Hatcher Pass road open early

HATCHER PASS — The road that connects Willow and Palmer through Hatcher Pass opened to vehicular traffic on June 17, the earliest opening in recent memory. While the road is closed to the public during the winter months, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities employees at the Palmer maintenance station prioritized clearing snow from sections of the road behind the gate resulting in an opening nearly a month prior to typical years.

“It is an incredibly popular place for Alaskans to go both winter and summer,” said DOT Public Information Officer Shannon McCarthy. “It’s a scenic drive. It’s also got great hikes, tons of great hikes and then it’s also got the history there, it’s got berry picking, it’s just a great place to go if you’re an Alaskan.”

The 60 mile stretch of road that exits the paved asphalt surface beneath the Hatcher Pass Lodge and the historic Independence Mine site typically opens to the public around the July 4 holiday. McCarthy noted that much of the snow that required clearing behind the gate was partially made up of dense avalanche snowpack that had to be plowed to the sides of the road.

“I really do think this is a priority for the Palmer maintenance station and they had some extra time and they had operators that were ready to go,” said McCarthy. “It was really a matter of the Palmer station recognizes and knows what the area needs are and they always try to deliver them. Obviously we have a very limited staff, we can’t do everything that we’d like to do but they certainly do try.”

The unpaved stretch beyond the gated entrance travels around lakes and under mountain peaks for unparalleled views of the depths of Hatcher Pass. McCarthy did advise those who plan to drive through the road at this early stage in the summer to do so cautiously.

“Be aware that there are spots along hp road where you have no signal so make sure your car is in good working condition and ready for a gravel road experience and if you are on gravel we ask people to slow down,” said McCarthy. “The reason why is that the faster you go, the faster that washboard appears so we ask people to go slow.”