Tanana Valley State Forest
Managed by Alaska Department of Natural Resources
8,186 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
–Not graded
Outdoors in Mentasta Lake
More than half of Mentasta Lake’s land is conserved: 53%
53% of Mentasta Lake’s land is conserved, about 101,188 acres. 8.4 miles of mapped trail cross Mentasta Lake.
Conserved land
53%
101,188 acres · of 300.7 sq mi of land
Trails
8.4 mi
0.0 per sq mi of land
Near a park
under 1%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
9
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.
Who protects it
101,188 conserved acres
53% of Mentasta Lake’s land. Who manages Mentasta Lake’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources72,549 ac
Bureau of Land Management28,639 ac
State Other or Unknown · 64,445 acNational Public Lands · 28,639 acState Resource Management Area · 8,104 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 3 of 5 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 | 63,985 | Unknown |
| Glennallen Field Office National Public Lands | Bureau of Land Management | 28,639 | Open |
| Tanana Valley State Forest State Resource Management Area | State natural resources | 8,104 | Open |
| State Land Disposals - Other Than Municipal State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 460 | Unknown |
Things to do
4 places to go in Mentasta Lake
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Mentasta Lake
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Mentasta Lake
3 peaks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Trails & water
9 lakes & rivers
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
1Baseball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
Next door
Mentasta Lake and its neighbors
Mentasta Lake 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mentasta Lake | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Slana | — 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 Mentasta Lake
Are dogs allowed on Mentasta 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 Mentasta Lake?
246,680 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Mentasta Lake or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 42,587 of them inside the town line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Mentasta 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 →