Hope & Sunrise Alaska a brief guide with links to amenities and history<

Hope & Sunrise Alaska
a brief guide with links to amenities and history

Hope Valley - Alaska
Hope Valley

Sunrise, Alaska; on the Kenai Peninsula, circa 1909.
.

As it was then it continues
today - Hope sports some
highly individualized and
colorful characters.

Nate White and his sled.

Hope & Sunrise Emergency Services
The communities emergency services are available 24/7.
Important information about accessing the services are on their respective web sites.

Hope Sunrise EMS

Hope Sunrise Fire Department

Located at the mouth of Resurrection Creek on Turnagain Arm, Hope is reached via the Hope Highway, which intersects the Seward Highway at milepost 56. From the turn-off to Sunrise is 7 miles; to Hope is 16.
Map of Hope and Sunrise locations

Hope offers access to the north end of the Resurrection Pass Trail (see Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Chugach National Forest Trails) and many smaller hiking trails.

The Hope Social Hall is still in use today for many community events and is available for rental.

Numerous couples have
chosen the rustic Hope Social Hall as the location to hold their wedding.

A large grassy area is adjacent to the hall. An oversized charcoal barbeque grill is located on the porch.

Hope Social Hall

Hope Social Hall - still in use

Hope and Sunrise began with a gold rush - first in Sunrise, followed by Hope - a decade before the Klondike and Nome strikes.

In 1895, five mining partners on Sixmile Creek extracted an impressive $40,000 in gold. At the peak of the gold rush Sunrise boasted a population of over 5,000. The Hope population reached 3,000 before the gold supply began to run out.

Sunrise Station, Hope Postal Service Special Meter Stamp for 100 year celebration

Sunrise City, on Sixmile Creek, was named after the way the morning sun disappeared behind the mountains and made a second and third 'sunrise'.

Hope was named arbitrarily when early residents decided to honor the youngest arrive on the next boat to land—one Percy Hope.

Sunrise is no longer a town, but a collection of permanent homes and seasonal cabins along the highway (milepost 7 to 9) and on Six-Mile Creek adjacent to the original town site. Sunrise has a dozen permanent residents and many seasonal residents.

Hope has approximately 200 people who live in the area year round, including a number of independent prospectors who still work claims. Hope was voted "Alaska's Most Friendly Town" by Alaska Magazine, August 2001.

Fireweed and Hope valley as seen from
atop Baldy Hill- a popular hiking trail

Hiking, biking, camping, fishing, rafting and more - all in a beautiful and pristine setting. Guides are available for almost any activity, or set out on your own.

Hope Main Street as seen from above
Hope Main Street
photo: Eric Johnson

Goldrush B&B
Gold Rush B&B

For links to other web sites about the area, it's many seasonal and year-round amenities, we highly recommend you visit
Hope Chamber of Commerce

Go Goo Dolls band visits Hope and films MTV special

Hope is a superb venue for filming for a variety of commercial shoots.

Hope has been host to filmmakers creating MTV shows, local and national advertisements.

Hope in MTV video
"Music in High Places", an MTV original television concept. Musicians are brought to remote and scenic locations with a camera and recording crew where they perform their songs outdoors and interact with the locals.

In July of 2002, the Goo Goo Dolls were flown to Alaska where they visited several towns and performed their songs.

Here the band Goo Goo Dolls go mud-sliding with Hope locals.

www.hopealaska.net

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