If you're looking for a trail with great scenery in an historical setting, Craigie Creek Trail is the place. The trail is an old gravel/rock mining road that travels 4.5 miles from near Hatcher Pass Road to Dog Sled Pass and Schroff Lake above. The elevation gain of 1,400’ is gradual at the beginning but the increases the last mile to the 4,200’ level at the pass and lake. The Craigie Creek area is rich in mining history which you can see by remnants of buildings and equipment along the trail. Lucky Shot and War Baby mines are located on the mountainside above and during the 1930’s, there was a population large enough for its own post office.

In winter, this trail is ridden by snowmachiners. Dogsled pass can be navigated with good snow conditions and can be challenging with poor snow conditions. Riders should look out for buried boulders in the snow. In Summertime this makes a great hike along the generally good but somewhat rocky road with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains and lakes.

Directions: From downtown Palmer take the Glenn Highway (Hwy 1) North for two miles. Turn left onto Palmer Fishhook Rd drive 8.5 miles, and turn left to stay onto the Fishhook-Willow Rd (this road is only open during the summer). Drive five miles, trailhead will be a pullout on the right.

Parking: No parking fee required at this location. This is a multi-use motorized trail, do not block access to the trail when parking.