61 ° 3' 29.002" N,
145 ° 54' 50" W
Valdez-Cordova (CA)
305 ft (92.96 m)
Ice Climbing, Mixed Climbing, Rafting, White Water Kayaking
Keystone Canyon is located 12 miles east of Valdez. The Richardson Highway follows the Lowe River through the heart of the canyon from beginning to end.
Abouton Lowe River, extends 2 mi. N-S 1 mi. E of mouth of Bear Creek and 12 mi. SE of Valdez; Chugach Mts.
Keystone Canyon is an impressive narrow canyon with walls over 600ft tall. It is just wide enough for the Richardson Highway and Lowe River to sit side by side edge to edge. The Lowe is only about 30ft at its widest in the canyon.
To Do
Roadside Viewing: The canyon is home to popular roadside attractions Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls. In March and April mountain goats can be found along the west end of the canyon on the southern wall.
Hiking: The Valdez Wagon and Goat Trail runs through the canyon for an easy hike above the highway.
Rafting and Kayaking: Rafting and kayaking the Lowe River through Keystone Canyon is a fun short run which can vary quite a bit in rating depending on flow rates.
Ice Climbing: Keystone Canyon is home to the Valdez Ice Climbing Festival and host routes including; Bridal Veil Falls, Greensteps, Horsetail Falls, Glass Onion, POS, Hanging Tree, Hung Jury, Mud Slide and more.
Ahtna, delivered copper to traders at Nuchek via the Keystone Canyon. Lt. William R. Abercrombie, reported a "deep and well-worn trail up the canyon and across to the Tiekel River in the Copper River valley."
Pictures of, from, or near Keystone Canyon.
101 Wall, Republic of Boulder, The Sunny Side,
Flats:Glaciers:Abercrombie Shelf Glacier, Brickslide Glacier, Camicia Glacier, Corbin Glacier, DOT Glacier, Glacier G213869E60950N, Glacier G213881E61189N, Glacier G213882E60988N, Glacier G213883E61190N, Glacier G213898E61187N, Glacier G213914E60880N, Glacier G213934E61146N, Glacier G213935E61200N, Glacier G213941E60895N, Glacier G213942E60986N, Glacier G213944E60979N, Glacier G213945E60907N, Glacier G213952E61151N, Glacier G213958E60963N, Glacier G213959E60945N, Glacier G213962E60977N, Glacier G213964E61199N, Glacier G213967E60919N, Glacier G213971E60895N, Glacier G213981E61263N, Glacier G213982E60906N, Glacier G213982E61094N, Glacier G213986E60928N, Glacier G214001E60962N, Glacier G214001E61199N, Glacier G214004E60942N, Glacier G214005E60907N, Glacier G214017E60985N, Glacier G214019E61092N, Glacier G214021E60977N, Glacier G214022E60997N, Glacier G214024E61234N, Glacier G214027E61088N, Glacier G214030E60925N, Glacier G214032E61170N, Glacier G214039E60964N, Glacier G214042E61141N, Glacier G214048E60957N, Glacier G214049E60918N, Glacier G214053E61154N, Glacier G214070E61096N, Glacier G214099E61139N, Glacier G214116E60878N, Glacier G214117E61192N, Glacier G214132E60990N, Glacier G214139E61173N, Glacier G214141E60880N, Glacier G214148E60959N, Glacier G214151E61165N, Glacier G214161E60914N, Glacier G214161E61234N, Glacier G214166E60906N, Glacier G214169E60899N, Glacier G214170E60888N, Glacier G214175E61036N, Glacier G214177E61238N, Glacier G214183E60923N, Glacier G214183E61143N, Glacier G214188E61150N, Glacier G214191E61237N, Glacier G214199E61016N, Glacier G214210E61229N, Glacier G214214E61240N, Glacier G214222E60989N, Glacier G214237E60874N, Glacier G214247E61202N, Glacier G214252E61197N, Glacier G214282E60871N, Glacier G214286E60849N, Glacier G214291E60861N, Hogback Glacier, Hoodoo Glacier, Keystone Glacier, Rubin Glacier, Sheep Creek Glacier, Tsina Glacier, Twentyseven Mile Glacier, Worthington Glacier, Wortmanns Glacier,
Routes:Angel, Bridal Veil Falls (Ice Climb), Cidersicle, Crystal Visions, Diamond in the Sky, 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, VAC,
Lakes:Blueberry Lake, Crater Lake, Deep Lake, Trap Lake, Worthington Lake,
Locales:19 Mile Wall, Bald Boy, Bro Bowl, Catchers Mitt, DOT Face, Fracture Canyon, Girls, Heiden View Face, Little Girls, Little Odyssey, Loveland Basin, Mercury, North Odyssey, Road Run, Skate Park,
Mountains:Prospectors Peak, Abercrombie Mountain, East Peak, Girls Mountain, Hogsback, The Island, Meteorite Mountain,
Mountain Passes:Peaks:Acapulco, Mount Bonet, Heidi Peak, Loveland Peak, Repeater Peak, Sapphire, Satellite, Stone Mountain, Tones Temple, Twentyseven Mile Peak, Whistlers Mother,
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, 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, 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, Thursday Night Cruiser, Tibetan Prayer Flags Made in China, Trustafarian (Rasta With a Trust Fund), Valet at the Movement, What Would Squeak Do?, Yippie (Yuppie Hippie),
Streams:Bear Creek, Bench Creek, Brown Creek, Browns Creek, Cameron Creek, Canyon Slough, Goat Creek, Sheep Creek, Wortmanns Creek,
Routes:Browns Creek Trail, DOT Glacier Trail, Little Odessey Trail, Pack Trail of 1899, Thompson Pass Pipeline Access Road, Worthington Glacier Ridge Trail,
Valleys:Browns Basin, Goat Gully, Heiden Canyon, Keystone Canyon, Snowslide Gulch,
Waterfalls: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.
