Alaska trails · Swanson River Canoe Trail
Swanson River Canoe Trail
A 43.1-mile network in Alaska, with 186 ft of climbing. Reaches Redpoll Lake and other lake destinations. Managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 78% of the ascent, between mile 41.5 and mile 62.2. It gives back about 395 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Redpoll Lake (lake)
- Hat Lake (lake)
- Lonely Lake (lake)
- Pan Lake (lake)
- Gene Lake (lake)
- Campers Lake (lake)
- Paddle Lake (lake)
- Ilerum Lake (lake)
- Lure Lake (lake)
- Pepper Lake (lake)
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:05 a.m., the sun rises at 6:52 a.m. and sets at 9:10 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 9:57 p.m. (AKDT) — 14 h 18 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 43.1-mile route works out to roughly 16 h 04 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Nearby trails
- Swan Lake Canoe Trail — 10.5 mi
- Skyline Traverse Trail — 23.8 mi
- Resurrection Pass Trail — 26.5 mi