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 White Mountains has three campgrounds, 13 public use cabins and two trail shelters providing various opportunities to enjoy the area throughout the year.

• Trail Updates

• Reserve a cabin

Winter Recreation October 15 - April 30

Reaching the heart of the White Mountains becomes much easier in the winter, when creeks, rivers, and bogs are frozen. In winter, 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 of White Mountains winter trails are open to both snowmobiles and nonmotorized users, except for the non-motorized Ski Loop Trail and Summit Trail.

• Winter Trail Map & Guide

• Winter Recreation Map

Summer Recreation May 1 – 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 access to two campgrounds, trails, a gold-panning area and a departure point for float trips on Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River. It can be reached via the US Creek Road, 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 OHV’s is in 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.

• Summer OHV fact sheet

• Summer Recreation Map

• Nome Creek Valley Map

Camping

Cabin reservations can be made 45 days in advance through recreation.gov. The two trail shelters are available first come-first served. Three campgrounds are open from late-May until the snow flies in October: Cripple Creek Campground, Mount Prindle Campground, and Ophir Creek Campground. There’s no permit needed to camp outside the developed areas, just keep in mind that dispersed camping is limited to 10 days and is prohibited in the area’s three Research Natural Areas to protect resources.