Nome, Alaska day hikes

Here are a few great hikes in the Nome area, developed by a couple of us for the Nome Convention and Visitors Center. Please read the precautions.

Many locals simply drive twenty-five miles along the Nome-Council Road and enjoy a stroll on our vast wilderness beach. Prudent beach driftwood fires are allowed. Along the road, which, from about mile 13 to mile 30 from Nome is the actual Iditarod Trail, you will see tripods of driftwood, erected to guide Iditarod mushers. If you visit this beach, you’ll want to eventually proceed as far as mile 31 to see "The Last Train to Nowhere," the remains of the standard gauge Council City and Solomon River Railroad, the great dream of a 1900 miner named J. Warren Dickson, who envisioned a fortune in bringing the Council area’s gold riches to tidewater. The first broad gauge railroad in Alaska, with 50 miles of rails in hand, the company went out of business after laying only 16 miles of track.

Thanks to Nome’s three gravel roads, there are thousands of places where you can stop and enjoy the view for a few minutes or an entire day.

Often, folks will pack picnic lunches, drive one of the roads to one of our many pretty spots along a stream and set up a brief camp. Or drive to the top of Anvil Mountain and enjoy a sandwich with a great view of the Kigluaik Mountains to the north.

Much of the land surrounding Nome belongs to gold enterprises and native corporations, who generally do not object to your casual use of their property, so long as you do not abuse it in any way, and pack out all of your trash. As you drive along Nome’s road system, you will find the landscape dotted with cabins. These, and the land surrounding them, are individually owned, and locals request that you respect their privacy. 

All of the following hikes are in the genuine Alaska wilderness. Nome Search and Rescue officials say that the worst problems originate from simple day journeys turned sour. There are no marked trails, and the country can be unforgiving of mistakes. Our instructions for these hikes help you avoid common goofs, but they do not replace experience and common sense. Please read the following, to avoid common mistakes that have resulted in misery, serious injury and death:

Stream crossings: Three of these hikes require crossing mountain streams. The water is extremely cold and the streambeds are stony. While these streams can be five or more feet deep, you will probably not get wet as high as the waist if you choose a wide section. We recommend removing your hiking shoes and wearing an old pair of sneakers for the crossings. In late spring, and following periods of heavy summer rain, these crossings may be dangerous.

Note: These guidelines apply to only the crossings in the following hikes. In normal times, many other crossings in the Nome area are deep and dangerously swift. You are responsible for your own safety.Before crossing a body of water, use your judgment.

ANVIL ROCK, elevation 1062.

Nome’s original name was "Anvil City," after this distinctive rock, some 4 miles north of downtown. You can drive to it, but why would you want to, when a hike to the summit takes you through one of the world’s most renowned wildflower locations.

From Nome, drive north onto the Teller Road. After the road curves west, about 3-1/2 miles from town, watch for a turn to the right, labeled "Glacier Creek Road." If you pass Nome-Beltz High School, you’ve gone ¼ mile too far. Glacier Creek Road takes you directly onto Anvil Mountain.

After the road veers left (west) along the side of the hill, look for a convenient place to park. For the safety of others, ensure that your parked vehicle is well visible from both directions.

Hike directly up, avoiding rocky and steep areas. At the top, you’ll enjoy an excellent view of the Kigluaik Mountains to the north, as well as the entire Nome basin.

Around the rock you’ll notice concrete, remains of a World War II gun emplacement. To the east are the four huge parabolic antennas of the White Alice Communications System, which the Air Force built in 1957 and turned off 14 years later. This connected arctic missile radar sites with Fairbanks via several hops. The easternmost antennas (one of which is currently used as an amateur radio repeater) point to Granite Mountain, in the central Seward Peninsula. The western antennas communicated with Northeast Cape on St. Lawrence Island, which then relayed signals to Tin City, about 90 miles northwest of Nome. The Anvil Mountain location could communicate with Tin City directly, but a beam from Anvil Mountain would have continued over Soviet territory and would have been vulnerable to Russian interception. 

KING MOUNTAIN, about 7-1/2 miles NNE of Nome.

From Nome, drive north on the Teller Road. Three miles from town as the road curves to the left, you’ll see a narrow cutoff to the right, labeled "Nome Dexter Bypass." Turn onto this road. About three miles later, you’ll crest in the saddle between Anvil Mountain and Newton Peak. King Mountain is directly north of you.

Proceed down the road for about a half-mile, descending the north side of Newton Peak. Watch below you, and along the bottom of King Mountain, for a region that’s not too thick with willows, and that’s not too far from Grouse Gulch, which is the deep cut on King that’s filled with dark willow bushes. Park your vehicle. For the safety of others, ensure that your parked vehicle is well visible from both directions.

Hike down to Dexter Creek and then directly up King. The large graveled area at the head of the creek was mined in the mid-1990’s. At the top of Grouse Gulch, there’s an old cabin, and in that vicinity, you’ll cross the Wild Goose Railroad, which pushed through here in 1903, and was abandoned in 1955. Most of the track was taken up, to be sold to a short line on Catalina Island California (although the steel was too old and was eventually shipped to the Lower 48 as scrap), but near this cabin you’ll find one of the few stretches where the old track is intact. Hike directly up King Mountain.

Somewhere on the south shoulder of King, between the 700 ft. and 900 ft. level, there’s an old hard rock shaft that’s tall enough to stand up in, and only goes back about ten feet. Entering old mining structures is dangerous and should not be attempted. However, this one is tame. From the top of King Mountain, enjoy the super view of the Kigluaiks to the north, the ocean to the south, and the hills surrounding Nome. 

NEWTON PEAK, 5 miles NNE of Nome.

Drive north on the Teller Road from Nome. As the main road curves to the left, turn right onto the narrow cutoff to the right, labeled "Nome Dexter Bypass." About three miles later, you’ll crest in the saddle between Anvil Mountain and Newton Peak. Near the crest, turn onto a small road to the left. This is the road to Anvil Rock, and you’ll need to park so as to allow other vehicles to pass.

Cross the main road and hike due east up the slope, to the saddle between North Newton Peak and Newton Peak. Proceed south about ½ mile to the very top, where the FAA has a cone-shaped radio repeater. You’ll want to keep kids away from the western edge of the top, which has a steep 300-foot dropoff.

Newton gives you a terrific view of the Nome River valley and the Kigluaik Mountains to the north. Ten miles to the east, you’ll see the long, 600-foot high Cape Nome along the coast. In 1859, a British sailor recorded "C. Name?" alongside this feature on a nautical map, and the notation was mistaken by a royal cartographer as "Cape Nome," giving Nome its name. East beyond Cape Nome you may see what appears to be an island in the extreme distance. That’s Cape Darby, a mountainous hillside about eighty miles away, not too far from the villages of Golovin and White Mountain, which are checkpoints on the Iditarod Trail. Retrace your steps. 

MIOCENE DITCH FLUME.

The Miocene Ditch, completed in 1904, snaking along the hills on the west side of the Nome River Valley at a slight grade, carried water from the hills to the gold fields close to Nome for hydraulic mining. This 1,000-foot long flume was the longest siphon in the system.

Drive the Glacier Creek Road to Grub Gulch, about 15 air miles due north of Nome, approx. 64° 44’ 15" N., 165° 23’ W. The gulch will not be marked. From Nome, after a ¾-mile downhill, the road cuts right to cross a creek, and bends sharply left again, with a little 50-foot knob of a hill to the right.

Follow the little trail leading up the knob, and park. Ensure that the grass in the area is not touching the muffler of your vehicle. Vehicles have burned when this has happened.

Hike due east. There’s an old cat trail, if you can find it. Depending upon the year, there may be a lot of brush, which you will want to avoid as much as possible. This is low country, so make lots of noise to alert any large animals to your presence.

As the upward slope lessens, aim slightly to your right, and just to the east of the top of the saddle, you should see the remains of the flume below you. It may only be visible as a line of brush. In addition to the flume, you will have a nice view of about ten miles of Nome River valley. You will plainly see the Kougarok road, which hugs the lower flanks of the hills on the valley’s east side.

There’s a broad, grassy area to the north, which you will want to avoid. Most of the time it’s very wet. Retrace your steps to the vehicle. 

DOROTHY CREEK, hike to the waterfall.

This is a popular hike among locals, an easy hike to a great spot, which begins at the mouth of an extensively mined creek.

Begin the hike at approximately Mile 24 of the Kougarok Road, 64° 49’ 50" N, 165° 13’ 15" W. Park along the road and head west, crossing the Nome River. There is a private cabin in the area; please respect its owners’ privacy. The mounds of gravel are tailings from mining operations.

Some people hike up the creek itself, and with care, it’s possible to keep dry if your hiking shoes are waterproof.

Hiking up the creek, however, it’s possible to box in a bear, and to avoid that possibility, we usually hike high along hill 957. That’s the hill to your left, on the south side of the creek.

Climb straight up. The only bushwhacking occurs as you cross the Miocene Ditch, about 150 feet above the Nome River. You’ll want to hike near the top of 957, aiming right, as the lower part of this hill is ankle-busting steep. Hiking around the right (initially north-facing) slope of the hill, as it follows the creek, you will eventually find yourself heading south. After about a mile and a half, you will see a small falls below you.

Hike above the falls, and turn west, crossing the stream. Just below the falls on the western side, it’s a daring, but carefully do-able scramble down the steep side to the creekbed. After enjoying the grotto of the falls, we usually hike out along the creek.

On the way out, watch for slippery rocks. As the valley widens, take time to inspect the remains of the old flume that carried Miocene Ditch water across the entrance of this narrow notched valley. At 400 feet, this flume was the second longest along the Miocene Ditch.

By the way, the name Dorothy was first reported for this creek in 1901. Was Dorothy the girlfriend of the first miner to reach the creek? Nobody knows. 

COPPER CREEK hike to the waterfall.

At about mile 28 of the Kougarok Road, about two miles after the road curves to the east, watch for a deep cleft in the hill to the south. Just as the Kougarok Road begins to descend, park. For the safety of others, ensure that your parked vehicle is well visible from both directions.

Hike south toward Nugget Creek, which you’ll have to cross in order to visit Copper Creek, which is its tributary. Some years, the crossing is hopping over rocks. Others, Nugget is not prudently crossable. You’ll have to decide.

After crossing, within a few hundred feet, you’ll encounter the old roadbed of the Wild Goose Railroad. Picture the passenger cars filled with 1905 Victorian-dressed women on berry picking expeditions, and tough miners who depended on this line to carry goods to their camps fifty miles north. You can hike the old railbed in each direction for many miles, and a quarter mile above it, there’s a ditch line that you can take for about a mile in each direction.

Inside the notched Copper Creek valley you’ll find a satisfying waterfall.

If you’re adventurous, hike up the peak to your left (SE), which has a broad summit at 1520 ft., only about 500 feet above the notch of the valley. There’s a long ridge at the top, about ¾ of a mile long, and if you hike to its southern edge, you’ll get a glimpse into a steep and unforgiving area that people probably have not visited for a long time.

Retrace your steps to the road. 

THRILLING KIGLUAIK VIEW, hike to 3080/2993.

Few locals know this one, as the incredible view is not obvious from the road. It’s one of our very favorites, with a payoff that far outweighs the effort.

Begin the hike at about Mile 27 of the Kougarok Road, just after it turns eastward toward Salmon Lake. Park at about 64° 53’ 22" N., 165° 14’ W. For the safety of others, ensure that your parked vehicle is well visible from both directions.

Hike north, directly toward the top of little knob 666, and from there, follow the broad ridge north. It’s about two miles to 2993. Once you near the top, the view--and possibly the wind--will take your breath away. You will discover that the gentle hill you just hiked is actually a steep cliff on its north side. The peak of Mount Osborn is about 5 miles to the north, the Seward Peninsula’s highest point, at 4,714 feet. You will see that what appears on the topo maps to be hikeable ridges are actually lines of spires and sawteeth. To the southeast, Salmon Lake is visible.

Retrace your steps back to the road. 

SINUK RIVER HEADWATERS, hike to 2754.

Park your vehicle about Mile 26 of the Kougarok Road, around 64° 52’ 55" N, 165° 14’ 30" W. For the safety of others, ensure that your parked vehicle is well visible from both directions.

Hike westerly from the road and cross the Nome River, which is only a mile from its origin to the north.

Two miles ahead of you is a broad saddle. Aim toward the north side, about a hundred feet of elevation up the hill, so as to avoid the low area to your south, which is swampy. Get above the brush and out in the open.

After a mile, you’ll drop down to Buffalo Creek, and take care crossing this stream, which can be tricky.

Proceed up to the broad knoll 1015, admiring the view north up the Buffalo Creek notch as you go, and proceed directly to the top of 2754. The hill is cleft by Hudson Creek: Hike up the eastern of the two shoulders.

At the top, you’ll enjoy a sweeping view of the Sinuk River headwaters valley stretching below you to the north, with peak of Mount Osborn 7 miles away.

You’ll notice that Tigaraha Mountain is mislabeled on the geological survey map: this dark, fanged mountain is 3 miles away, across and up the valley, to your NW. To the SW, enjoy the broad, braided Sinuk River as it meanders west to the Bering Sea.

Just for fun, take the hill’s southwest shoulder down. Don’t descend as far as the swamp, and enjoy stepping across the many bubbling threads of playful Hudson Creek at the thousand-foot level. Retrace your steps to the 1015 knoll, and then back to the road. 

GLACIAL LAKE VIEW hike to hill 1350.

Drive the Teller Road to the Cripple River bridge. 64° 40’ 36" N., 165° 44’ 23" W. You’ll find it at the bottom of a valley after a long descent. Park in the turnout, which is just before the bridge and to the right. This is where Oregon Creek joins the Cripple.

Visible to the northeast is a long, rounded hill with three crests. That’s your destination. You’ll be hiking up Oregon, which is the southernmost of the two streams. Follow more or less alongside it to its left on the open tundra, gradually climbing, for a total distance of about 3 miles, and proceed up the hillock to your left, labeled "x 1040" on the topo.

From 1040, look down into the bottom of the creek valley, ¾ mile south, and you may see some evidence of the old Oregon gold mine. Proceed to the top of the hill. There are three main peaks.

From the top, your view of the surrounding country and the Kigluaik Mountains is excellent. From this vantage point, you have a rare peek at Glacial Lake, nestled in the mountains 10 miles to the north.

Caution: there may be a nesting pair of peregrine falcons high above Snowshoe Gulch, and they don’t like visitors.

You can return the way you came, or hike off the northern tip of the hill, north to the Cripple, which you can then follow to the road. We don’t recommend hiking west off the hill, as the half-mile of flats can be boggy. 

MOUNT DISTIN, el. 2,115 ft.

This is another popular hike among locals.

Drive the Glacier Creek Road to its crossing of Goldbottom Creek, at approx. 64° 44’ 40" N, 165° 23’ 45" W.

At about ten miles from Nome, this road becomes narrow in spots, with thick mud in others during the spring, and washouts. You’ll want to be driving a four-wheel drive vehicle.

The easiest approach is due north, between Silver and Steep Creeks, to near "x1129," continuing north to Distin’s broad western shoulder, and then east, up to the top.

In July, you’ll want to take your time to enjoy the wild flowers, as every hundred feet or so of elevation one type will dominate as one delicate ecosystem evolves into another.

Mount Distin’s peak is a very narrow ridge. Warning: you’ll be tempted to hike down the south side, but don’t. Below you, out of view, the slope becomes dangerously steep. Retrace your steps back to the vehicle. On the way back you might want to drop down into Steep Creek and enjoy the waterfall. Caution: there is a mining shaft in this area. 

OTHER HIKES:

There are several more day hikes, some easy, some more challenging, and there are several thrilling overnight hikes, and even more exciting long hikes, which we do not recommend to anyone who is not highly experienced in the outdoors, and is not experienced in arctic survival techniques.

For information on these, ask the Nome Convention and Visitors Center to put you in touch with an experienced local. You'll find them at PO Box 240, Nome, Alaska 99762, 907-443-5350, e-mail: tourinfo@ci.nome.ak.us.

For photos from some of these hikes, check Tom's Kigluaik Mountain Page and Tom's Nome Photo Page

Back to Tom Busch's Nome, Alaska Page

Last update: December 19, 1999

Tom Busch   tomnflo@nook.net