Exploring the Quirky Charms of Chicken Alaska

Prior to the 1896 Klondike Gold Rush, when tens of thousands of people made their way to the Klondike River outside of Dawson City, there was an outpost of about 700 miners. On a river 110 miles from Dawson City, these miners spent their days extracting gold from the local streams, long before the stampede to the Klondike. In 1902, the U.S. Post Office agreed to the area having mail delivery, but first they needed a name.

The miners got together one evening and decided to name their community "Ptarmigan," after the abundance of those birds in the area. However, they couldn't reach a consensus on how to spell the name of the bird, so after much discussion, they adjourned the meeting and named the town Chicken instead.

According to the 2020 census, Chicken, Alaska has a year round population of 10, up from seven in the 2010 census. You could be forgiven for thinking that there isn't much to see or do in Chicken. However, the area boasts a rich history, beauty, and Alaskan spirit. It was the rugged, frontier spirit that built this outpost originally consisting of a saloon, post office and dining/grocery store, and it is that same frontier spirit that keeps this quirky community alive with gold panning, site-seeing and one raucous musical festival in July called Chickenstock.

Many people arrive at Chicken after traveling the Top of the World Highway from Dawson City to Tok. Situated in between the two towns, Chicken is a perfect spot to spend a couple of days before catching the ferry across the Yukon River. Ferries are large enough to hold greyhound buses, so there is no problem with RVs. After leaving Chicken, the road transitions from paved to hard gravel. The Top of the World Highway is 78 miles long and stretches between Alaska and the Yukon.

Traveling above the tree line, the views of Alaska stretch out before you like a perfectly plated platter, offering miles of uncompromising vistas.

A stay in Chicken, either before or after traveling Top of the World, will be a memorable experience in your Alaskan travels. The Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost is the place to park your RV for a night or two. They have a campground of 20 acres with electric and dry sites, tent sites with weatherport and single bed platforms, five cabins and a two-bedroom apartment. There is a coin-operated shower house, free wi-fi and free grey water and sani-dumping. Tables and fire rings, and a large pavilion with a barbecue for groups, will have you telling tales around the campfire as you enjoy woodfire pizza and an Alaskan micro brew from the Chicken Creek Outpost. The Outpost houses a cafe, espresso, and gift shop where you can purchase official Chicken, Alaska gear and handmade Alaskan items.

If you would like to try your hand at gold prospecting, the Gold Camp has all the equipment you will need. For a daily fee they allow panning, metal detectors, hand sluices, small suction dredges, and high bankers on most of their claims. They also provide equipment rental and transportation to the claims. The claims have produced a good amount of gold, with some guests finding nuggets from one to three ounces. Of course, most guests just enjoy the adventure of prospecting, whether or not they find gold.

Besides prospecting, guests can enjoy hiking, wildlife viewing and tours to Chicken historical sites including the Pedro gold dredge, which mined 55,000 ounces of gold out of Chicken Creek from 1959 to 1967. This is the most complete bucket line gold dredge open to the public in North America.

During the summer, this area of Alaska has an eclectic population of travelers from all over the world, retirees in RVs, miners and trappers, outdoor adventure enthusiasts and artists and photographers. They all converge on this historical outpost to find their piece of Alaska, whether that is in a gold nugget, the awe-inspiring beauty or time spent with friends around a campfire. Chicken, Alaska offers travelers the opportunity to find the frontier spirit, whatever that may be.

For more information visit: chickengold.com