CuteCamper
Pinnell Mountain National Recreation Trail
Sweeping mountain vistas and brilliant wildflower displays under the unceasing light of the midnight sun, the Pinnell Mountain National Recreation Trail offers an unforgettable experience whether your visit lasts a few hours or a few days.
Located approximately 100 miles (161 km) northeast of Fairbanks, this 27-mile (44 km) hiking trail traverses a series of alpine ridge tops entirely above timberline. The trail was built for hikers, but is open to all forms of non-motorized use.
The Pinnell Mountain Trail is marked with rock cairns as it crosses open tundra with views north to the Yukon River and south to the Alaska Range. Wooden posts along the trail show the mileage from the start at Eagle Summit to the trail's end at Twelvemile Summit. Two shelters provide refuge from storms, but hikers should come prepared for unpredictable, dramatic alpine weather. Finding drinking water along the trail can become difficult later in the summer, when snowfields and small ponds dry up. Water is generally available at both shelter cabins, where catchment systems collect melting snow and rain.
An accessible interpretive loop trail leads to an observation deck near the Eagle Summit Trailhead.
RecAreaDirections
The Pinnell Mountain Trail is easily reached via the Steese Highway, a maintained gravel highway leading northeast from Fairbanks to the Yukon River. Eagle Summit (milepost 107 on the Steese Highway), the more distant of the two trailheads, is approximately a 2.5-hour drive from Fairbanks under good driving conditions. The trail ends at Twelvemile Summit at milepost 85.5 on the Steese highway. .
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| Stay Limit | 10 days at one site |
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Permits info
Facilities
Ptarmigan Cr Tr Shelter Facility
This small cabin is available on a first-come, first-served basis and is primarily intended as an emergency shelter. The cabin includes a water catchment system for collecting rain and melting snow; water should be treated before cooking or drinking. There is no stove in this shelter cabin, as it is intended only as a shield to the weather. Expect to camp at least one night along this 27mile trail.
North Fork Trail Shelter Facility
North Fork Shelter Cabin is located approximately 18 trail miles (6.2 km) from Eagle Summit Wayside on the Pinnell Mountain National Recreation Trail on the back side of a hill. Conversely, it is 9 miles from the Twelvemile Summit Wayside. This small cabin is available on a first-come, first-served basis and is primarily intended as an emergency shelter. The cabin includes a water catchment system for collecting rain and melting snow; water should be treated before cooking or drinking.
