White Mountains National Recreation Area

Located about an hour's drive from Fairbanks, Alaska, off the Steese and Elliott Highways, the one-million-acre White Mountains National Recreation Area offers stunning scenery, peaceful solitude, and outstanding opportunities for recreation. The area has three campgrounds, 13 public use cabins and two trail shelters, providing various opportunities to enjoy it throughout the year. Winter recreation runs October 15 through April 30. Reaching the heart of the White Mountains becomes much easier in the winter, when creeks, rivers, and bogs are frozen. Visitors travel by ski, snowshoe, fat tire biking, dog team and snowmobile to enjoy the 13 public-use cabins and 250 miles of groomed trails that make the White Mountains one of Interior Alaska's premier winter destinations. Most winter trails are open to both snowmobiles and nonmotorized users, except for the non-motorized Ski Loop Trail and Summit Trail. Summer recreation runs May 1 through October 14. During the short summers, visitors hike, float, hunt, fish, pan for gold and camp under Alaska's 'midnight sun.' Nome Creek valley is one of the prime access points for summer recreation, with two campgrounds, trails, a gold-panning area and a departure point for float trips on the Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River. It can be reached via the US Creek Road at Steese Highway Milepost 57; these gravel roads can be bumpy but are suitable for use by highway vehicles. To protect sensitive resources, vehicles must remain on BLM routes designated for their use unless traveling in an area designated open to cross-country motorized travel. The entire area is open to all forms of non-motorized use, so feel free to explore off trail. The most popular places to ride OHVs are the Nome Creek tailings and the Quartz Creek Trail. Most of the cabins become difficult to reach in the summer, but a few are regularly used, such as Fred Blixt Cabin and Lee's Cabin. Cabin reservations can be made 45 days in advance. The two trail shelters are available first come, first served. Three campgrounds — Cripple Creek, Mount Prindle and Ophir Creek — are open from late May until the snow flies in October. There is no permit needed to camp outside the developed areas, but dispersed camping is limited to 10 days and is prohibited in the area's three Research Natural Areas to protect resources.