Talkeetna Mountains: Independence Pass-Bomber Pass
Glaciers, high passes, and pristine tundra highlight this intermediate hike.
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Don’t have 2 weeks of vacation, cash for a bush flight, or advanced skills for a remote expedition? Just an hour from Anchorage, The Talkeetnas are your answer. The range is full of pointy summits that call to mind the Wind Rivers or Sierra on steroids, plus endless soaring passes and a wealth of glaciers.
This 5-day, 21-mile sampler is an excellent intro to the route-finding and terrain challenges of Alaskan trekking, but it also offers numerous opportunities for more advanced hikers to explore utterly deserted backcountry. The route hits a little bit of everything by looping through the southwest corner of the Talkeetnas in the Hatcher Pass Management Area, land loosely administered by Alaska State Parks. While the trailheads can be bustling on weekends, you’ll quickly escape the crowds.
Trail Facts
- Distance: 34.2
Waypoints
TAL001
Location: 61.7917518615723, -149.282089233398
Begin at Independence Mine State Park, hiking through a mile of gold-rush ruins to the steep snow- and-boulder climb over Independence Gap.
TAL002
Location: 61.8083343505859, -149.30061340332
Independence Pass; a steep notch in the ridgeline begins the route
TAL003
Location: 61.8134002685547, -149.306259155273
Small backcountry tarn on R
TAL004
Location: 61.8188171386719, -149.304306030273
Head NE on tundra
TAL005
Location: 61.8413314819336, -149.287017822266
Dogsled Pass then drop into the broad alpine valley of Peters Creek
TAL006
Location: 61.8442649841309, -149.28596496582
Good campsite with water
TAL007
Location: 61.8588485717774, -149.287567138672
Cross Peters Creek; slow climb ahead past a series of alpine ponds
TAL008
Location: 61.8810653686524, -149.250717163086
Cross a rugged, unnamed pass
TAL009
Location: 61.8777847290039, -149.226684570312
Continue E over second unnamed pass. Wind through cliff bands with superb views of Montana Peak and the Mint Spires, to the blueberry fields of Bartholf Creek.
TAL010
Location: 61.8770332336426, -149.22102355957
Beautiful campsite
TAL011
Location: 61.8786506652832, -149.186370849609
Carefully cross Bartholf Creek
TAL012
Location: 61.8793182373047, -149.135330200195
From here, climb S up the Bombler Glacier (crampons helpful on the rock-hard ice).
TAL013
Location: 61.8583984375, -149.119720458984
Pass the remains of a giant B-29 Superfortress that crashed in 1957. Swing W.
TAL014
Location: 61.8547172546387, -149.1337890625
Cross the sketchy dirt scramble atop Bomber Pass and drop steeply SW down talus to Reed Lakes, a popular dayhike with Matanuska locals.
TAL015
Location: 61.8479843139648, -149.157638549805
Good campsite @ upper Reed Lake
TAL016
Location: 61.8226165771484, -149.187423706055
Good trail leads to dirt road.
TAL017
Location: 61.8044166564941, -149.202499389648
End hike: Pick-up shuttle car or hitchhike 6.2 miles back to Independence Mine.