Tanana Valley State Forest
Managed by Alaska Department of Natural Resources
10,883 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Dot Lake
More than half of Dot Lake’s land is conserved: 64%
64% of Dot Lake’s land is conserved, about 120,016 acres. 1.8 miles of mapped trail cross Dot Lake.
Conserved land
64%
120,016 acres · of 295.0 sq mi of land
Trails
1.8 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
4
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Tanana Valley State Forest, with 0.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
120,016 conserved acres
64% of Dot Lake’s land. Who manages Dot Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources120,016 ac
State Other or Unknown · 109,110 acState Resource Management Area · 10,906 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 4 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Tentatively Approved (tad) State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 79,165 | Unknown |
| State Patented State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 25,223 | Unknown |
| Tanana Valley State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 10,906 | Open |
| State Land Disposals - Other Than Municipal State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 4,722 | Unknown |
Trails & water
4 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
May is the best month for walking in Dot Lake
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 5.5 | 8.5 | 11.5 | 14.9 | 18.1 | 20.6 | 19.5 | 16.2 | 12.8 | 9.6 | 6.4 | 4.5 |
| High (°F) | 1 | 11 | 25 | 45 | 59 | 70 | 72 | 66 | 53 | 33 | 11 | 3 |
| Rain (in) | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.7 |
February is the driest month (0.4 in) and July the warmest (highs of 72 °F). 3.0 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Dot Lake →
Next door
Dot Lake and its neighbors
Dot Lake has the second most mapped trails of the 3 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dot Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Dry Creek | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Dot Lake Village | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Dot Lake
Where can I hike in Dot Lake?
The longest trail networks: Tanana Valley State Forest, 0.3 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Dot Lake’s trails?
Tanana Valley State Forest doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Dot Lake?
239,461 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Dot Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 12,016 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Dot Lake neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →