Population: 190

Hope is located at the end of  the Hope Highway on Turnagain Arm, 87 miles from Anchorage.

Visitor information:
Hope Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 89, Hope, AK 99605.

This picturesque community was a frenzy of gold rush activity in 1896, but the gold rush was short-lived. By 1899, many of the miners were headed to the Klondike. Today, Hope is a quiet, friendly oasis, popular with hikers, campers, bicyclists, fishermen, bird watchers and recreational gold miners. Hope’s historic district includes the 1896 store (now the Seaview Cafe) and the 1902 log Social Hall, which remains a venue for community events.

Services in Hope include lodging at Hope’s Hideaway, lodging and guided fishing excursions with Angle 45 Adventures, coffee shop, kayak and fat bike rentals at Turnagain Kayak & Coffee House, a post office, library, museum, cafes, B&Bs, and cabins. Camping at Seaview RV Park & Campground (907/782-3300) on Main Street. No overnight vehicle camping on downtown streets and no tent camping on the tidal flats. Porcupine USFS Campground, at the end of the Hope Highway, offers very pleasant campsites—some with views of Turnagain Arm—surrounded by lush foliage.

Attractions:

  • The Hope-Sunrise Museum has an extensive collection of gold mining equipment displayed both indoors and outside on the museum grounds.
  • The trailhead for Gull Rock Trail, a 5.7-mile hike out to a rocky viewpoint overlooking Turnagain Arm, is just before the Porcupine USFS Campground. Allow 2- to 3-hours to hike one way. Trail has lots of tree roots and some muddy spots.
  • Run Class IV and V whitewater on Six-Mile Creek at Mile 0.2 with Nova River Runners.
  • The Kenai Peninsula’s premier hiking trail, the 38-mile-long Resurrection Pass National Recreation Trail, begins a few miles before from Hope.
  • Palmer Creek Road provides access to Coeur d’Alene USFS Campground and alpine country popular with mountain bikers.
  • Porcupine USFS Campground is a beautiful campground set in lush vegetation with a few sites overlooking Turnagain Arm.