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133:. The road is unpaved and minimally maintained for about 20 miles (32 km) over the pass. This central portion of the road is usually closed by snow from late September to July. Although closed to car traffic, this section of road is heavily traveled in winter and spring by snowmachines and skiers.
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Activities that can be enjoyed in the
Hatcher Pass area include Nordic skiing, downhill skiing, mountain climbing, white water kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, paragliding, berry picking, gold mining, hiking, kite-flying, snowboarding, wildlife viewing and back country camping. Hatcher Pass
246:
The
Fishhook Road rises to 3,886 feet (1,184 m) to cross Hatcher Pass at the head of Fishhook and Willow Creeks in the southwestern corner of the Talkeetna Mountains. The area has been heavily glaciated. Steep-walled cirques, jagged aretes, and hanging valleys above U-shaped valleys characterize
166:
The area has a rich skiing heritage. Historic photos show miners recreating on skis. In the 1930s, Anchorage skiers were bused to the
Fishhook Inn to use the rope tow there. That was only one of several small rope-tow ski lifts that have operated near the pass over the years up to the 1960s, although
405:
The Gold Mint Trail provides miles of technical, rocky, gently-climbing mountain bike riding alongside the Little
Susitna River. The "16-mile trail" is a steep downhill, 2-mile long (3 km) bike trail with 1,000 vertical feet (300 m) of drop that was built in 2013, in between switchbacks of
303:
sedimentary rocks, of Late
Cretaceous to Paleocene age. The schist may represent subducted Valdez Group that was exhumed in the forearc region from beneath the Peninsular terrane. Both deformed and undeformed small felsic dikes occur in the schist. Several bodies of serpentinite are contained within
150:
Almost all the land around the pass is public; there are numerous widely distributed small private land holdings, mainly mineral estates. The area is popular for daytrip recreation; sledding, skiing, snowmobiling, hiking, camping, hunting, white-water kayaking, berry-picking, climbing, recreational
322:
On
Government Peak a 90 mya rock unit variously mapped as gneiss, or as intricately intermixed amphibolite and quartz diorite, or as a migmatite, and most recently as a mafic unit of gabbro and pyroxenite with local foliation and mylonitic textures structurally underlies the Arkose Ridge Formation
217:
in 1906. Hardrock gold mining began a few years later from high-grade vein lode deposits. Placer mining for gold has continued sporadically to this day. Underground mining continued at a variety of locations around the pass until 1951. In the 1980s, one of the area's hard-rock mines was briefly
323:
and outcrops in between the
Hatcher Pass schist and the arkose; south-dipping low angle detachment faults separate the units. East of Government Peak and the Little Susitna River the mafic rock unit is in contact with the Arkose Ridge Formation to the south and the felsic plutons to the north.
155:, a few miles east of the pass, consists of 271 acres (1.10 km), with well-preserved mine buildings, and a mining museum which offers underground mine tours. A large tract of land organized as the Hatcher Pass State Management area includes and surrounds the State Park and the pass.
319:, shale, sandstone, and conglomerate rocks that are clearly derived from the schists and intrusive rocks to the north. Locally, quartz diorite or gneiss bodies occur on the arkose-schist contact west of Government Peak. Minor basalt flows occur within the Arkose Ridge Formation.
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The first 10 kilometers of a Nordic ski area in the forests and glades at
Government Peak Recreation Area the base of Government Peak were opened in December 2012 and a chalet was built in 2013. Additional trails and trail lighting are scheduled to be installed in 2016.
348:
feature. It strikes ENE and passes a few miles south of
Hatcher Pass. It can be clearly seen crossing the Hatcher Pass road where concrete barriers and fencing protect the road from rockfall of the "incompetent" rocks on the fault trace. Studies show that magnitude 7
247:
the terrain. Trees grow only in the lowest valley bottoms. Brush, often dense, grows on lower mountain slopes, yielding to open tundra as elevation increase. Glaciers occupy the headwaters of major drainages. Some nearby peaks are over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) tall.
337:, and in only one instance in the Tertiary sediments. The gold occurrences in the schist, mafic unit, and sediments have much higher silver contents than the deposits in the quartz diorite. Most of the mineral deposits are close to the quartz diorite-schist contact.
124:
by a road winding approximately 40 miles (64 km) up the valley of Willow Creek. The pass divides the alpine headwaters of Willow Creek on the west from
Fishhook Creek and the Independence Bowl on the east side. To the east the road drops into and follows the
191:
Snowmachines are prohibited within large areas of the Hatcher Pass State Management Area that are frequented by skiers. There are several backcountry huts in the area; a wilderness loop can be traveled over the mountain passes and glaciers linking these huts.
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the Hatcher Pass road, starting at mile 16 of the Hatcher Pass Road. At Government Peak Recreational Area, a few miles (several km) south of Hatcher Pass, there are 5.5 miles (8.9 km) in three loops of singletrack, bermed, flow-style bike trails.
167:
only traces of them can be found now. Many proposals to build a modern alpine ski area have been advanced over the years. In 2005 the Mat-Su Borough extended the electric grid and built a short access road to the proposed site of a base lodge.
140:, sky-trams, and other extensive early-1900s mine workings throughout the area of the pass record the activity that brought the road in. Now only a handful of people live and work in Independence Bowl, and none in the surrounding valleys.
725:
Public-data File 83-9 RECONNAISSANCE GEOLOGY AND GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE WILLOW CREEK-HATCHER PASS AREA, ALASKA M. Albanese, J.T. Kline, T.K. Bundtzen, and K. Kline Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys May
183:
Groomed skate and diagonal skiing trails winding amongst historical mining facilities in the high alpine area near the Hatcher Pass Lodge and the museum have a season that typically extends from October to April.
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A high angle east-west fault passing through Hatcher Pass separates the plutonic rocks on the north side of the fault from the Hatcher Pass schist south of the fault. The Hatcher Pass schist consists mainly of
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Gold-bearing (+/- Ag, W, Sb, As, Cu, Mo, Pb, Te, Zn, Hg) veins and shear zones occur in the 74 Ma (million years old) quartz diorite, in small amounts in the schist and in the mafic unit, but not in the
212:
The Willow Creek mining district at Hatcher Pass is historically the third-largest lode-gold producing district in Alaska, having produced 624,000 oz of gold. Mining of placer gold deposits began in the
311:, the Arkose Ridge Formation lies to the south of the schist, the contact is a low-angle detachment fault. The Arkose Ridge Formation is unmetamorphosed but tilted and slightly folded, and consists of
147:
Indians hunted for caribou, sheep, and moose in the western Talkeetna Mountains until the 1930s. Human development in the area, including the road over the pass, is almost entirely due to gold mining.
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The pass is one of the most popular road-accessible backcountry skiing areas in the state. Usually it is the first urban-accessible area of Alaska to get skiable snow in the fall.
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Madden et al., Ages and Geologic relationships in the Willow Creek gold mining district, southwestern Talkeetna Mts., southern Alaska, USGS Open File 87-143, 1987
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541:"Age and Cooling History of Gold Deposits and Host Rocks in the Willow Creek Mining District, Talkeetna Mountains, South-Central Alaska"
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lies at the southwestern edge of a great mass of granitic intrusions that form much of the Talkeetna Mountains. The area is within the
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approximately 26 mi (42 km) to the west. The communities are at an elevation of approximately 250 ft (76 m) in the
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767:
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Bleick, et.al., Early Tertiary Exhumation of the Flank of a Forearc Basin, Southwest Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska,USGS OF2012-1232
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pluton underlies the headwaters of Willow Creek and Fishhook Creek; most of the gold deposits occur in these rocks. A 67
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pluton lies west and north of the older quartz diorite, a Cretaceous (?) quartz diorite pluton lies to the east.
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canyon downstream, and south, some dozen miles to the abrupt mountain front at the edge of the broad
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Ray, Geology and Ore Deposits of the Willow Creek Mining District, Alaska, USGS Bulletin 1004, 1954
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Ray, 1954, USGS Bulletin 1004, Geology and Ore Deposits of the Willow Creek Mining District, Alaska
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The backcountry alpine skiing season generally extends from late September to late April.
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re-opened. At least one mining company is actively exploring for gold in the area now.
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Road is a good paved biking trail until Mile 17, where the road changes to gravel.
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88:. It is named after Robert Hatcher, a prospector and miner. The nearest cities are
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513:"Ski dreams come true: Government Peak Recreation Area at Hatcher Pass now open"
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Food and lodging is available at The Hatcher Pass Lodge in Independence Valley.
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http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/mlw/planning/mgtplans/hatcher/pdf/Ch2_Recreation.pdf
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Ray, Geology and Ore Deposits of the Willow Creek District, USGS Bulletin 1004
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There are no known historical native settlements in the area, although
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can be expected to occur on this fault with approximately a 700-year
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369:, which encompasses 75,000 acres (30,000 ha) of wilderness.
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527:"New recreation area gives Valley skiers their own destination"
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adn.com | mat-su : Quake isn't matter of if, but of when
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adn.com | mat-su : Gold, history draw curious into mine
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and excellent views. The park is a favorite launch site for
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846:
Frommer's Alaska 2009, Wiley Publishing, INC, 2009. p. 277.
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http://www.hatcherpass.com/Content/HatcherPass/history.cfm
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Tourist attractions in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
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http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2007/1043/pdf/of07-1043_508.pdf
357:. The last big earthquake was probably 650 years ago.
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approximately 12 miles (19 km) to the south, and
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Mat-Su Borough, Alaska, Hatcher Pass Project website
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459:http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/indmine.htm
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259:Historical marker developed by Alaska State Parks
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577:Alaska Resource Data File, USGS Open File 98-599
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574:http://ardf.wr.usgs.gov/ardf_data/Anchorage.pdf
273:At Hatcher Pass a pervasively altered zoned 74
1116:Landforms of Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
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315:(Late Paleocene to middle Eocene) sedimentary
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120:From the west, the pass is reached from the
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367:Hatcher Pass East Special Management Area
858:. DK Publishing, INC, 2006, 2008. p. 87.
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811:Alaska Department of Natural Resources
796:Alaska Department of Natural Resources
675:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
630:: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
437:Pass Management Plan, Chapter VI, p.54
373:is a small alpine park with a shallow
277:(million years old) quartz diorite to
16:Mountain pass in Alaska, United States
873:
206:Independence Mine State Historic Park
153:Independence Mine State Historic Park
76:(3,886 ft or 1,148 m) is a
151:gold-mining, mountain biking, etc.
13:
400:
80:through the southwest part of the
14:
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371:Summit Lake State Recreation Site
208:offers tours in the summer months
50:Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska
27:
1126:Ski areas and resorts in Alaska
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116:Gold Cord Lake in Hatcher Pass
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1053:Independence Mine Ski Resort
487:Alaska Lost Ski Area Project
473:Hatcher Pass Management Plan
269:Wrangellia composite terrane
265:Willow Creek mining district
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215:Willow Creek mining district
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10:
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966:Birch Hill Recreation Area
462:Alaska State Parks website
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1121:Mountain passes of Alaska
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981:Russian Jack Springs Park
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768:"News Article Anch.Daily"
242:, from near Hatcher Pass.
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856:Eyewitness Travel ALASKA
131:Matanuska-Susitna Valley
823:"Independence Mine SHP"
361:Recreational Activities
1092:61.76972°N 149.30889°W
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390:Arctic ground squirrel
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997:Chugach Powder Guides
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342:Castle Mountain Fault
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1097:61.76972; -149.30889
127:Little Susitna River
1088: /
959:Cross country areas
925:Eaglecrest Ski Area
901:Ski areas in Alaska
355:recurrence interval
82:Talkeetna Mountains
66:Talkeetna Mountains
433:2008-09-10 at the
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41:3,886 ft (1,184 m)
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1063:Manitoba Ski Area
1058:Kahwahee Ski Area
1006:Defunct ski areas
689:USGS Bulletin 607
484:http://alsap.org/
230:Looking down the
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309:Government Peak
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234:and across the
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976:Kincaid Park
930:Hatcher Pass
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908:Alpine areas
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831:. Retrieved
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776:. Retrieved
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74:Hatcher Pass
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22:Hatcher Pass
1095: /
1083:149°18′32″W
990:Heli skiing
379:paragliders
375:cirque lake
351:earthquakes
344:is a major
1110:Categories
1080:61°46′11″N
945:Mount Eyak
940:Moose Mtn.
833:2009-07-09
778:2007-12-13
662:2017-08-29
617:2015-09-08
551:2015-09-01
410:References
1048:Dry Creek
1033:Deer Mtn.
915:Alpenglow
335:monzonite
289:monzonite
222:Geography
37:Elevation
671:cite web
626:cite web
431:Archived
429:Hatcher
346:tectonic
313:Tertiary
307:West of
301:deformed
279:tonalite
145:Dena'ina
108:Overview
46:Location
950:Skiland
251:Geology
238:at the
136:Mills,
94:Wasilla
332:quartz
317:arkose
286:quartz
196:Mining
162:Skiing
98:Willow
90:Palmer
86:Alaska
656:(PDF)
649:(PDF)
611:(PDF)
604:(PDF)
138:adits
61:Range
726:1983
677:link
632:link
340:The
299:and
263:The
204:The
92:and
388:An
1112::
809:,
794:,
673:}}
669:{{
628:}}
624:{{
583:^
418:^
381:.
329:Ma
327:67
283:Ma
275:Ma
104:.
84:,
52:,
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