This Entire Town In Alaska Was Turned Into A State Park You Can’t Pass Up
×
Megan McDonald
Author
Chisana, Alaska, is an honest to goodness ghost town! With a census designated population of zero people, it swells to 25 seasonal residents during the summertime. It’s now known as the Chisana Historical Site, and is located in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park!
It was known as the "Largest Log Cabin Town In The World." It's located within the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska. Now the town's population is only sustained by a small number of summer residents, numbering around 25 people.
Although there are some intrepid and adventurous hikers that attempt the trek from McCarthy, another small town in the National Park. This is very much a difficult adventure, and should only be attempted by very experienced hikers with excellent backcountry knowledge!
Advertisement
In 1985 the small census designated community was listed as a National Historic District. It was then registered on the National Register of Historic Places.
Advertisement
Miners came to Chisana in the thousands when they heard about this new mining district. This became a short, but very popular boom during the following years.
Related Stories
The Best Things To Do In Alaska's 8 National Parks This Winter
Seven Of The Largest National Parks Are In Alaska, And You Need To Visit Them All
Stay At This Bright And Beautiful Alaskan Cabin Right Outside Denali National Park
Because of it's remote and hard-to-access location, many artifacts remain from the early mining usage. You can find everything from mechanical mining operations, to a well developed transportation network. Everything is preserved in a way for visitors to view this glimpse into the past!
The Too Much Johnson Cabin is located in Chisana, and is run by National Park Service as a backcountry cabin. The cabin is first come first serve. It can be reached by the Chisana air strip, or in the winter you can snow machine out 60 miles from Nabesna Road. This cabin is located within the historical settlement area.
Places like The Pioneer Outfitters offer guest cabins, camp offerings, and home cooked meals. They also offer survival training, big game hunting, and horseback riding adventures!
You can still find gold in the district's many creeks! There are many private residences in the area, so be sure not to disturb any homes. If you head to the downtown area, the National Park Service has restored four log cabins to be viewed.
Have you ever visited Chisana, Alaska? What did you think? Let us know in the comments below!
If you’re in the Wrangell-St. Elias area, have you checked out this other tiny town? Read about The Surprising Alaska Town That Makes For A Great Weekend Getaway!
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.