MCKINLEY TRAIL CABIN

Overview Located just off the Copper River Highway in the Chugach National Forest, McKinley Trail Cabin offers guests year-round recreation and relaxation. Although the cabin isn't in the remote wilderness, it makes a good base camp for exploring the Copper River Delta and the surrounding areas. Fishing, hiking, hunting and wildlife viewing are within the vicinity.

Access to the cabin is by motor vehicle. The trailhead to the cabin is located at Mile 21 of the Copper River Highway. The cabin is approximately 80 yards from the road on the McKinley Lake Trail.

Visitors are responsible for their own travel arrangements and safety, and must bring several of their own amenities. Recreation For hikers and anglers wanting to explore the area, McKinley Trail provides access to nearby lakes and a historical mining site. 25 miles from the McKinley Trail trailhead is the junction for the Pipeline Lakes Trail, which wanders through muskeg meadows and spruce-hemlock forests below steep mountainsides.

In the spring, brown bears can be seen grazing on the new grass on the south-facing slopes. 25 miles from the trailhead. The trail meets the shoreline of the lake at both its southern end, and at the cove at its upper area.

Hiking approximately a quarter-mile beyond the cabin, visitors will find remnants of the Lucky Strike Mine. Rusting machinery, pipes and a collapsed tunnel are the most obvious evidence of the mine site. The closest fishing area to the McKinley Trail Cabin is just across the highway in the upper part of Alaganik Slough.

The highway is a two-lane dirt road with anywhere from 10 to 75 vehicles per day. Coho salmon move into the slough with the high tides downstream. In late August and September, they start moving up the slough to the spawning grounds, passing near the cabin.

Other coho salmon fishing spots are found in the area as well.