What to do: Hope

What to do: Hope

The former gold-mining village of Hope is found nestled against the Chugach National Forest, and although it may not be as metropolitan a destination as Anchorage, the small town offers a welcome summer respite from the Kenai River, fish-related tourism.

What started as a mining camp for Resurrection Creek in 1896 has grown, maybe not in size, but in offerings. There is a selection of local businesses, specializing in everything from a quick bite to eat to fine art.

“We have a number of good restaurants and so many different activities,” said Diane Olthuis of the Hope and Sunrise Historical and Mining Museum. “Instead of a day trip, you might even think to make it an overnight.”

The town also has a selection of motels, cabin rentals and RV parks, as well as plenty of available camping.

“We have Coeur’d Alene campgrounds, which is just a tent campground,” Susan Anderson of the Hope Library said. “People go and stay up there all the time. It has a lot of great scenery, because it’s a unique valley, and a few hiking trails up there.”

The campgrounds are located along Palmer Creek road, which leads to Twin Lakes Trail.

“It was an old gold mining road, so there is some remnants of that up there,” Anderson said. “You have to hike up, ending in that beautiful valley with a waterfall coming out of it and a zigzag trail going up to two lakes.”

Trails are a big draw for Hope, with the Resurrection Pass Trail starting, or ending, in Hope. The 39-mile trail travels between Hope and Cooper Landing and offers day or multiday hiking or biking backcountry excursions.

“There is also Gull Rock Trail at the end of the paved road,” Anderson said. “It’s a five-mile hike and the trailhead is just prior to the gas station. You can do Gull Rock from there, or Hope Point, which is a zigzag trail up the mountain that leads to great views.”

From the peak of Hope Point, hikers can enjoy panoramic views of Turnagain Arm and a bird’s eye view of Anchorage. Hope also offers an array of historical entertainment, centered at the Hope and Sunrise Historical and Mining Museum, which opens its doors on Memorial Day each year.

“We have a whole shed of mining equipment. There is a main museum building, where we talk about the gold rush and the great Alaska earthquake. … We even have the old schoolhouse from 1904,” Olthuis said.

The museum shows insight into just how influential a role gold played in the creation of Hope, and in bringing settlers to Alaska.

“Just come and enjoy the natural beauty of the place,” Olthuis said. “Hope is full of great inspiration for photographs, painting or sketching. There are quiet moments, where you can listen to the birds, look out at the wildlife and be content.”

Reach Kat Sorensen at kat.sorensen@peninsulaclarion.com

With Turnagain Arm in the background, a dog breaks to pant while acending the trail to Hope Point on Saturday, June 3, 2017 in Hope, Alaska.

With Turnagain Arm in the background, a dog breaks to pant while acending the trail to Hope Point on Saturday, June 3, 2017 in Hope, Alaska.

More in Life

Virginia Walters (Courtesy photo)
Life in the Pedestrian Lane: It’s March

March is the trickster month, probably why we see so much raven activity these days

After Pres. Woodrow Wilson commuted his death sentence to life in prison, William Dempsey (inmate #3572) was delivered from Alaska to the federal penitentiary on McNeil Island, Wash. These were his intake photos. (Photo courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks archives)
A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey story — Part 7

The opening line of Dempsey’s first letter to Bunnell — dated March 19, 1926 — got right to the point

Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel in “The Last of Us.” (Photo courtesy HBO)
On the Screen: ‘The Last of Us’ perfectly adapts a masterpiece

HBO unquestionably knew they had a hit on their hands

Chocolate cake is topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
A cake topped with love (and white chocolate cream cheese)

He loved the frosting so much he said he never wants anything else on his cake

In 1914, Pres. Woodrow Wilson appointed Charles Bunnell to be the judge of the Federal District Court for the Third and Fourth divisions of the Alaska Territory. (Photo courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks archives)
A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey story — Part 6

Prosecution lawyers were fortunate to have a fallback plan: witnesses to the crime.

The author displays her daily vitamin, three yellowish clear bubbles of Vitamin D, and 20 mg of Paxil. (Photo by Meredith Harber/Minister’s Message)
Minister’s Message: Accepting all parts of your story of growth

I started taking Paxil almost six years ago, after a lifelong struggle with anxiety and depression

Ashlyn O’Hara/Peninsula Clarion 
A copy of Marie Aubert’s “Grown Ups” sits on a desk in The Peninsula Clarion building on Wednesday in Kenai.
Off the Shelf: Good for her

Marie Aubert’s “Grown Ups” caught my attention with a flashy cover and a review from Independent Ireland on the cover

Kenai Peninsula Writers’ Contest logo (Homer Council on the Arts/courtesy)
25th Kenai Peninsula Writers’ Contest winners announced

Winners in all categories were announced March 6

Alaska-style spanakopita includes salmon with the traditional spinach and feta. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
On the Strawberry Patch: Spanakopita — Alaska style

I have been deep cleaning, organizing, rearranging and generally revitalizing our home these last couple weeks

Nick Varney
Vote on National Apathy Week delayed

What are some of these clueless congressional reps trying to prove?

This photo postcard, purported showing William Dempsey (L) and an unnamed partner, was one of two such cards that Dempsey sent from Alaska to his parents in Cleveland in late 1918 and early 1920. (Photo courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks archives)
A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey story — Part 5

Although William Dempsey didn’t know it as he fled for his life, several things were working against him

As a teen-ager convicted of larceny in 1916, William Dempsey was incarcerated at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. (Image from the National Register of Historical Places)
A Nexus of Lives and Lies: The William Dempsey story — Part 3

The lines of history are most accurately understood in retrospect.