Trail Guide Quartz Lake State Recreation Area

 

There are a number of hiking trails in the Quartz Lake State Recreation Area for visitors to experience and enjoy.

Quartz Lake Loop Trail is a 1.8 mile trail which starts at Quartz Lake campground, skirts the lake for a half mile, then climbs up the hill to the Glatfelder Cabin. The trail winds around the front of the cabin, goes over the hill and joins the Lost Lake Trail. The trail then follows the Lost Lake campground road to the loop intersection and returns directly to the Quartz Lake campground.

Lost Lake Trail starts at the Lost Lake campground, skirts Lost Lake, then continues along the spruce bog and ends at Moose Pond, which is 1.3 miles from Lost Lake campground.

Bluff Point Trail is a loop trail approximately three miles long. This trail branches off Lost Lake trail approximately a half mile from Lost Lake campground. The trail climbs the hill then loops around. There is a tenth of a mile diversion from the loop, which goes to Bluff Point, 1.6 miles from Lost Lake campground. After returning to the loop, the trail is moderately steep as it descends 0.2 miles to the Lost Lake trail and joins it 1.3 miles from Lost Lake campground.

Walk About Trail branches off from the Bluff Point Trail approximately a mile from Lost Lake campground. From the Bluff Point trail, this trail winds its way down a half mile to the Quartz Lake shoreline which it follows for 0.7 miles and connects to the Quartz Lake trail at Glatfelder Cabin.

Bert Mountain Trail is a rugged 1.7 mile trail which climbs the mountain. This trail ends near the top of Bert Mountain at a helicopter pad constructed by forest firefighters and is used for fire suppression.

Quartz Lake SRA Trail map

Points of Interest

Glatfelder Cabin - Mile 0.6 of the Quartz Lake Loop Trail-Charlie Glatfelder, a tool-and-die maker who had been in the Army, took a five-acre homestead, which included the little hill above Quartz Lake. He built and lived in the dugout that can still be seen there, then constructed the cabin in 1956. This cabin was reconstructed in 1998 and 1999.

Herschberger Mink Farm - Mile 0.5 of the Lost Lake Trail-The abandoned animal pens are all that remain on the ground today of the mink farm that once stood on the hill at Lost Lake. The Army used the area of the present trail system for maneuvers and bulldozed the cabin that once stood here.

The mink farm was started in 1930 by Emory Washington. Herschberger, a hardrock prospector, came to Alaska in 1908 from the gold fields of California and Oregon. Unfortunately, the mink farm was not a success and Herschberger and his wife went back to trapping on Shaw Creek.

Moose Pond - Mile 1.3 of the Lost Lake Trail-There are excellent opportunities for wildlife viewing here. This small, shallow lake provides habitat for moose, swans, geese, and ducks. Beavers and bears are known to frequent the Quartz Lake area also.

Bluff Point - Mile 1.6 on the Bluff Point Trail-This elevated site offers an outstanding panorama of the surrounding Shaw Creek Flats and of Moose Pond, as well as primitive camping - no fire rings, water or toilets. There is also a nearby, catalogued archaeological site, a camp of the local Athabascan people, the Tanana.

Bert Mountain - Mile 1.7 on the Bert Mountains Trail-The elevation of the trailhead is approximately 1050 feet, while the elevation of Bert Mountain is 1820 feet. This mountain is named after Bert Hanson, an early settler who owned and ran Hanson's Roadhouse, which was located on the Tanana River at the foot of the mountain in Hanson Hollow - also named after Bert Hanson.

Quartz Lake Road - The road into Quartz Lake began as a mushing trail traveled by Native Americans headed from Healy and other destinations on the Tanana. Trappers also made use of this route. Later, the Alaska Road Commission and the U.S. Army upgraded this trail to road status.

Safety in the Backcountry

In order to prevent incidents with the bears that roam the area around Quartz Lake, please observe these regulations:
1. Store all food, coolers, cooking paraphernalia, camp stoves, fishing gear, etc. in your vehicle overnight.
2. AVOID cleaning fish in your campsite.
3. Remove all trash from your campsite, including trash in the fire pits, and deposit in one of the dumpster's or barrels located at Quartz Lake and Lost Lake campgrounds.
4. Your dog is welcome in the State Recreation Area. However, for its own protection, it should be ON A LEASH at all times and under your control. Under no circumstances should it be allowed to roam free in bear country!

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