Orange Hill & 
Bond Creek Area

MAPS: USGS Maps-Nabesna (A-4), (B-4) 1:63 360

ACCESS: Air Taxi

ROUTE: Access to the Orange Hill area is by air. It is generally not possible to cross either Jacksina Creek or the Nabesna River on foot. Boat access would be difficult at best due to the swift current of the Nabesna River. Gravel airstrips are located at Bond Creek and Orange Hill. The Orange Hill strip is approximately 600' long, but is subject to seasonal changes. Please check with park headquarters’ aviation staff before trying to land at this strip. The northern end has a soft spot and the southern end is subject to wind shears. A windsock is located midfield. The strip at Bond Creek is less than 1000' and is rocky. From Bond Creek it is a short but steep hike to the east point 6815. This high point affords a panoramic view of the entire area, including the Nabesna Gold Mine, Nabesna River, Nabesna Glacier, and Bond Creek. A public use cabin is available at Orange Hill.

There was some gold prospecting around Orange Hill at the beginning of the century. Prospectors staked numerous claims on California Creek which were noted by visiting USGS geologist Frank C. Schrader in 1902.

James Galen was among a small group of affiliated prospectors (which included Carl Whitham, who later developed the Nabesna Gold Mine) hired by Henry Bratnober to explore the Nabesna district in 1905-1906. His efforts must have been moderately successful, as mineral surveyor John Irving's 1907 manuscript map of the region shows Galen's claim group occupying Orange Hill.

The Alaska Nabesna Corporation (ANC), which later acquired the claims, erected two substantial log buildings at the site in the late-1920s. It also completed considerable exploration, including several open cuts, shafts, and tunnels. While the ANC failed to make a discovery that could be profitably developed at the time, it did locate a substantial copper-molybdenum deposit that attracted additional mining companies to the area in the 1960s.

Tractors were driven from Nabesna to Orange Hill in the 1960s, and remnants of their trail from Bond Creek to Orange Hill still remain. Except for the first mile, which is quite bushy, the route is easy to follow, winding its way over open tundra and through spruce forest to Orange Hill. Most of the mineral exploration activity was near the 6000' elevation level. To access this area, follow an old trail from the airstrip past Orange Hill. From point 3510, hike up the steep hill to the northwest. The hiking is easy near the bottom of the trail, becoming more difficult as you gain altitude.

Nearby Nikonda Creek canyon offers excellent exploring opportunities. The signs of minerals in the area are very evident. The entire valley is brilliant with color. Nikonda Creek is glacially fed, so water levels fluctuate constantly. Hiking the north creekbed is suggested. Use caution when crossing the creek.

Obtaining drinking water can be a problem. Bond Creek can be very silty. Draw water from the creek and let it settle, or boil the water to clarify it. In the Orange Hill area, water is available from the small tarns on the glacial moraine. The high mineral content in Nikonda Creek makes the water undrinkable.

FEATURES: Superb views of the Nabesna Glacier and surrounding snow capped Wrangell Mountains.

WILDLIFE: Moose and Dall sheep

	Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve 106.8 Richardson Highway, PO Box 439 Copper Center, AK 99573 (907) 822-5234 e-mail us: wrst_interpretation@nps.gov