Nancy Lake State Recreation Area

Nancy Lake State Recreation Area in Alaska’s Susitna Valley was created in 1966 as a largely undeveloped landscape of lakes, wetlands, and forest shaped by retreating glaciers about 9,000 years ago. Long before later Russian-American exploration and non-Native settlement, the area was used for hunting and fishing by the Tanaina people and possibly others, with Paleo-Arctic sites in the region dating back thousands of years. The park includes 131 lakes, canoe routes, campgrounds, cabins, winter trails, and important wildlife habitat. Protected in part by wet ground and limited development, it remains a major recreation destination centered on water, fishing, and backcountry travel.

Willow, Alaska · United States