Tokositna Proposed Ski Area

Tokositna Proposed Ski Areas

1979

Name of Ski Area:	Tokositna Proposed Ski Areas
Location:	In Denali State Park, in the Tokositna River drainage on the northeast end of the Dutch Hills and on the south slopes of the Tokosha Mountains.
Type of Area:	Proposed downhill skiing area.
Dates of Operation:	Studied in 1979, but never built.
Who Built It?:	Never built.
Elevations:	See below.
Facilities:	A resort city covered by a teflon tent and named "McKinley City" was planned at one time.
History:	In 1979 the State of Alaska commissioned a Denali State Park Tokositna Skiing Feasibility Study. Sno-Engineering Inc. did a two phase analysis of ski area development and cost for this ski area in a road-less drainage at the southern base of the Alaska Range. Excerpts from the study documents are displayed below. During the Tokositna development review process alternate recreations sites were suggested, but not studied. These sites were: Curry Ridge, Byers Lake, Larson Lake & Mount Baldy (10 miles east of Talkeetna) and a site on the Chulitna River.
Sources of Information:	Bruce Talbot, State of Alaska Department of Natural Resources; Frank Norris "Crown Jewel of the North: An Administrative History of Denali National Park and Preserve, Volume I"

~ HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION ~

"Tokositna Development Planning and the "Domed City" Concept" Excerpts from pages 260 to 266 of Frank Norris' "Crown Jewel of the North: An Administrative History of Denali National Park and Preserve, Volume I" (Published 2006, National Park Service - public domain)

Page 260	Page 261	Page 262	Page 263
			[Page 266, on left] During the Tokositna Development Plan review process several alternate sites were suggested, but not studied. These sites were: Curry Ridge, Byers Lake, Larson Lake & Mount Baldy (10 miles east of Talkeetna) and a site on the Chulitna River.
Page 264	Page 265	Page 266

~ PHOTOS ~

View of McKinley that would stun those skiing at this proposed ski area.

~ MAPS ~

This is the regional overview map of where the Tokositna Ski Area would be located. (Click on any map to expand it)


This topo map shows the general locations of the proposed ski area sites. More detailed maps are below.

Proposed ski area sites at the north end of the Dutch Hills are shown above.	A ski area site to the north, on the south slopes of the Tokosha Mountains, was also studied.	Proposed locations of lifts for ski areas B and C are shown above.

Phase II of the study produced a very detailed map of the proposed ski resort.	Cross country ski trails were also proposed for the area around the Tokositna Ski Area.	Phase III of the study produced this Recreational Inventory Study map.

~ Document Excerpts ~

(Click on any page to expand it to a readable size)

Phase I cover page	Phase I intro	Phase I lift data	Phase I site compares

Phase II - cost estimates			Total cost: $15.4 million

Research Correspondence

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