Chickaloon (Nay'dini'aa Na')

The feel

Nay'dini'aa Na' is Ahtna for "the river with the two logs across it". The Ahtna Athabascan Tribe has occupied this area for the past 10,000 years, and it sits about a 90-minute drive from Anchorage along the Glenn Highway, Scenic Byway.

Coal changed the place. Survey crews began mapping the Matanuska coal fields in 1898, and the first shipment of coal from Chickaloon left on October 30, 1917. Mining costs ran higher than expected and all the mines in the Matanuska Watershed eventually shut down. The Glenn Highway was completed in 1945, and the Chickaloon Village Traditional Council, re-established in 1973, works to perpetuate the Ahtna language and culture.

What to expect

What it is

The traditional home of the Ahtna Athabascan Chickaloon Native Village and a former railroad coal town on the Glenn Highway.

Mingo says

Treat this as a history stop. The story here is coal, rail and a village that outlasted both.

Before you go

• Call the Chickaloon Village at (907) 745-0749 before you plan a visit.
• Allow about 90 minutes from Anchorage along the Glenn Highway.
• Check chickaloon-nsn.gov for current village information.

Written October 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page.