Hope Historic District

The feel

Hope sits where Resurrection Creek empties into Turnagain Arm, at the end of the road. The district covers 15 acres and holds 29 historic buildings from the turn of the 20th century to the 1940s. Because the town was isolated and the Seward Highway was not completed until 1951, many early buildings survive, which makes Hope the best preserved gold rush community in South-central Alaska.

In the boom years Hope had two general stores, two saloons, a brewery, a pool hall and a hotel. The C Street area and parts of B Street are now submerged at high tide.

What to expect

What it is

A National Register of Historic Places district, listed in 1972, at Mile 17 Hope Road. Hope is 90 miles south of Anchorage.

Crowds and best time

The museum is open Memorial Day to Labor Day, 12 to 4.

Hazards

The C Street area and parts of B Street are submerged at high tide.

Season and access

The Hope and Sunrise Historical and Mining Museum at 64851 Second Street is open Memorial Day to Labor Day.

Mingo says

Visit in summer so you can go inside the museum as well as walk the streets. Check the tide before you wander the low streets near the water.

Before you go

• Call (907) 344-0060 for local information.
• The museum at 64851 Second Street is open 12 to 4, from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• Hope is 90 miles south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula.
• The museum grounds hold three gold mine buildings, an early Forest Service building, Hope's oldest schoolhouse, a Quonset hut and a second Forest Service guard station.

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