Nancy Lake

Nancy Lake SRA https://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/matsu/nancylksra.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Lake_State_Recreation_Area Nancy Lake State Recreation Area is a lake-studded landscape in Alaska preserved for recreation purposes. Clear waters are surrounded by unspoiled forests, providing tranquil settings for recreational activities such as canoeing, fishing, hiking and camping during the summer. During winter it is an ideal place for cross-country skiing, dog mushing and snow machining. Nancy Lake State Recreation Area is located just 90 minutes drive north of Anchorage along the Parks Highway. Nearby towns are Wasilla, Houston and Willow. The broad Susitna River Valley, including what is now the recreation area, was scoured by massive glaciers, which once covered it. Through the years, most of the Nancy Lake area has remained wild and natural. There are 13 rustic cabins that are available for rent on a nightly basis throughout the Nancy Lake State Recreation Area. Cabins are located on Red Shirt, Lynx, Nancy, James, and Bald lakes.

Welcome to Park History Nancy Lake SRA, located in the broad Susitna River Valley, owes its topography to ancient glaciers that once covered the land. When the glaciers retreated some 9,000 years ago, they left behind a rolling landscape of glacial deposits and hundreds of lakes and ponds. Humans arrived once the glaciers melted, and two Dena’ina Athabascan village sites—found buried just outside the recreation area—suggest that this land was used for fishing, hunting, and trapping. With the construction of the Alaska Railroad in 1917, homesteaders settled the nearby towns of Wasilla, Houston, and Willow. The Nancy Lake area—too rugged and swampy for easy development—remained wild, natural, and largely untouched. Today, these features make Nancy Lake SRA one of our most distinctive state parks. Nancy Lake Frazer Lake For More Information State Recreation Area Nancy Lake Ranger Station Mile 1.3 Nancy Lake Parkway Mailing Address: 7278 East Bogard Road Wasilla, AK 99654 (907) 495-6273 www.alaskastateparks.org Background photo courtesy of Victor Stanculescu Inset photo courtesy of Doug Gasek Alaska State Parks Area Highlights Canoe Trails Little Noluck Lake portage Photo courtesy of LRHolzapfel Welcome Nancy Lake State Recreation Area (SRA) is one of the few rolling, lake-studded landscapes in Alaska’s state park system. Crystal clear lakes wreathed by pristine forests provide an idyllic setting for canoeing, fishing, hiking, skiing, and camping. Nancy Lake SRA’s canoe trails are a great place to get your paddles wet. Beginning at the Tanaina Lake Canoe Trailhead, the popular Lynx Lake Canoe Trail travels through an eight-mile chain of lakes and is an ideal weekend getaway. Portage locations are well marked with signs, and wet sections of the trail are covered with boardwalk. Other routes can be explored along the trail by continuing south from Lynx Lake to Butterfly and Skeetna lakes. If you don’t own a canoe, you can rent one from a local concessionaire and pick it up at the canoe trailhead. There’s no excuse for missing one of Alaska State Park’s best trail systems, and there’s absolutely NO excuse for not wearing your lifejacket along the way. Public-Use Cabins With 13 rustic cabins on the shores of Nancy, Lynx, James, Bald, and Red Shirt lakes, Nancy Lake SRA’s public-use cabins are a great way to camp in style. Several cabins are accessible by foot from the Nancy Lake Parkway, while others are only accessible via canoe during the summer. In winter, remote cabins can be accessed with snowshoes, skis, or snowmachines. All cabins are equipped with basic amenities such as a heating stove, wooden bunks, and a latrine. Lake water or snowmelt should be purified before drinking. Visit www.alaskastateparks.org for reservations, locations, and availability of cabins. Winter Recreation Under a blanket of snow, the rolling topography of Nancy Lake SRA is ideal for cross-country skiing, snowmachining, and dog mushing. With nearly 40 miles of maintained trails and lots of opportunities for backcountry snowshoeing, ice fishing, snowmachining and skiing, Nancy Lake SRA is a superb winter playground. Wildlife Nancy Lake SRA’s landscape of lakes, wetlands, and forest creates an ideal habitat for an assortment of wildlife including beavers, loons, eagles, arctic terns, moose, black bears, and the occasional brown bear. Proper storage of food and garbage will minimize the chances of dangerous human-wildlife interaction. Make noise while hiking and please give all wildlife, especially nesting loons, a wide berth. Loon on Nancy Lake Photo courtesy of LRHolzapfel Public-use cabin #1 at Red Shirt Lake Nancy Lake SRS Lo Mushing at South Rolly Overlook Photo courtesy of Victor Stanculescu Lake Road ng Pa rk sH Nancy Lake ig h wa Big Darell Lake y Little Darell Lake Alman Lake Nancy Lake SRA Jano Pond Rhein Lake North Rolly Lake Winter Trailhead Heins Pond way ark eP ak cy L Bald Lake Nan South Rolly Overlook Tanaina Lake Trailhead Shem Pete Lake Milo Lake Tanaina Lake South Rolly Lake Red Shirt Lake Trailhead Ardaw Lake Jackknife Lake Milo Pond South Rolly Lake Campground Little Noluck Lake This is bear habitat... Duck Lake Big Noluck Lake ake Road nx L Ly Frazer Lake Map Legend Little Frazer Lake Restroom Charr Lake Maintenance Station Parking James Lake Camping Owl Lake Host Cabin Lynx Lake RV Camping Picnic Shelter Red Shirt Lake Boat Launch Javit Lake Canoe Launch Water Station Hiking Lion Lake Information & Registration Echo Ponds Public-Use Cabin Host Cabin Candlestick Lake James Lake public-use cabin Photo courtesy of LRHolzapfel Buckley Lake Phoebe Lake Private Property Manta Lake Roads Park Boundary Heart Lake Summer Trails Host Cabin Butterfly Lake Winter Trails Ski Trails Canoe Trail Skeetna Lake Seismic Line Trails—Winter Only er N Big Noluck Lake Photo courtesy of LRHolzapfel Trails Red Shirt Lake Trail Access: Red Shirt Lake Trailhead (en

For More Information: Visit us online at Alaska is big, wild, and scenic, www.alaskastateparks.org with a state park system to match. Encompassing Area Offices over 3.3 million acres of rugged, unspoiled terrain, the Alaska State Park System provides endless recreational opportunities year-round, and is a priceless resource for residents and visitors alike. Chugach State Park Potter Section House 18620 Seward Hwy. Anchorage, AK 99516 (907) 345-5014 Northern 3700 Airport Way Fairbanks, AK 99709 (907) 451-2695 Kenai/PWS P.O. Box 1247 Soldotna, AK 99669 (907) 262-5581 Southeast 400 Willoughby Ave. P.O. Box 111070 Juneau, AK 99811 (907) 465-2481 Kodiak District 1400 Abercrombie Dr. Kodiak, AK 99615 (907) 486-6339 Wood-Tikchik State Park P.O. Box 1822 Dillingham, AK 99576 (907) 842-2641 Mat-Su/Copper Basin 7278 E. Bogard Road Wasilla, AK 99654 (907) 745-3975 DNR Public Information Centers Anchorage: (907) 269-8400 Fairbanks: (907) 451-2705 Welcome to Alaska State Parks Recreation From high alpine tundra to temperate rainforests, the state’s diverse landscapes are reflected in the parks, historic sites, recreation areas, trails, preserves, and special management areas that comprise the Alaska State Park System—a collection of 123 units Wood-Tikchik State Park Photo courtesy of Bill Berkhahn ranging in size from the half-acre Potter Section House State Historic Site to the 1.6-million-acre Wood-Tikchik State Park. Morgan’s Landing State Recreation Area Denali State Park Photo courtesy of Erik Schlimmer Recreational opportunities are equally varied: hike through fields of lupine; pick blueberries under the midnight sun; snowmachine in Denali country; observe a pod of orcas from your sea kayak; or fish the world-famous Kenai River. Alaska State Park units are an essential component of the Alaskan lifestyle, with locals participating in wilderness recreation at a rate twice that of the national average. Alaskans make up over two-thirds of the 5.4 million annual visitors to our parks. Outdoors is “where it’s at” in the last frontier, and with a square mile of land for every resident, we have plenty of room for you to find your Alaska! The Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation provides outdoor recreation opportunities and conserves and interprets natural, cultural, and historic resources for the use, enjoyment, and welfare of the people. Harding Lake State Recreation Area Photo courtesy of Nicole Phillips 3rd Edition—2016 Rock ptarmigan, Chugach State Park Photo courtesy of Leanne Quirk Background, Hatcher Pass Management Area Photo courtesy of Matthew Johnson Chena River State Recreation Area Shrimping in Prince William Sound Eagle River Nature Center, Chugach State Park Photo courtesy of Ricketts Rafting Photo courtesy of Mary Wasche Photo courtesy of Jim Wood A Division of the Department of Natural Resources Camping History & Culture Historic preservation is embedded in the Alaska State Parks’ mission statement. Our uniquely Alaskan State Historical Parks (SHP) and State Historic Sites (SHS) represent several eras of Alaska’s history and are as diverse as the places in which they reside: tour a hard-rock gold mining camp at Independence Mine SHP in Palmer; explore a WW II Army artillery base at Fort Abercrombie SHP in Kodiak; or view Tlingit and Haida designs on the totem poles and the clan house at Totem Bight SHP in Ketchikan. Pitch a tent in the backcountry or slide your RV into a drive-in slip. With over 2,500 campsites and limitless backcountry settings, there is no shortage of camping options in Alaska State Parks. Explore the map inside for a list of developed campgrounds. Birch Lake State Recreation Site Big Delta State Historical Park Eklutna Lakeside Trail, Chugach State Park Public-Use Cabins Rupe Andrews Cabin, Alaska State Parks offers Shelter Island State Marine Park more than 60 public-use cabins for rent year-round. These coveted cabins are booked months in advance, so make your reservation today! For more information visit http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/cabins/index.htm. Kachemak Bay State Park Photo courtesy of Andre Kaeppele Wickersham State Historic Site Johnson Lake State Recreation Area Wood-Tikchik State Park Petroglyph Beach State Historic Site Photo courtesy of Kyle Joly Photo courtesy of Wayde Carroll Willow Creek State Recreation Area Photo courtesy of Donna Quante Chena River State Recreation Area Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park Photo courtesy of Kyle Joly Photo courtesy of Wanda Scholze Independence Mine State Historical Park Photo courtesy of Dan Kehlenbach Crow Pass Trail, Chugach State Park Photo courtesy of Justin Wholey Trails Totem Bight State Historical Park Photo courtesy of Mary Kowalczyk Background photo courtesy of Donna Olson Fort Rousseau State Historical Park Photo courtesy of Nicole Acevedo Independence Mine State Historical Park Photo courtesy of Wayne Biessel Alaska State Parks boasts an unrivaled multiuse