Chitna Basin

Chitna Basin refers to the area in the Talkeetna Mountains that is bordered by Caribou Creek to the north, Chitna  Creek to the east, Hicks Creek to the south and Boulder Creek to the west. It is a high alpine zone with elevations ranging from 4500’ to 7000’. There is  little vegetation and the mountains and passes are generally low angle and easily traversed.

The zone has long history that literally spans millenniums as it was an established migration and trade route for Native Alaskans. Warming and retreating glaciers allowed migration into the Susitna and Cook Inlet areas in the Post-Pleistocene era and routes from Lake Louis (Sasnuu’ Bene’ in Ahtna) to both the upper Susitna (via the Oshetna drainage)  and the Matanuska River were established as both migration and trade corridors (see Dena’ina Prehistory by Alan Boraas).

By the start of the Holocene era the Dena’ina people had settled in the Susitna / Matanuska valleys while the Ahtna peoples had settled in the Copper River Valley area with relatively clear distinctions between the people and regions in terms of language and traditions. This boundary lies right along the Talkeetna mountains with the western edge being somewhere near Chinta Pass as evidenced by both Dena’ina and Ahtna placenames in these regions (see this article for a discussion of language boundaries).

The Ahtna people that lived in this region were nomadic hunters that followed the caribou herds as they traversed from the southern reaches of the Alaska Range to the eastern flanks of the Talkeetna range.  Their lives were difficult and harsh- and their lives were practically the same for 5000+ years until the arrival of Russian traders in 1742.

Traditional Ahtna territory, showing the areas occupied by the four regional bands. Sources: Frederica de Laguna and Catharine McClellan (1981, 642); James Kari (2010). Map produced by Matthew O’Leary.  Source.

“Hunting camp of Upper Copper River Indians, head of Delta River, Alaska.” Gulkins district, Copper River region. 1898. Photograph by Walter Mendenhall. United States Geological Survey, USGS Denver Library Photographic Collection, mwc00027. Source.

There was little, if any, Russian contact between the Ahtna mountain people. A expedition explored the Susitna River in 1818, but for the most part Russian forays in Alaska ceased after the 1797 Dena’ina attack of St. Nicholas and subsequent attacks at Iliamna and Tyonek.  That said – while direct contact with the mountain tribes likely didn’t occur, the smallpox epidemic reached Southcentral Alaska in 1938 and quickly traveled through multiple tribes – eventually reaching the Ahtna and killing many.

This all changed in the late 1800s as miners began staking claims in the eastern Talkeetnas – as well as the 1898 incursion of American troops as the Glen expedition traveled from Knik to the Copper River. I have written about Glenn’s expedition before and there are ample records recording his incursion into and through the area. In short, the Glenn expedition traveled up the Matanuska Valley then hung a left at Hicks Creek where they worked their way up Hicks Creek to the headwaters of Caribou creek and eventually turned east and worked their way across to Lake Louis via Billy Creek, Limestone Gap and Bubb Creek.

If you’re interested more in these explorations check out the following articles on Gerrit Verbeek’s site ChossLore.com:

Incursion lead to settlement which began to impact wildlife populations as settlers killed wildlife in large numbers and began clearing land.  By 1898 animal populations were in decline.

The Ahtna complained to government agents… that game was in short supply, that White man’s food made them ill, and that if they were to make a living they could not live in one place while their children attended school. They had to follow their traditional patterns and move with the seasons. In 1908, the government teacher at Copper Center, Frank Russell, wrote to his superiors in the U.S. Department of Education about the deplorable conditions facing the Ahtna. They had little to eat and were facing debilitating diseases such as consumption (pulmonary tuberculosis). Russell stated the Ahtna “have been imposed on by the White man in every way possible. The White men have done as near as everything to bring things to their present condition”.

The general consensus among the government agencies was that the Ahtna had to give up their seasonal way of life and settle down. “Nomadic habits, formerly a necessary means of obtaining a living here, must soon give place to settled and fixed habits”.

– Simeone, Justin, Anderson, Martin, “The Ahtna Homeland “, Alaska Journal of Anthropology vol. 17, nos. 1&2 (2019)

And just like that 10,000+ years of lifestyle came to an end as the U.S. government pressured the Ahtna to give up their traditional way of life. The Ahtna settled into villages along the Glen highway and the nomadic tribes largely disappeared. At the same time miners moved into the area and several placer mines operated for years in the vicinity.


By the late 80s most of the mining had ceased in the area and recreational use began to surpass resource extraction usage.  This area was popularized for backpackers with the inclusion of the Hicks Creek / Chitna Pass route in Helen Nienhueser and Nancy Simmerman’s  55 Ways to the Wilderness in Southcentral Alaska. However –  in recent year the lower sections of the route have become less enticing due to  heavy / unregulated ORV traffic and heavily used / poorly maintained trails, which mars the approach  / exit experience. The upper plateaus on the other hard are generally free of ORV traffic and quiet except for occasional air traffic and hungry NOLS students, who use the area as their primary backpacking zone for Alaska courses.

Yvonne, Louis Sass, Bryn Clark and I visited this zone in July 2023.  Having children with us we opted to forgo the ORV approach and hired Mike Meekins to fly us into a strip at 4500’ just south of Chinta Lake. Like the nomadic hunters and fossils that we would find on this trip, Meekins is a man from another era. I’ve been flying with him for over 20 years (“He’s still flying? I thought he retired!” – unnamed bush pilot in a recent conversation) and he doesn’t seem to have any desire to give up the throttle.  Once he does retire Alaskans will lose access to the foremost authority for the eastern Talkeetnas and northern Chugach.

Hiking up Point 5800.

Landing Strip to Chitna Pass

We landed on a strip a couple miles southeast of a lake that Meekins refers to as Anthracite Lake however it’s not an official name. I have heard others call it Chitna Lake but given Meekins goes there all the time one should defer to his knowledge.  We piled out of the plane, hefted our packs and  began hiking.  3 miles to the lake where we rested briefly and then up and over a pass due north of the lake and down a nice sheep / caribou trail to a nice camp a ½ mile south of Chitna Pass. Total distance was about 7 miles with around 2K of elevation gain and Isabelle rocked up and over the pass with her loaded backpack and collapsed in the tundra after about 5 hours of hiking.



The route followed a decent trail to the lake and then we ascended a slope due north of the lake to Point 5800′. It was easy walking with caribou trails that have been packed down by hikers in multiple places. The ascent to the pass had zero exposure and minimal steepness.  Along the way we passed through a band of rock that had multiple marine fossils and we spent time digging around looking at signs of the past.

At the top of Point 5800′ we descended a short ridge and then turned due north where we carefully down climbed a band of loose rock to gain a nice trail that curved around the north side of the ridge and then dropped down to tundra slopes on the south side of Chitna Pass.

Easy walking, mellow climbs and ample sunlight kept the children (and adults) happy and we set up camp and lounged around in the evening sun before finally turning in for the night.

Caribou at Chitna Pass.

Chitna Pass to Dreese Pass

A quick breakfast and then off again.  We continued north towards Chitna Pass where we came across a few caribou that eyed us curiously.  Isabelle placed some hiking poles on here head and walked slowly towards them as they stood staring towards us in confusion.  Eventually they figured out we weren’t part of the herd and they loped off into the distance.  Then up and over Chitna Pass and up the valley due north of the pass until finally reaching the upper valley (Dreese Pass) where we dropped the packs and set up camp.  It was a short move (5 miles / 3 hours) but the children were tired after the previous day and we opted give them an easy day so they could hang out in the tundra while the adults split off and went for a hike.

Note that Dreese Pass ins’t an official name.  The pass is labeled on a couple maps (Gaia open map layer) – but no official record exists.  The name is probably a misspelling of Albert Drees and Fred Drees who were miners who staked claims on upper Caribou creek at the turn of the century.  You can read more about them here. Note that there is also a record of “Dreese” (with an ‘e’) on page 306 of Shem Pete’s Alaska.

Caribou calling!

Heading up the valley north of Chinta Pass.

Camp on the west side of Dreese Pass.

Dinner!

After setting up camp and feeding the kids. Bryn. Yvonne and I left he kids with Louis and hiked up valley to climb a peak.  We hiked northwest for about a mile and then turned due west and hiked up a scree slope to gain the ridge of Peak 6024′ just above camp.  Like most of the peaks in the area the hiking was low angle and pleasant with ample caribou trails to follow and we soon gained the ridge and traversed towards the summit.

We didn’t see any signs up of prior ascents on Peak 6024′, but the area is popular with fall hunters so I image most of these peaks see occasional summits from hunters looking for caribou and sheep. The valley between Dreese Pass and Glass Creek is a fairly popular backpacking route and the route up and over the summit was easy hiking . If you had a full day to explore the valley you could climb several peaks and possibly hike the entire ridge from 6024′ to 6610′ (see this entry for details of an ascent of 6610′).

After topping out we continued up and over the peak before descending steep tundra slopes back to the valley floor and returning to camp for dinner and sleep.

Looking down at Chitna Pass and Boulder Creek from the summit of Peak 5853.

Dreese Pass to Chinta Pass

Up again early for a three part day:  over the mountain south of us to Chitna Pass, explorations around Chitna Pass and evening peak bagging!

From the summit of the peak we had climbed the prior afternoon we had spied a nice valley and pass that looked kid friendly without much exposure or scree.  So from camp we hiked due south and then began working our way up tundra slopes and eventually scree until we reached a col just southwest of Peak 5853. At the col we dropped our packs and hiked up Point 5600′ just west of us.  Once again the terrain was easy and the kids scampered to the top without troubles.

Then down the slopes on the southern side to nice basin just below Chitna Pass where we set up camp and then wandered towards Chinta Pass to explore a waterfall that cascaded down to the valley floor.  I climbed up on top while the kids found a passageway behind the falls where they sat in an alcove and looked across the valley.

Below Chitna Pass waterfall.

Above Chitna Pass waterfall.

Inside Chitna Pass waterfall.

It was a glorious perfect Alaska day and after dinner I was still antsy so I headed out for an evening climb.  Out from camp and back up to the col we had reached earlier in the day, then down the ridge to Peak 5853 and then further down the ridge to Point 5839.  Point 5839 has a USGS survey marker that was placed in 1948.

Caribou antler and wildflowers with 5853 in the distance.

Deace Benchmark / Point 5839.

Looking down at Anthracite Lake from the summit of Peak 6650.

Chitna Pass to Anthracite Lake

And then up again and over the same pass that we had taken when originally dropping down to Chitna Pass.  We hiked up – passing a large NOLS party near the top – and then worked out way further down the ridge and climbed Peak 6000. We then dropped off the other side where we spent a long time digging in a southern hillside in search of marine fossils.  Isabelle found a pile – including two beautiful bivalve fossils with both the top and bottom attached.

On the ridge above Chinta lake.

Yvonne & Isabell fossil hunting.

Petrified wood just above Chitna Pass.

Marine fossile imprint.

Fully intact bivalve!

Fossil treasures highlighted on a camping pad. Great identification resource here!

Chitna Basin panorama.

Eventually we dragged the kids away from fossil hunting and dropped down Anthracite Lake where we set up camp on the lakeshore. It was early afternoon and once again the weather was perfect so I set out for a quick jog up valley.  Around the lake and then onto the moraine bench above the lake and eventually to the col southwest of the lake.

I first attempted the west ridge of Peak 6755 but the ridge turned out to be consolidated steep gravel and after a few hundred feet I began to get worried that I wouldn’t be able to descend safely so I carefully downclimbed back to the col.  Then I hiked up the east ridge of Peak 6650 which was a mellow Class 3 ridge with just a couple sections of scrambling. The summit had a beautiful 360 degree view of East Boulder Creek and the steep North Face of Mount Monarch.

Looking down at Anthracite Lake.

North Face of Mount Monarch.

West Ridge of Peak 6765. The dirt was rock hard & scary!

East Boulder Creek. Large group of NOLS students camped in the valley,

Then back down to the valley floor for dinner and sleep. We had to fly out early the next morning so we tried to get to bed early but it was too nice and we ended up wandering around till late in the evening.

Anthracite Lake.

Plover chick.

Selfie with Yvonne.

Hiking back to the landing strip!

Anthracite Lake to LZ

Up early for the short (3 mile) hike back to the landing strip. The trail to the strip is pretty well defined and we got there in an hour and a half and sent Meekins an InReach message saying we were ready.  A little while later we heard the familiar buzz of his Cessna heading towards us. And then once again we were in the air, flying away looking down wondering when we could return.

Isabelle trying to keep her feet dry.

Waiting for the bus.

Meekins asked Isabelle if she saw the sheep and when she said no he turned the plane sideways which elicited a “YES I SEE THEM CAN YOIU STRAIGHTEN THE PLANE!??!”


Resources

A map showing our routes and camps is above. For details on how to get here by foot refer to Helen Nienhueser and Nancy Simmerman’s  55 Ways to the Wilderness in Southcentral Alaska. Note that this is a popular NOLS zone so you’ll likely encounter other people camped in the vicinity. It’s also a popular hunting zone and not a place you want to visit when hunting season is open.  If you have children it’s a wonderful zone for backpacking – especially if you opt to fly in a skip the muddy approach.  The caribou trails everywhere make travel super easy for kids and there is zero bushwhacking if you stay above 3000′.  If you’re heading there with children give Meekins a call and he can give you suggestions on where to go.