Easiest from Cozihaus on Blodgett Lake
Skeetawk Ski Area
Skeetawk is a nonprofit, volunteer-built ski area in Hatcher Pass, developed and run by Hatcher Alpine Xperience since 2015 on a 40-year lease with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough. It's a genuinely local operation — one beginner chairlift, a small base facility, and a mission built around safe outdoor recreation and education rather than a resort experience. In winter it's a real, if modest, ski hill; in summer the same site opens up as a weekend café stop and a jumping-off point into the rest of Hatcher Pass.
Who this suits
Families and beginners wanting an approachable, low-key ski or ride day in winter; anyone curious about a genuinely community-built Alaska ski area; a weekend café stop or trail access point in summer. Not the pick for expert terrain or a full resort experience — see April Bowl or Reed Lakes Trail for real backcountry-style hiking instead.
A plan that works
- In winter, treat it as a relaxed, beginner-friendly ski or ride day — one chairlift and marked lift-zone terrain, plus on-site lessons, rather than a big resort.
- In summer, check Skeetawk's own site for current weekend Yurt Café hours before heading up — it isn't open daily.
- If backcountry travel beyond the lift zone is the goal, know the difference: only the marked lift-zone terrain is patrolled and avalanche-mitigated. Everything outside it is open to the public but unpatrolled.
- Pair a stop here with Independence Mine or Summit Lake on the same Hatcher Pass day — it sits lower in the pass, on the way up.
Plan your visit
Check Skeetawk's own site for current hours, lift status, and events before you go.
Drive and timing, honestly
- Skeetawk sits around Mile 11 of the Palmer-Fishhook Road in Hatcher Pass, lower in the pass than Independence Mine, Summit Lake, or April Bowl.
- No drive time is stated from either property — none has been measured.
What we won’t promise
- We cannot promise current lift, lesson, or rental availability — check Skeetawk's own site before planning a ski day around it.
- We cannot promise the Yurt Café or summer events are running on your exact dates — these are weekend/seasonal operations.
- We cannot promise avalanche mitigation, patrol, or marked conditions anywhere outside the ski area's own lift-zone boundary.
- We cannot promise winter road conditions to reach it — Hatcher Pass Road access varies with snow and season.
Practical notes
- Skeetawk is run by Hatcher Alpine Xperience (HAX), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, on a 40-year lease with the Matanuska-Susitna Borough — a community-built and volunteer-supported ski area, not a commercial resort.
- Winter: one beginner-oriented chairlift (about 1,250 feet long, 300 feet of vertical) accessing roughly 30 skiable acres, plus ski/snowboard and adaptive lessons and avalanche safety courses.
- Summer: the Yurt Café operates weekends, alongside community events and access to summer hiking trails on-site.
- Backcountry access beyond the marked lift zone is open to the public but unpatrolled and not avalanche-mitigated — check the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center for current conditions, and note uphill travel is not permitted inside the operational lift-zone boundary.
Local context
Around Hatcher Pass
Where Skeetawk Ski Area sits within Hatcher Pass — open any of the mapped places directly, or explore more of the area below.
Choose a place to view on the map
Explore Hatcher Pass experiences
- Reed Lakes Trailstrenuous · Flexible: one hour to a full day
- Summit Lake at Hatcher Passeasy · A short, easy stop within a Hatcher Pass day
- April Bowlmoderate · A few hours · a real hike, not a casual stop
- Skeetawk Ski AreaFlexible · a winter ski stop or a summer café/trail stop
- Gold Cord Lakemoderate · 1 to 2 hours · short alpine payoff
- Gold Mint Trailstrenuous · Flexible · any point is a legitimate turnaround