Nelchina Public Use Area
Managed by Alaska Department of Natural Resources
58,891 acres10.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
–Not graded
Outdoors in Mendeltna
More than half of Mendeltna’s land is conserved: 98%
98% of Mendeltna’s land is conserved, about 281,336 acres. The biggest trail networks: Nelchina Public Use Area (10.2 mi). 57,654 acres are parks and preserves, 1,406,183 per 1,000 residents.
Conserved land
98%
281,336 acres · of 450.9 sq mi of land
Trails
16 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
57,654 ac
1,406,183 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
10
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 Nelchina Public Use Area, with 10.2 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Who protects it
281,336 conserved acres
98% of Mendeltna’s land. Who manages Mendeltna’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources278,843 ac
Bureau of Land Management2,745 ac
State Other or Unknown · 221,868 acState Recreation Area · 56,975 acNational Public Lands · 2,745 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 4 of 6 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Patented State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 119,903 | Unknown |
| State Tentatively Approved (tad) State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 79,638 | Unknown |
| Nelchina Public Use Area State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 56,975 | Open |
| State Land Disposals - Other Than Municipal State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 22,327 | Unknown |
| Glennallen Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 2,745 | Open |
Things to do
3 places to go in Mendeltna
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Fishing spots in Mendeltna
Trails & water
10 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
When to get out
The best walking months in Mendeltna: June to 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) | 6.0 | 8.7 | 11.5 | 14.7 | 17.7 | 19.7 | 18.8 | 16.0 | 12.8 | 9.8 | 6.9 | 5.1 |
| High (°F) | 5 | 16 | 27 | 43 | 56 | 66 | 69 | 63 | 53 | 35 | 16 | 5 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 1.8 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
April is the driest month (0.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 69 °F). 2.4 inches fall in July, the wettest month. The climate in Mendeltna →
Next door
Mendeltna and its neighbors
Mendeltna has the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mendeltna | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Nelchina | — 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 Mendeltna
Where can I hike in Mendeltna?
The longest trail networks: Nelchina Public Use Area, 10.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
Are dogs allowed on Mendeltna’s trails?
Nelchina Public Use Area doesn’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Mendeltna?
277,012 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mendeltna or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 60,406 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Mendeltna 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 →