This small mountain town on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula has clear lakes for trout fishing and historic Iditarod Trail paths. The annual Summer Solstice Festival brings locals together each June.
Moose Pass, a mountain town of 300 residents on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula, sits along the shores of Upper Trail Lake. You can walk the same path as early mail carriers on the historic Iditarod Trail, catch rainbow trout in Trail Lake's clear waters, or join the two-day Summer Solstice Festival where locals gather for music, food, and the annual triathlon each June. The Chugach National Forest surrounds the town with its network of marked hiking trails and basic forest service cabins.
Getting to Moose Pass
Moose Pass sits 100 miles south of Anchorage and 30 miles north of Seward along the Seward Highway. You can drive here from Anchorage in about 2 hours, and the road connects to other major Alaskan destinations. The drive to Homer takes about three hours along the coastal highway.
Hiking Trails Around Moose Pass
The Johnson Pass Trail begins three miles northwest of town at Mile 32.5 of the Seward Highway. This 23-mile trail takes you over a 1,550-foot alpine pass and past two mountain lakes, following sections of the original Iditarod Trail. Near town, you'll find several other marked paths: the 4-mile Carter Lake Trail, the steep Victor Creek Trail, the lakeside Ptarmigan Creek Trail, and the challenging Lost Lake Trail. Each path gives you different views of the Chugach mountains.
Summer Activities
The Summer Solstice Festival runs for two days around June 21st each year. Local vendors sell food, musicians perform on an outdoor stage, and participants compete in the town triathlon. Throughout summer, you can pick wild berries in the Chugach National Forest, fish for grayling and rainbow trout in Trail Lake, or watch float planes take off and land at the local flight school.
Winter in Moose Pass
Snow transforms the hiking trails into routes for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. While the modern Iditarod race follows a different route, you can still explore sections of the original trail that early mail carriers and miners used to connect Alaska's remote communities.
Accommodation and Services
You'll find several places to stay including lakeside lodges, bed and breakfasts, and campsites in the Chugach National Forest. The town has one small grocery store and a gift shop. Most visitors buy their supplies in Seward or Anchorage before arriving.
Historical Background
Moose Pass started as a construction camp for the Alaska Railroad in 1912. The name comes from a 1903 incident when a mail carrier's dog team met a moose blocking their path. The first post office opened in 1928, and the town grew alongside the railroad line and highway development.
