and walking it is not so much a wilderness adventure as a history lesson.
The well-developed and well-marked trail is littered from one end to the other with artifacts of the era - everything from entire ghost towns and huge mining dredges to a lone boot lying next to the trail. The trip is from 33 to 35 miles long (depending on where you exit) and includes the Chilkoot Pass - a steep climb up loose rocks to 3550 feet, where most hikers use all fours to scramble over the loose rocks. The trail can be attempted by anyone in good physical condition with the right equipment and enough time. The hike normally takes three days, though it can be done in two days by experienced trekkers.
Traditionally one of the more popular highlights of the hike was riding the White Pass & Yukon Railroad back to Skagway. After the service was suspended in 1982, the number of hikers plummeted even though there was bus service for the return. The historic railroad has since resumed its runs and the number of the trekkers increases annually. That's because experiencing the Chilkoot and returning on the White Pass & Yukon Route is probably the ultimate Alaska trek, combining great scenery, a first-hand view of history and an incredible sense of adventure. Best of all, it's affordable even for budget travelers.
Trailheads:
The Chilkoot Trail can be hiked from either direction (starting at Skagway or Lake Bennett) but it's actually easier and safer when you start from Skagway/Dyea in the south and climb up the loose scree of the Chilkoot Pass rather than down. Besides there is something about following the footsteps of the Klondike miners that makes this such a special adventure. As gold miners did at the turn of the century, most hikers also arrive at Skagway (the historic gold--rush town) by ferry and spend a day or so walking the wooden sidewalks and purchasing supplies from stores with false fronts. They then continue north along the Chilkoot Trail.
Click for full sized New Growth Forest
From skagway, make your way to Dyea, eight miles to the north-west and the site of the trailhead. Mile 0 of the Chilkoot is just before the Taiya River crossing. Near the trailhead is the Dyea Camping Area (22 sites, no fee) and a National Park Service ranger station. It's tough reaching Dyea by hitchhiking due to the steep and narrow road and its blind curves - after the first two miles, there are few places for motorists to pull over.
Many B&Bs and hotels in town include a trip to the trailhead with the price of a room or contact any of the taxi companies. Pioneer Taxi (907) 983-2623) charges $10 per person for a fide out to the trailhead, which seems to be the going rate.
Return Trip:
At the northern end of the trail, hikers can catch the train on the White Pass & Yukon Route from mid-June to mid-September, but the trip begins with a track motorcar service from Bennett to Fraser. At Fraser you transfer to the narrow-gauge train for the scenic ride to Skagway. The motorcar departs Bennett daily at 3.45 p.m. and arrives in Skagway at 6.15 p.m. The fare from Bennett to Skagway is $72. From Skagway, the train departs at 12.45 p.m. for those who want to begin at the northern trailhead.
There are two other ways to leave the trail at the northern end: you can hike six miles south from Bare Loon Lake Campground to the Log Cabin on Klondike Why or just take the track car from Bennett to Fraser. An Alaskon Express bus stops daily at the Log Cabin at 6.15 pm on its way south to Skagway while a northbound bus reaches the warming hut at 9.15 am on its way to Whitehorse.
The one-way fare from Log Cabin to Skagway is $18 and from Log Cabin to Whitehorse is $53. The bus company can be contacted in Skagway during the summer at (907) 983-2241; all departures from Log Cabin are given in Yukon Time. The fare from Bennett to Fraser on the train is $15. Call White Pass & Yukon Route (WP&YR) at (800) 343-7373 toll-free.
General Trail Info:
Stop at the National Park Service visitor center in the refurbished railroad depot on the comer of 2nd Ave. and Broadway St., Skagway, for current weather and trail conditions, exhibits and films on the area's history, and hiking maps. It's hard to get lost on the Chilkoot Trail as there seems to be an orange marker every 50 yards. For more information contact the National Park Service (r (907) 983-2921) at PO Box 517, Skagway, AK 99840. Trail sections and distances follow:
Trail Section Aproximate Distance Sheep Camp to Chilkoot Pass 3.5 Miles Chilkoot Pass to Happy Camp 4.0 Miles Happy Camp to Deep Lake 2.5 Miles Deep Lake to Lindeman City 3.0 Miles Lindeman City to Bare Loon Lake 3.0 Miles Bare Loon Lake to Log Cabin 6.0 Miles Bare Loon to Lake Bennett 4.0 Miles Canyon City to Sheep Camp 5.3 Miles Dyea to Canyon City 7.7 Miles ENJOY!
HIKING THE RESURRECTION PASS TRAIL
Click for full sized Trail
Located in the Chugach National Forest, this 39-mile trail was carved by prospectors in the late 1800s and today is the most popular hiking route on the Kenai Peninsula. The trip can be done in three days by a keen hiker but most people prefer to do it in five to seven days to make the most of the immense beauty of the region and the excellent fishing in Trout, Juneau and Swan lakes.
There is a series of eight US Forest Service (USFS) cabins along the route for $25 per night. They have to be reserved in advance at the USFS office in Anchorage and, being quite popular, are fully booked for most of the summer which makes last-minute reservations almost impossible. Most hikers take a tent and a camp stove, as fallen wood can sometimes be scarce during the busy summer.
Click for full sized Juneau Lake
Trailhead:
The northern trailhead is 20 miles from the Seward Hwy. and four miles south of Hope on Resurrection Creek Rd. Hope, an historical mining community founded in 1896 by gold seekers, is a charming, out-of-the-way place to visit, but Hope Hwy. is not an easy road to hitchhike. It does receive a fair amount of traffic in the summer but still patience is the key as eventually someone will give you a lift.
From Hope Hwy. you turn south at the posted Resurrection Pass Trail signs onto Resurrection Creek Rd, passing the fork to Palmer Creek Rd. The southern trailhead is on the Sterling Hwy., near Cooper Landing or 53 miles east of Soldotna and 106 miles south of Anchorage. Hitchhiking is easy on die Sterling and Seward highways in either direction, or you can hop on a Seward & Homer Bus out of Anchorage (see the Bus section in the Getting Around chapter). A quarter of a mile east of the southern trailhead along the Sterling Hwy. is the Russian River USFS Campground (84 camp sites, $6 per night for tents) and the trailhead for the Russian Lakes Trail.
An alternative route that avoids traveling to the remote northern trailhead is the Devils Pass Trail, which is posted at Mile 39 of the Seward Hwy., 88 miles south of Anchorage. The 10-mile path leaves the highway and climbs to Devils Pass at 2400 feet, where it joins the Resurrection Pass Trail. By using the Devils Pass Trail and the lower portion of Resurrection Pass Trail, you can hike from the Seward Hwy to the Sterling Hwy in two days.
Click for Trail close-ups of Resurrection Creek Crossing and the Burn Area just before the crossing.
General Trail Info:
For more information on the trail or reserving cabins along it, contact the USFS office for the Anchorage District: Chugach National Forest ('& (907) 271-2500), 201 East 9th St., Suite 206, Anchorage, AK 99501. Trail sections and distances (starting from the north) follow:
Trail Section Aprox. miles Resurrection Creek Rd to Caribou Creek Cabin 6.9 Caribou Creek to Fox Creek Camp site 4.7 Fox creek to East Creek Cabin 2.8 East Creek to Resurrection Pass 4.9 Resurrection Pass to Devils Pass Cabin 2.1 Devils Pass to Swan Lake Cabin 4.4 Swan Lake to Juneau Lake Cabin 3.3 Juneau Lake to Trout Lake Cabin 2.7 Trout Lake to Juneau Creek Falls 2.3 Juneau Creek Falls to Sterling Hwy 4.4 ENJOY!
HIKING THE RUSSIAN LAKES TRAIL
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This 21 -mile, two-day hike is an ideal alternative for those who do not want to over-extend themselves in the Chugach National Forest. The trail is well traveled, well maintained and well marked during the summer and not too demanding on the legs. Most of the hike is a pleasant forest walk broken up by patches of wildflowers, ripe berries, lakes and streams.
The walk's highlights include the possibility of viewing moose or bears, the impressive glaciated mountains across from Upper Russian Lake or, for those carrying a fishing pole, the chance to catch your own dinner. The trek offers good fishing for Dolly Varden, rainbow trout and salmon in the upper portions of the Russian River, rainbow trout in Lower Russian Lake, Aspen Flats and Upper Russian Lake; and Dolly Varden in Cooper Lake near the eastern trailhead.
If you plan ahead, there are three USFS cabins on the trail for $25 per night but you need to reserve them in advance. One is on Upper Russian Lake, nine miles from the Cooper Lake trailhead. Another is at Aspen Flats, another three miles north-west along the trail or 12 miles from the western trailhead.
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Click for full-sized view
Trailhead:
It is easier to start from the Cooper Lake trailhead, the higher end of the trail. To reach the trailhead, turn off at Mile 47.8 of Sterling Hwy onto Snug Harbor Rd. The road leads 12 miles to Cooper Lake and ends at a marked parking lot and the trailhead.
The western trailhead is on a side road marked Russian River USFS Campground at Mile 52.7 of the Sterling Hwy. Hike 0.9 miles to the end of the campground road to reach a parking lot at the beginning of the trail. There is a $2 fee if you leave a car here. If you're planning to camp at Russian River the night before starting the trek, keep in mind that the campground is extremely popular during the salmon-running season from mid-June to late-July and fills up with anglers by early afternoon.
General Trail Info:
For more information on the trail or to reserve cabins, contact the Anchorage District USFS Office @ (907) 271-2500), 201 East 9th St., Suite 206, Anchorage, AK 99501. Trail sections with distances follow:
| Trail Section | Aproximate Distance |
| Cooper Lake trailhead to junction of Resurrection River Trail | 5 Miles |
| Resurrection River Trail junction to Upper Russian Lake Cabin | 4 Miles |
| Upper Russian Lake to Aspen Flats Cabin | 3 Miles |
| Aspen Flats to Lower Russian | 6 Miles |
| Lower Russian Lake to Russian River Campground | 3 Miles |
ENJOY!
Chugach National Forest Cabin Policies, (USFS)
The Chugach National Forest covers 5.8 million acres (about the size of the state of New Hampshire) and extends south and east of Anchorage along the southcentral Alaskan coast. The Chugach encompasses the northeastern Kenai Peninsula the arc of Prince William Sound and the Copper River Delta/Bering River area east of Cordova. It is a beautiful land of majestic mountains, free-flowing streams, frigid mountain lakes and productive waterfowl wetlands. It also contains spectacular ice fields, glaciers, snowcapped mountains and forested islands. There are 42 recreational cabins in the Chugach National Forest available for use by the public. They are located in scenic and often remote areas. They are accessible by floatplane, wheelplane, boat , or trail. One cabin near Cordova is accessible by road.
Hikers should prepare for rigorous backcountry travel and be prepared to provide emergency shelter if they are unable to reach their cabin.
Recreation cabins in the Chugach National Forest may be reserved up to 180 days in advance through the National Recreation Reservation System.
Use under each permit is usually limited to 7 days between May 15 and September 30. Advance payment of $25.00 per night plus a reservation service fee for each stay is required. Checkout time is 12 noon.
Gear should be packed and out of the cabin for the next group. Permits will not be issued to commercial guides or outfitters for commercial purposes.
For further information contact: Forest Service Information Center, 101 Egan Drive, Juneau, AK.
99801, (907)586-8751 or fax (907) 586-7928 or TTY (907)586-7894.
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