Getting Oriented
The White Mountains National Recreation Area covers roughly one million acres of BLM land north of Fairbanks, bounded by the Steese Highway to the east and the Elliott Highway to the west. The Eastern Interior Field Office manages the area from Fairbanks, about an hour's drive south of the trailheads. Summer access runs through the Nome Creek valley. Turn off the Steese Highway at milepost 57 onto US Creek Road, follow it seven miles to Nome Creek Road, then continue in to reach the campgrounds and trailheads. The gravel road is bumpy in places but passable for standard highway vehicles.
Trail Overview
Two areas draw most of the summer OHV traffic. The Nome Creek tailings, a stretch of old gold-dredge ground near the campgrounds, offers open, flat riding with room to spread out. The Quartz Creek Trail runs about 16 miles from a trailhead four miles past the Nome Creek bridge, climbing out of spruce forest into alpine tundra along a series of ridgelines, with several stream crossings and some steep grades along the way. Most of the network limits vehicles to 1,000 pounds curb weight and 50 inches wide; the Nome Creek tailings area allows larger machines, up to 1,500 pounds and 64 inches wide. Vehicles have to stay on designated routes outside the areas open to cross-country travel; non-motorized users can go off-trail anywhere in the NRA. The BLM closes Quartz Creek Trail and three other routes to motorized use from May 1 through June 15 each year while the ground thaws, to keep tires off wet tundra; hikers can still use them during the closure. Summer OHV season runs May 1 through October 14. Check the BLM's White Mountains trail-update page before a trip, since short-term closures for trail work or construction come up during the season.
Points of Interest
- Nome Creek gold-panning area. Recreational panning is allowed in the tailings near the campgrounds.
- Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River. A Class I float with a few short Class II sections, launched most often from Ophir Creek Campground; boat motors are capped at 15 horsepower. BLM has flagged a hazardous new channel on the upper river; check the current advisory before floating.
- Fred Blixt Cabin and Lee's Cabin. Two of the area's public-use cabins that stay reachable through the summer, when most of the network's other cabins are harder to reach.
Where to Camp
Three campgrounds run late May through the first snow in October: Cripple Creek, Mount Prindle, and Ophir Creek, each with vault toilets and a nightly fee in the $12 to $24 range. Dispersed camping is free and unpermitted outside the developed sites, capped at 10 days, and off-limits inside the area's three Research Natural Areas. Public-use cabins can be reserved up to 45 days out through Recreation.gov, around $42 a night; the two trail shelters are first-come, first-served.
Tips for a Safe and Enjoyable Trip
- Alaska requires OHV registration through the state DMV for use on public land. Bring the paperwork.
- No BLM permit is required for personal recreational riding. Commercial guides need a Special Recreation Permit.
- The spring closure (May 1 to June 15) hits Quartz Creek Trail along with three other routes. Call the Eastern Interior Field Office at 907-474-2200 or check the trail-update page if your trip falls near those dates.
- Stream crossings on Quartz Creek Trail can run high and fast after rain.
- Black and grizzly bears use the drainages. Store food properly at camp.
Fuel and Water
No fuel, food, or potable water past the Steese Highway. Fairbanks has the last gas and supplies, about an hour south of the Nome Creek turnoff. A few campgrounds have hand-pump wells; treat the water before drinking it.
Nearby
Beaver Creek Wild and Scenic River. The Steese National Conservation Area sits along the same highway further north, with the Pinnell Mountain National Recreation Trail. Fairbanks has the nearest full services.
