Eska Creek Falls: One of the highest trailside waterfalls in Alaska
If you like waterfalls, it’s well worth making the trek out to Eska Creek Falls at least once. You might find yourself sharing the first part of the trail with mountain bikers swooping joyfully along the carefully constructed singletrack trails, and you may encounter ATV riders in the main valley. But hikers are allowed, other trail users are generally respectful, and the falls are absolutely beautiful.
I’ve never camped here, but it looks like a great backpacking destination to me.
This is hike 1 in by guidebook Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska.
Round Trip: 8.3 miles | Nearest community: Sutton |
Elevation gain: 2,096 feet | Typical season: May to October |
Parking fee: No fee | Nearby trails: Lion’s Head, Gunsight Mountain |
Eska Falls Trailhead Directions
From Anchorage, drive northeast on the Glenn Highway to the small town of Sutton (approximately 55 miles). Turn left onto Jonesville Mine Road, which soon becomes rough gravel. Follow the small brown “hiker” signs (when in doubt, look to the left) to reach the trailhead. Please respect signed private property.
The road that leads to the trailhead is quite rough so, depending on how much ground clearance your vehicle has, you might need to park partway there and walk (or bike) the rest of the distance. Parking off the road at mile 2.5 Jonesville Mine Road (where it turns to gravel) adds about 1.75 miles to the trip each way, and please make sure you don’t block the roadway for others.
Hiking Eska Creek Falls
Finding the trailhead parking may just be the most difficult part of this hike. Once you’ve found it, it’s another 1,000 feet or so down the rough gravel road to the actual trailhead: A tiny cul-de-sac off a leftward fork in the road, marked with a small brown sign.
The rest of the trail is very straightforward, starting on a clear footpath that crosses a couple of small bridges before hitting a high point about 1.4 miles in, with great views of the Matanuska Valley and Eska Peak. From there, the trail is mostly swooping singletrack that must be great fun to bike. You can already hear Eska Creek Falls at this point, but you won’t see it for a while yet.
At about 2.75 miles from the trailhead, you’ll hit a T intersection; turn right to stay on the trail. At about 2.9 miles you’ll pass another intersection (continue straight ahead/”leftish” to stay on the trail). This is a good place to stop and look behind you, so you can be sure of how to get back.
That same point is also where the valley starts to open up, giving you clear views of Eska Creek Falls at the heads of the valley, although you still have more than a mile to go to reach it. Those with good balance (and good shoes for traction on wet surfaces) can tiptoe very close to the base of Eska Creek Falls, which is surely one of the highest trailside waterfalls you can reach in the state.