Visitors and Alaskans alike flock to the Kenai Peninsula to enjoy the great outdoors, but most drive right past the Hope Highway turnoff at Mile 56.3 of the Seward Highway without knowing what they're missing. This 17-mile detour lets you explore the history of one of Alaska’s first gold-rush towns, try your hand at panning for gold, fish for pink salmon and enjoy an array of outdoor activities. It’s a great destination for families!

Currently home to fewer than 200 residents, the village once housed 3,000—all drawn by gold fever. In 1889, a few years before the Klondike gold rush began to lure people north, a miner discovered nuggets in nearby Resurrection Creek. Soon prospectors found gold in many area streams—including Bear, Sixmile, Canyon and Mills—triggering the 1890s Turnagain Arm gold rush. According to local lore, this growing community of tents and cabins chose to name their town after the youngest rusher to step off the next boat—17-year-old Percy Hope. Whether or not the story is true, the name certainly evokes the optimism of every prospector who arrived in Hope in search of a fortune.

Hope still exudes that vibe today—a friendly village with narrow lanes leading past old log buildings with a pastoral, laid-back atmosphere. During the 1964 Good Friday earthquake, part of the town was lost to the rising water-now a tidal meadow with camping on the fringe. The 100-year-old Hope Social Hall still stands, a weathered log cabin that hosts community meetings, dances, and weddings. The place is a great place for a stroll or a leisurely bike ride, with cafes, shops, a popular saloon with live music on summer weekends, and a way-cool museum featuring mining lore and the area’s heritage.