Hope, Alaska is easy to miss, a 17-mile detour off the Seward Highway that most people skip entirely. That’s exactly what makes it worth the stop. A real 1896 gold rush town sitting quietly at the mouth of Resurrection Creek on Turnagain Arm with a year-round population of 161.
My sister visited me while I was working in Wasilla on a silly MTV show. We had an epic weekend of hiking, fishing, and whitewater rafting. After freezing our noses off in Sixmile Creek, the river spat us out in this adorable little town. We drank a couple pitchers of beer, chatted with the locals, and soaked up an almost forgotten slice of Alaska.
Quick Facts: Hope, Alaska
| Population | 161 year-round (2020 census) |
| Known For | Gold rush history, Sixmile Creek whitewater rafting, the Resurrection Pass Trail |
| Getting There | Drive the Seward Highway to the Hope Highway turnoff — about 70–90 miles / 1.5–2 hrs from Anchorage |
| Named For | Percy Lee Hope, a teenage prospector, according to local lore |
| Founded | 1896, during the Turnagain Arm Gold Rush |
| Historic District | 15 acres, 29 surviving buildings, on the National Register of Historic Places since 1972 |
| Best Time to Visit | June – August for full services; rafting and hiking season |
Hope, Alaska: History & Now
Gold turned up in the creeks around here as early as 1888, but the real rush hit in the spring of 1896, when roughly 3,000 prospectors arrived by ship on Cook Inlet chasing the promise of gold in Resurrection and Sixmile Creek. The settlement that sprang up at Resurrection Creek’s mouth got its name, according to local lore, from Percy Lee Hope, a teenage prospector who happened to be the youngest person to step off one of the arriving boats. At its peak, the town had two saloons, two general stores, a brewery, a pool hall, a hotel, a post office, a school, and a social hall.
Hope’s boom didn’t last. By 1898, news of the Klondike Gold Rush in Canada’s Yukon pulled most of the prospectors north, and the town settled into a much quieter existence. The Hope Historic District, 15 acres and 29 buildings, earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. The Hope Social Hall, built in 1902, is still standing and is still used for community events.
Today Hope is a quiet weekend retreat, mostly for Anchorage residents who know about it. Log cabins, a handful of businesses, and a pace of life that hasn’t changed all that much since the boom ended.
Getting to Hope, Alaska
There’s no commercial air or rail service. Hope, Alaska does have a small local airport, but it’s general aviation only, similar to Seward’s situation.
Everyone gets here the same way: drive the Seward Highway south from Anchorage, then turn off onto the Hope Highway, a 17.9-mile spur road (itself a designated Scenic Byway) that winds through Chugach National Forest before dropping into town.
Total drive time from Anchorage runs 1.5–2 hours.
Getting Around Hope, Alaska
This one’s easy, Hope is small enough that you can walk the entire historic downtown in about five minutes. You’ll want your car for reaching trailheads, Sixmile Creek, or anything outside the immediate town center, but once you’re parked, you’re not going to need a taxi.
Top Things to Do in Hope, Alaska
Sixmile Creek Whitewater Rafting
The single biggest draw for most visitors, and the reason I first came to Hope, Alaska. Some of the biggest rapids in the state, class III-V runs going through a narrow canyon. That’s me in the purple at the front of the raft. I’ve done a lot of rafting in my day, this stretch of river doesn’t disappoint!
For more whitewater info, we cover all the rivers worth knowing in our article: Alaska Whitewater Rafting Guide
Gold Panning
The thing that built this town is still available to try. The Resurrection Creek Public Mining Site lets you pan for real gold, either on your own or with a guided outfitter if you want someone showing you what you’re actually looking at.
Hiking in Hope, Alaska
Resurrection Pass Trail
A 38 mile historic route through the Kenai Mountains connecting Hope to Cooper Landing, originally cut by gold prospectors and now one of the most popular multi day hiking and mountain biking trails on the whole Kenai Peninsula. Eight public use cabins are spaced along its length.
Gull Rock Trail
A 5 mile(10 total), out and back trail heading up the coast along Turnagain Arm, popular with both hikers and mountain bikers, and a good option if Resurrection Pass feels like too much commitment.
Need more trail ideas? Read about Homer’s Epic Hiking Trails
Where to Eat in Hope, Alaska
Don’t expect a big scene, this is a town of 161 people.
Dirty Skillet
The restaurant at Bowman’s Bear Creek Lodge, and the closest thing Hope has to a proper sit down dinner spot. Hearty, home style food, a full bar, and a children’s menu if you’ve got the family along.
Salt of Hope Food Company
A food truck right on Main Street, and the move if you want something quick. Real tacos and a genuinely good banh mi, not a generic truck menu phoning it in.
Historic Hope Cafe
I drank 2, 3, or 7 beers on their deck after our rafting trip. It’s part restaurant, part live music venue. The bands play the deck most weekends in summer, and the parking lot across from it doubles as a campground if you’ve drank too many beers and need a crash zone.
Where to Stay in Hope
Bear Creek Lodge
Eight rustic, family run log cabins tucked between a pond and Bear Creek itself, each with a wood burning stove. Some are “dry” cabins without indoor plumbing, sharing a communal wash house, so check which type you’re booking. There’s a shared sauna and a nightly campfire that turns into an informal meetup with whoever else is staying.
(907) 349-7777 // bearcreeklodgeak.com
Porcupine Campground
34 sites run by the Forest Service, perched on a bluff over Turnagain Arm with great views from several sites, picnic tables and fire rings throughout, and the Gull Rock Trail starting right at the campground’s edge. Open roughly mid-May through mid-September.
(907) 288-3178 // Recreation.gov
When to Visit Hope
June through August, same as everywhere else on the Kenai Peninsula. This is when the rafting outfitters are running, the trails are clear, and the handful of restaurants and the cafe are actually open. Outside that window, Hope essentially goes back to being what it’s been for most of the last century: a very quiet, mostly empty place.
| Month | Avg. High Temp | What’s Happening |
|---|---|---|
| May | Upper 50s°F | Businesses opening back up, rafting season starting, fewer people around |
| June | 62°F | Full swing.Best weather odds of the season |
| July | Low-to-mid 60s°F | Peak season, warmest stretch |
| August | Low 60s°F | Still full operations, salmon fishing at its best in Resurrection Creek |
| September | Low-to-mid 50s°F | Rafting outfitters and the cafe start winding down. |
| October–April | Well below freezing at times | Nearly everything closes; this is a summer-only destination |
Hope, Alaska FAQs
Is Hope, Alaska worth visiting?
I wouldn’t go far out of my way, but if you’re rafting six-mile or need a place to stop for lunch otw to Homer, absolutely.
How far is Hope, Alaska from Anchorage?
Roughly 70–90 miles depending on the source and exact route, about 1.5–2 hours by car.
Can you still pan for gold in Hope?
Yes. The Resurrection Creek Public Mining Site is open to the public, on your own or with a guide.
Is Sixmile Creek rafting safe for beginners?
Not without a guide. This is genuine Class III–V whitewater.
What happened to Sunrise, the other gold rush town near Hope?
It’s gone entirely. Sunrise City was briefly the largest town in Alaska during the 1898 boom, and today nothing remains of it.