Tanana Valley State Forest
Managed by Alaska Department of Natural Resources
89,877 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Harding-Birch Lakes
More than half of Harding-Birch Lakes’ land is conserved: 89%
89% of Harding-Birch Lakes’ land is conserved, about 122,526 acres. 169 acres are parks and preserves, 609 per 1,000 residents. 6.5 miles of mapped trail cross Harding-Birch Lakes.
Conserved land
89%
122,526 acres · of 214.2 sq mi of land
Trails
6.5 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
169 ac
609 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
31%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
5
2 boat launches
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Harding Lake State Recreation Area
Managed by State of Alaska, Dept. of Natural Resources
165 acres0.1 mi of trail
Salcha Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Who protects it
122,526 conserved acres
89% of Harding-Birch Lakes’ land. Water is left out: Harding-Birch Lakes has 214.2 square miles of land and 17.1 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Harding-Birch Lakes’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources122,526 ac
State Resource Management Area · 89,878 acState Other or Unknown · 32,647 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 5 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanana Valley State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 89,878 | Open |
| State Land Disposals - Municipal Purposes State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 14,516 | Unknown |
| State Patented State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 13,446 | Unknown |
| State Tentatively Approved (tad) State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 3,050 | Unknown |
| State Land Disposals - Other Than Municipal State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 1,636 | Unknown |
Things to do
7 places to go in Harding-Birch Lakes
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Boat launches in Harding-Birch Lakes
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Fishing spots in Harding-Birch Lakes
Little Harding Lake
DirectionsScenic views in Harding-Birch Lakes
3 scenic views without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Harding-Birch Lakes
Harding Lake CampgroundFee · In Harding Lake State Recreation Area · State of Alaska, Dept. of Natural Resources
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 5 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Old Valdez Trail2.4 mi
Salcha Trail2.1 mi
Winter Trail2.0 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Harding-Birch Lakes: May, June and August
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) | 5.2 | 8.4 | 11.5 | 15.0 | 18.4 | 21.2 | 19.9 | 16.4 | 12.9 | 9.5 | 6.2 | 4.1 |
| High (°F) | 6 | 16 | 27 | 48 | 63 | 73 | 74 | 67 | 56 | 34 | 15 | 10 |
| Rain (in) | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.5 |
April is the driest month (0.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 74 °F). 2.8 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Harding-Birch Lakes →
Next door
Harding-Birch Lakes and its neighbors
Harding-Birch Lakes has the second most mapped trails of the 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harding-Birch Lakes | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Salcha | — 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 Harding-Birch Lakes
Where can I hike in Harding-Birch Lakes?
The longest trail networks: Harding Lake State Recreation Area, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Harding-Birch Lakes’ trails?
Tanana Valley State Forest and Harding Lake State Recreation Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Harding-Birch Lakes?
199,732 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Harding-Birch Lakes or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 91,057 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Harding-Birch Lakes 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 →