Hatcher Pass Road and Independence Mine State Historical Park

What a busy summer it has been! We’ve had friends over, ate way too much and had too much fun. Many beautiful hikes that we did with our friends. This was one of them. We drove to Hatcher Pass and took a walk around Independence Mine.

Hatcher Pass is a scenic mountain pass which loops between the Glenn Highway and the Parks Highway. Definitely worth a stop or as a side trip if you are travelling up north to Denali from Anchorage. There are scenic turnouts along the way and Independence Mine sits on top Hatcher Pass Road. Driving up to the mine, we saw a few parking areas near trailheads. It looks like a great area for hikes and we hope to go back again to explore the various trails. You can also try your hand at gold-panning while you are there. You can pick up the equipment needed at the visitor’s office. This was a real working gold-mine alright. Our friends went gold-panning with their children and you can really see lots of fine gold dust and specks.

Directions:

Follow the Glenn Highway north from Anchorage north to mile 49.5.  Turnoff on Palmer-Fishhook Road and follow the signs to Hatcher Pass Road/Independence Mine State Historical Park.