Tips/Special Features
The northern portion of this unit is rarely visited, yet it still provides many opportunities to see all the major species of park wildlife. Reaching this unit typically requires a crossing of the Teklanika River and a steep climb up a brushy hillside for at least 2-3 hours. The river crossing can be avoided, but the tradeoff is a 4 mile hike north along the Teklanika River from the west side of the Teklanika Park Road Bridge. The fall color displays in this area are usually spectacular in late August.
Access
It is a one and a half hour bus ride to this area. The most direct access to the unit is to get off the bus where the Park Road first starts paralleling the Teklanika River (between Mile 25 and 26) and cross the river where it is well braided. You also could get off on the west side of the Teklanika River Bridge and hike 4 miles north along the flat river bar.
Routes/Hiking Corridors
Despite the river crossing and difficult approach to this unit, there are some surprisingly good opportunities for loop hikes. It is best to have at least 2-3 nights in this area due to its size and difficult terrain.
Between Miles 25 and 26, drop down to the gravel bar and cross the river where it is most braided. Once on the west side of the river, you can camp in the spruce forest or ascend to the major ridge that separates the Teklanika and Sushana drainages. The best way to access the ridge is to ascend an arm of the ridge, not the stream drainages. The drainages are choked with thick alder and willow which make travel painfully slow and frustrating. The ridges farther to the north have shorter sections of forest and brush, but are much steeper.