Alaska trails · Swanson River Canoe Trail
Swanson River Canoe Trail
A 48.1-mile network in Alaska, with 168 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 — 62% of the ascent, between mile 32.1 and mile 48.1. It gives back about 473 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)
- Kuviak Lake (lake)
- Woods Lake (lake)
- Red Squirrel Lake (lake)
- Pan Lake (lake)
- Junco Lake (lake)
- Lost Lake (lake)
- Gene Lake (lake)
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:57 a.m., the sun rises at 8:40 a.m. and sets at 6:54 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:37 p.m. (AKDT) — 10 h 14 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 48.1-mile route works out to roughly 17 h 55 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 — 6.9 mi
- Skyline Traverse Trail — 23.8 mi
- Resurrection Pass Trail — 26.5 mi