Dan Creek Road

Copper brought people to Kennicott/McCarthy, and gold kept them coming, usually via Dan Creek Road. The Cordova Chamber of Commerce built this road back in 1914 to promote access into the gold-rich interior of Alaska. Today you can use this road to get to the old airstrip, a miner's cabin at the top of the bluff above McCarthy Creek (a 25-minute walk from McCarthy), and the Nizina River, some 9 miles away. Watch for the bridge over McCarthy Creek; it was built in 2009 to take the place of flimsier bridges that would wash away at least once each season. Now it's a toll bridge; getting the key requires an annual fee for vehicles but passage is free for walkers and bikers. Just be aware of the private residences here—if you see a path off the road, it's likely to end up in someone's yard.