Isabell Pass, Gulkana Glacier Area

Half-way between Delta Junction and Glenallen, the road to this vast boondocking area forks off the Richardson Hwy just south of Isabell Pass. The road goes north from the pavement, and will lead about 2 miles of very rough, 2-wheel drive, dirt. Go Slow! After 2 miles the road becomes rougher and demands higher clearance and 4-wheel drive. Along the way, you’ll see side roads leading to large, level parking areas on either side of the main road. Keep an eye out for metal objects as this area was a pipeline construction management area and has been used for many things ever since.  Note:  We attended the annual "RVing to Alaska" boondocking rally on this site.  

There is a small creek winding through the valley to the east where we easily found wild water for washing or filtering that wasn’t too full of glacial silt. The creek to the west was much larger but was very silty.  This is dispersed camping, so there are no toilets, nor any electrical or water hook ups to speak of, so come with plenty of food and your solar powered system. Even on rainy days in July we still managed to top up our small solar powered system -- there’s just so much daylight during the summer. 

Hiking, biking or ATVing in the area is dealer’s choice (pick a destination, head toward it) and there are a multitude of two-track trails and places to explore. One cool hike went up to the toe of the Gulkana Glacier– follow the two-tracks upstream until you find a swinging bridge over the river, cross and keep making your way toward the glacier. 

Services and stores are either in Delta Junction, around 65 miles to the north, or Glenallen, around 90 miles to the south. For those with larger gas tank capacity continue to the Denali Hwy and continue your gravel road adventures.