Hatcher Pass
Hatcher Pass East Management Area (Alaska State Parks) · Palmer, Alaska
A high mountain pass in the Talkeetna Mountains between Palmer and Willow, where a road climbs out of the Little Susitna River valley past the Independence Mine gold camp to Summit Lake at about 3,886 feet. Named after the prospector Robert Hatcher, who staked a claim here in 1906, it is the Mat-Su Valley's favourite mountain playground: hikers head up Gold Cord Lake, April Bowl and the boulder-strewn Reed Lakes Trail, paragliders launch from the ridges, and berry pickers fill buckets in August. In winter the lower road leads to groomed ski trails, sledding hills and backcountry skiing with serious avalanche danger. The Palmer and Willow approaches are open all year, but the gravel section over the summit opens only in summer, typically from about 1 July to 15 September, depending on snow.
Hatcher Pass Road (Palmer-Fishhook Road to Willow-Fishhook Road), Summit Lake, Palmer, Alaska, 99645, United States
Palmer-Fishhook and Willow-Fishhook roads open year-round to winter gates; the summit section is open about 1 July-15 September, weather permitting (check dot.alaska.gov and dnr.alaska.gov/parks).