Information About

Thompson Pass

Quick Facts

Open in The Map Thompson Pass on The Map

Location

61 ° 7' 43" N,
145 ° 43' 46.999" W

Region

Valdez

Nearest City

Valdez

Parent

Chugach Mountains

Elevation

2678 ft (816.25 m)

Uses

Biking, Camping, Climbing, Day Hiking, Hiking, Kite Boarding, Kite Skiing, Mountain Biking, Paragliding, Rock Climbing, Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowmachining, Walking About

Fatalities

2

Tributaries

101 Wall, Republic of Boulder, The Sunny Side, Plow Truck, 43 Mile Chute, Aftermath, Bald Boy, Bro Bowl, Catchers Mitt, Cauliflowers, Cracked Ice, Crudbusters, Deep Crudbusters, Diamond, Disney World, DOT Face, Girls, Gun Barrels, Heavenly, Heiden View Face, Iguana Backs, Little Diamond, Little Girls, Little Odyssey, Lizard Head, Loveland Basin, Mega Sumo, Moonlight Basin, Nick's Happy Valley, North Odyssey, Promise Land, Python, Repeater Couloirs, RFS, Road Run, School Bus, Seal, Skate Park, Snatch, Spaghetti Chutes, Stairway, Three Pigs, Three Towers, Valley of the Tusk, Vertigo, Girls Mountain, Odessey, Acapulco, Berlin Wall, Elephant, Elephant Crud, F-Top, Goodwills, Happiness, Ivory Tusk, Little Matterhorn, Loveland Peak, Purple Nurple, Pyramid, Python, Repeater Peak, Sapphire, Super Bowl, The Tusk, Tones Temple, Total Crud, Twentyseven Mile Peak, Wilbur's, 40.5 Wall, Hippy Ridge, Sushi Bar, The Books, Little Odessey Trail, Thompson Pass Pipeline Access Road,

Thompson Pass in Detail.

Getting There

From Valdez drive 26 miles out the Richardson Highway. From Fairbanks drive about 334 miles south on the Richardson Highway. From Anchorage take the Glenn Highway until it T's with the Richardson Highway and drive about 90 miles south on the Richardson Highway.

About

Thompson Pass is an alpine pass through the Chugach Mountain between Glennallen and Valdez. Richardson Highway runs directly through the middle of the pass. The pass can be nerve racking to drive through in the right conditions at anytime of year. Spring through fall the pass can fill with thick clouds where driving visibility is only a few feet in front of your vehicle. In winter blizzards can hit the pass with the same level of visibility and heavy snow accumulation. DOT does a good job of keeping the highway open through the pass but it is possible for it to be closed for a time.

But when the visibility is great Thompson Pass is a playground at any time of year. Worthington Glacier is the largest summer attraction for those stopping in the pass. But the alpine surrounding the pass allows for limitless exploration and stunning views.

In winter people travel from around the world to ski, snowboard and snowmachine (snowmobile) Thompson Pass. The snow depth and quality is often par to qualify as some of the best on the planet.

Events

Thompson Pass host a number of events. One of the largest is Tailgate Alaska, others include Chugach Fat Bike Bash, Snowkite Festival, and the Mountain Man Hillclimb.

History

Naming: Named in 1898 by Captain Abercrombie, "in compliment to Hon Frank Thomson, of Pennsylvania." He spells the name "Thompson" on his map, and it stuck and stayed.

October 1898 H. L. Jaffa, mayor of Valdez, reported that Captain Abercrombie's surveying party has located the old Russian trail leading from Valdez to Copper Center. The trail was established over fifty years ago, but it has been lost for several years. The trail avoids the Valdez Glacier. Also, a military post and reservation had been established at Valdez, with Captain Abercrombie in command.

Fatalities

On April 18, 2009, 1 person died while snowmachining. Read More

On April 17, 2009, 1 person died while skiing. Read More

Thompson Pass Gallery

Pictures of, from, or near Thompson Pass.

Topo Maps

Valdez (1952), Valdez (1952), Valdez (1952), Valdez (1952), Valdez A-5 (1953), Valdez A-5 (1953), Valdez A-5 (1953), Valdez A-5 (1953), Valdez A-5 (1953), Valdez (1960), Valdez (1960), Valdez (1960), Valdez (1960), Valdez (1960), Valdez (1960), Valdez A-5 NW (2016),
Birds Sighted Here

Sorted by Most Common to Least Common Viewings

Buff-bellied Pipit, Lapland Longspur, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Common Redpoll, Common Raven, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Rock Ptarmigan, Herring Gull, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, White-crowned Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Black-billed Magpie, Willow Ptarmigan, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Mallard, Semipalmated Plover, Bald Eagle, Black-capped Chickadee, Northern Wheatear, Orange-crowned Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, American Wigeon, Surf Scoter, Wilson's Snipe, Common Gull, Common Loon, Golden Eagle, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Merlin, Alder Flycatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Townsend's Solitaire

Related Places
Little Odessey Trail, Thompson Pass Pipeline Access Road,
Places Near Thompson Pass
Cities:

Ptarmigan, Wortmanns,

Crags:

101 Wall, Blueberry Block, Republic of Boulder, The Sunny Side,

Flats:

Dutch Flat,

Glaciers:

Bench Glacier, Deserted Glacier, Don Glacier, DOT Glacier, Glacier G214019E61092N, Glacier G214070E61096N, Glacier G214099E61139N, Glacier G214117E61192N, Glacier G214132E60990N, Glacier G214139E61173N, Glacier G214148E60959N, Glacier G214151E61165N, Glacier G214161E60914N, Glacier G214161E61234N, Glacier G214175E61036N, Glacier G214177E61238N, Glacier G214183E60923N, Glacier G214183E61143N, Glacier G214185E61341N, Glacier G214188E61150N, Glacier G214191E61237N, Glacier G214199E61016N, Glacier G214210E61229N, Glacier G214214E61240N, Glacier G214222E60989N, Glacier G214247E61202N, Glacier G214252E61197N, Glacier G214304E61253N, Glacier G214314E61049N, Glacier G214320E61230N, Glacier G214324E61260N, Glacier G214328E60976N, Glacier G214334E60964N, Glacier G214344E60960N, Glacier G214354E60949N, Glacier G214367E61057N, Glacier G214372E61254N, Glacier G214388E61269N, Glacier G214425E61262N, Glacier G214428E61155N, Glacier G214430E61162N, Glacier G214432E61145N, Glacier G214486E61259N, Heiden Glacier, Hoodoo Glacier, Keystone Glacier, Marshall Glacier, Scorpion Glacier, Sheep Creek Glacier, Tasnuna Glacier, The Beach, Tonsina Glacier, Tsina Glacier, Twentyseven Mile Glacier, Worthington Glacier, Wortmanns Glacier,

Routes:

Angel, Bridal Veil Falls (Ice Climb), Cidersicle, Crystal Visions, Dire Straits, Fang Gully, Fast Friends, Fishing for Fools, Flying Cloud, Foolagain, Glass Onion, Greensteps, Hanging Tree Left, Hanging Tree Right, Horsetail Falls (Ice Climb), Hung Jury, Jaws Wall, Mud Slide, My Three Rats, Oil Slick, Popsicle Pillar, POS, Secret Journey, Simple Twist of Fate, Ski Race, Spring Loaded, Stem City, The Bight, Tokyo Express, Tsuri Gane,

Lakes:

Blueberry Lake, Thompson Lake, Trap Lake, Worthington Lake,

Locales:

19 Mile Wall, Bald Boy, Bro Bowl, Catchers Mitt, Cracked Ice, DOT Face, Fracture Canyon, Girls, Heavenly, Heiden View Face, Little Girls, Little Odyssey, Loveland Basin, Mega Sumo, Moonlight Basin, Nick's Happy Valley, North Odyssey, Python, RFS, Road Run, School Bus, Skate Park, Snatch, Stairway, Valley of the Tusk, Vertigo,

Mountains:

Girls Mountain, The Island, Odessey,

Parks:

Blueberry Lake State Recreation Site,

Mountain Passes:

Ptarmigan Drop, Thompson Pass,

Peaks:

Acapulco, Berlin Wall, Bronto, Cracked Ice, F-Top, Goodwills, Halibut Head, Ivory Tusk, Little Matterhorn, Loveland Peak, Python, Repeater Peak, RFS, Rhinestone Cowgirl, Sapphire, Stairway, Stone Mountain, The Tusk, Tones Temple, Twentyseven Mile Peak, Whistlers Mother,

Ridges:

Sushi Bar, The Books,

Routes:

300 Days of Sunshine and Attitude, 5 Star Everything, 919, Afternoon Shadow Boxing, Anchor Man, Another Foolish Route, Artic Oven Lovin, Babar Yoga, Backflip Bum, Balaclava Joy, Bio-Dome, Blueberry Crack , Bluebies, Casa Bonita, Chain Letters From the Dalai Lama, Chain Letters to the Dalai Lama, Curry Popcorn, E-Talk the Talk, Elitist's Overcompensation, Entrepreneur, Ewok the Walk, Find The Cure, Fixe Fixie, Flatirons, Follow the Medallion, Game On!, Gingerade, Grandma's Barley Soup, Happy Rosh Hashana, Honey Badger, Hunka Munka, I Got A Fever of 5.7, I Love Lamp, Kombucha Crack, Last Train to Chossville, Learning Center for Ants, Love Bubble, Lucky Number Fifty-Sleven, McCarthy Bus Lane, McSchmiggens, Mecha Streisand, Meet You at the Station, Mimosa Morning, My Subaru Loves the Environment, Neptune, North Slope, Northurn Lights Delight, On The Grid, Organic, Party on Garth, Party on Wayne, Philanthroparian, Pika's Penthouse, Pika's Playhouse, Ping Pong Madness, S.K.K., Salami Heist, Saturday Night Fever, Scouts Honor, Sharp End, Six Figure Bums, Snot a Rocket, South Park, Steave's Goalie, Steve's Tanker, Stoken the Stove, Sway Penny Yoga, Talons, Thursday Night Cruiser, Tibetan Prayer Flags Made in China, Trustafarian (Rasta With a Trust Fund), Unknown, Unknown 3, Valet at the Movement, What Would Squeak Do?, Yippie (Yuppie Hippie),

Streams:

Bear Creek, Bench Creek, Browns Creek, Cascade Creek, Glacier Creek, Heiden Creek, Ptarmigan Creek, Sheep Creek, Small Creek, Wortmanns Creek,

Routes:

Browns Creek Trail, DOT Glacier Trail, Little Odessey Trail, Pack Trail of 1899, Thompson Pass Pipeline Access Road, Trans-Alaska Trail - Valdez to Thompson Pass, Tsina River Trail, Worthington Glacier Ridge Trail,

Valleys:

Browns Basin, Heiden Canyon, Keystone Canyon, Snowslide Gulch,

Waterfalls:

Bridal Veil Falls, Horsetail Falls, Rudleston Falls,

Related Articles
Snowboarding Thompson Pass
+
Snowboarding Thompson Pass

Life's to short to put off seeing the world. Year after year had gone by and the stories of all the snow and terrain Alaska had to offer only built up. It was time to check it out and experience it for myself. I'd booked my flight and I was on my way to one of the snowiest places in North American. We were Alaska bound departing from the Pacific Northwest.

by Mike Gray
Thompson Pass Ski Map and other routes
+
Thompson Pass Ski Map and other routes

New Check out our interactive map of Thompson Pass for easy navigation.

by Zachary Sheldon
Something for Everyone on the Valdez Pack Trail of 1899
+
Something for Everyone on the Valdez Pack Trail of 1899

The Valdez Trail of 1899 is a gem, but I only rarely see other people on it. It takes you through a series of different ecosystems from mossy forest to alpine tundra. The trail is generally kept in very good shape, with just one real muddy spot towards the southern end. It also has historic significance. It follows the pack trail the Army Corps of Engineers built between 1899 and 1901 between the ocean and the interior. There are four trailheads along the Richardson Highway: at 12 mile, 14 mile, 20 mile, and 26 mile, giving hikers a range of options. Technically, the southern end is the "Pack Trail of 1899" and the northern end is the "Wagon Road of 1898," but it all feels like one trail to me.

by Allison Sayer