Backpacking/Hostelling In Alaska

Touristy.....you ain't seen nothing yet. Princess opens up their hotel in Copper Center this summer. That's going to flood the area with tourists, and spin off a lot of other economic development. DOT is already got plans fo a huge parking areas just before the river at McCarthy. I wouldn't be too suprised to see plans to pave the road.

By all means if you are even remotley interested in this area, you should go see it now, before it develops more.

I had to move out of Alaska 4 years ago (lived there 25 years), so this was the first I heard of the changes at McCarthy. What a shame! I checked the state's DOT website and they have a section on the proposed upgrades to the parking area. It is all still in the talking stages and it should be noted that one of the five alternatives is to leave things as they currently are. Some decision is scheduled to be made spring/summer of this year. It was distressing enough to learn the tram has been replaced with a footbridge, but at least it's unlikely that will be upgraded to allow car traffic.

The PDF document on the McCarthy road was too long to download (111 pages) but I suspect that is mostly talk, too.

I can't believe there are vans taking tourists in! What about the rickety old train trestle you used to have to drive across the river? Has that been changed? Jeeze, last I was there was 20 years ago. Can't even begin to express how disappointed I feel. I read there is even a National Park Kiosk there. Used to be just some great wilderness.

karen

Backcountry Connection has run van trips to McCarthy for quite some time, probably the past 10 years or so. You still drive over the train trestle over the gorge, but they now have guardrails on it. It's still fun to walk on the catwalk under the bridge, though (not for those with a fear of heights!).

The first time I was to McCarthy/Kennicott was in 1988, and it was still rarely visited. We camped on one of the tailing piles right in the center of Kennicott and spent a fun day or two exploring the buildings and even climbed all the way up inside the main mill building (not real smart in retrospect!). Other visits in 1994 and 1997 have shown an increasing tourism boom in the area (heck, they even have cellular pay phones now in McCarthy!).

I'm bummed to hear about the new hotel in Copper Center. That will totally ruin the feel of that small, mostly-Native, town. Ever since they put the Richardson bypass in it has felt like time forgot it. I've played more than one softball game under the midnight sun at the school in Copper Center. Oh well....

The hotel isn't actually 'in' Copper Center. As is their practice, Princess gets cheap land in the area (with a view) and builds. Has happened in Denali, Talkeetna, and Cooper Landing. That way none of the locals can easily get a piece of the action, and they can more easily control their sheep...er I mean guests.

Saw a mention in the paper (ADN) where they were trying to get an add in to the state budget to run electricity to one of their lodges, the figure was $200,000. Seems the private development isn't quite what is once was.

Since nobody has replied yet I'll give you my 2cents. I went to Chena Hot Springs in 1996, so my memory might be a little bad. I believe it is about an hour from Fairbanks. Seemed like the road was very bumpy. When we got there, there was a few big regular (man-made) hot tubs outside that were heated by the springs. The actual springs were little nasty ponds that nobody ventured into. Inside a building there is a small cement pool that is heated by the spring. The air had that sulfur smell like many hot springs. I was very disapointed in the trip, but still had fun going.

Chena Hot Springs is no longer as jb remembers it.

I was there just over a year ago and it's fantastic. What used to be a grubby little dump is now a polished resort by Alaska standards. The outdoor pool has been thoroughly modernized with a black sand bottom and beautiful bolders all around the edge. The air is slightly sulphurous, but not bad to my nose.

I think it would be a lot more fun in the winter than summer, what with the contrast between the interior cold and the warm water, plus the northern lights. But again, it is now a very polished resort and nothing like what jb describes, or what I saw when I was there in the mid-80s.

Chena Hot Springs has changed owners since then, and from what I hear, has been vastly improved.

Chena is 60 miles out of Fairbanks, so yes, the road is a little bumpy. It's a country road. It's still a heck of a lot better than most country roads in Alaska that I've driven. For one thing, it's paved, so you won't get stuck in frost boils that require a D-8 to get your pickup out.

Jan