How many days does the Resurrection Pass Trail take?

I walked Hope to Seward, about 90 miles, in five long days. The Resurrection Pass Trail by itself is 38.4 miles, usually 3 to 4 days. For the whole way to Seward, a week is comfortable.

When is the best time to hike Resurrection Pass?

June to September. The Forest Service says there's heavy snow in the pass into early June. I went May 23 to 27, 2020, and the snow was patchy enough to walk through.

Where do you sleep on the Resurrection Pass Trail?

In public use cabins or at designated campsites. There are eight cabins on the Resurrection Pass Trail, booked on recreation.gov up to 180 days ahead, and cabins on these trails were $60 to $75 a night in 2026. I camped 3 nights and stayed 1 in West Swan Lake Cabin.

Do you need a permit for the Resurrection Pass Trail?

The Forest Service trail pages list no hiking permit. You need a reservation for any public use cabin, and you can't camp within 300 feet of a cabin you haven't booked.

How do you get to the Resurrection Pass trailhead?

Hope is about 88 road miles from Anchorage. The north trailhead is at Hope Highway mile 15, then 4 miles down Resurrection Creek Road. The research for this guide found no scheduled bus to Hope, so plan a car, a ride or a drop-off.

The Resurrection Pass film: Kenai Peninsula, Alaska

Kenai Peninsula, Alaska · 5 days · about 90 miles

Resurrection Pass Hiking Guide

5 days alone from Hope to Seward, Alaska.

Watch the film · 2.1M views

2.1M YouTube views
Instant PDF + GPX
30-day refund
Free updates

Look inside

Real pages from the guide. Tap one to see it big.

A day page
A day map and elevation profile
At a glance
The cabins and camping

Swipe for more pages

Get Day 3 free

The route

My GPS recording of 4 days on a relief map. The numbers are where each day starts; the red dot is the finish. The full GPX files and the day maps come with the guide.

Relief map of the Resurrection Pass route: 4 days drawn in red with numbered day starts, labelled Hope, Exit Glacier Road, Mt Ascension and Russian River Falls. — Map data: Terrain: Mapzen Terrain Tiles (GMTED) on AWS · Glaciers, rivers & lakes © OpenStreetMap contributors

At a glance

Days: 5 days
Distance: about 90 miles
Climbing: About 6,500 ft (1,980 m) up
Season: June to September
Route: Hope to Resurrection River trailhead on Exit Glacier Road

What's inside

All five days. Stats, the time I took, my notes, the trail, where to get off, a map with an elevation profile, and links to that day in my film.
My GPX files. My own recordings for the four days I recorded and the full route, with waypoints for the trailheads, every public use cabin on the way, my camps and the pass.
The cabins and camping. All twelve public use cabins on these trails with 2026 prices and boats, the designated campsites, the 300-foot rule and the Russian River food rules.
The Resurrection River Trail. The hard part: brush, lost trail and unbridged fords, including the chest-deep crossing I didn't film, and the Forest Service's warnings.
Getting there and home. Hope and the north trailhead, Cooper Landing halfway, and the train and buses from Seward, with 2026 and 2027 details.
Other ways to do it. The classic 38-mile Resurrection Pass Trail in 3 to 4 days, the Devil's Pass short cut, and a slower 7-day Hope to Seward.
Bears, food and gear. How I handled bears, what I ate and carried, and water on the trail.
Before you go and a trip sheet. One page of year-to-year checks and a printable one-page summary of the whole trip.

About this trip

In May 2020 I hiked alone across Alaska's Kenai Peninsula for five days, from Hope over Resurrection Pass, through Cooper Landing, along the Russian Lakes and down the Resurrection River Trail to Exit Glacier Road near Seward. About 90 miles on foot, camping and one night in a public use cabin. It's the trip from my film Hiking 100 miles Alone in Alaska. This guide has my GPS files, maps and notes for every day, the cabins and campsites with 2026 prices, bears and river crossings, and how to get to Hope and home from Seward.

Watch the film on YouTube (2.1M views).

Gear for this route

Paid links: I earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Five days alone in bear country, with river crossings and rain. Here's what I carried in May 2020, what I'd take now, and what I filmed with.

What I carried in 2020

Shoestrail running shoes and thin socksI hiked the shoes into oblivion on this trip. With the sun out they dry off super quickly after a river; no boot keeps you dry when the river is over the top of it.
Pantszip-off pants
Clothesrain gear and warm layersAll of the clothing I needed for any kind of temperature or weather. My mentality is clothing and shoes that dry quickly.
Tentmy tent
Sleeping matan inflatable sleeping matBlowing it up gives me a head rush every time.
StoveJetboil mini stoveWith Mountain House meals, tea, hot chocolate and coffee. Now that I use a stove and have these hot meals, I feel like royalty on the trail.Similar: Jetboil Stash Amazon
Watera half-liter water bottleThat was more than enough: there was plenty of running water, and I was boiling so much for meals.
Bear spraybear sprayI carried it the whole way.

What I'd take now

My current kit for what this route needs.

ShoesBrooks Cascadia 17 (now the Cascadia 20) AmazonTrail runners you can ford in and that dry fast.
Rain shellArc’teryx Beta AR Jacket Arc’teryxIt rained when I went over the main pass.
PuffyArc’teryx Cerium Hoody Arc’teryx
TentNEMO Hornet Elite OSMO 1P AmazonThis route needs a tent that handles rain.
Sleeping padTherm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite NXT Amazon
StoveJetboil Stash AmazonBuy fuel in Anchorage: airlines restrict flying with it.
Water filterKatadyn BeFree AC · 1L AmazonPlenty of streams to fill up from; filter or treat it.
Power bankNitecore NB20000 AmazonI charged everything at Wildman's in Cooper Landing, halfway.
NavigationAllTrails+ AllTrails · 30% offImport my GPX files and download them offline. I lost the trail a few times on the last section. Offline maps need the paid plan.

Filming kit

What I filmed this trip with in 2020. My setup is smaller now (below).

CameraSony a6600 AmazonMy first trip with it.
LensSony E 10-18mm f/4 OSS Amazon
DroneDJI Mavic Air 2 Amazon now the Air 3SThe first time I shot with it, with three batteries. Much smaller and lighter than the Mavic 2 Pro.
MicRode VideoMic NTG AmazonWith the dead cat. I am in love with this mic.
TripodSirui tripod legs
Tripod headJoby BallHead 3K (now the 3K PRO) AmazonOn the Sirui legs.

What I film with now

Since September 2026 I film with a smaller setup: the Pocket 4 and the Mic 3 on the trail, and the Mini 5 Pro in the air.

CameraDJI Osmo Pocket 4 Amazon
MicDJI Mic 3 · 1 TX + 1 RX AmazonIt pairs with the Pocket 4.
DroneDJI Mini 5 Pro Amazon

Everything I carry now: my gear page.

The Day 3, West Swan Lake to Russian River Falls page from the Resurrection Pass Hiking Guide

Free sample + packing list

Try Day 3 free, plus my packing list

West Swan Lake to Russian River Falls

The whole day page from the guide as a PDF, plus my camping packing list: the 42 things I carry, with a note on each. The PDF opens right away and both come by email. You'll also get my emails about new guides and trips, a few a year.

The details

Format: A 59-page PDF sized for a phone (A5, prints fine too) and a folder of GPX files, in one zip download.
Edition: 2027 season edition, updated September 2026.
Delivery: Instant. After you pay you get a private download link. Bookmark it to download again on any device.
Payment: Secure checkout through Stripe, in your own currency. Tax is included in the price, except in the US and Canada, where any sales tax is added at checkout.
Refunds: Not useful? Email me within 30 days for a refund: kraig@kraigadams.com.
Questions: Email kraig@kraigadams.com.

Questions

How many days does the Resurrection Pass Trail take?: I walked Hope to Seward, about 90 miles, in five long days. The Resurrection Pass Trail by itself is 38.4 miles, usually 3 to 4 days. For the whole way to Seward, a week is comfortable.
When is the best time to hike Resurrection Pass?: June to September. The Forest Service says there's heavy snow in the pass into early June. I went May 23 to 27, 2020, and the snow was patchy enough to walk through.
Where do you sleep on the Resurrection Pass Trail?: In public use cabins or at designated campsites. There are eight cabins on the Resurrection Pass Trail, booked on recreation.gov up to 180 days ahead, and cabins on these trails were $60 to $75 a night in 2026. I camped 3 nights and stayed 1 in West Swan Lake Cabin.
Do you need a permit for the Resurrection Pass Trail?: The Forest Service trail pages list no hiking permit. You need a reservation for any public use cabin, and you can't camp within 300 feet of a cabin you haven't booked.
How do you get to the Resurrection Pass trailhead?: Hope is about 88 road miles from Anchorage. The north trailhead is at Hope Highway mile 15, then 4 miles down Resurrection Creek Road. The research for this guide found no scheduled bus to Hope, so plan a car, a ride or a drop-off.

More guides

All guides

Patagonia, Chile

Torres del Paine

5 days · 85 miles · solo, O + W

The O counterclockwise from Laguna Amarga over the John Gardner Pass to Grey, then the W to Central and the Base Torres.

All five days
My GPX files
How this trek works
Costs, then and now

See the guide: Torres del Paine · $19

Olympic National Park, Washington

Enchanted Valley

5 days · 38 miles · tent, wilderness camps

Five days up the East Fork Quinault River to the Enchanted Valley and its chalet, with a day hike to Anderson Pass, in Washington's Olympic National Park.

All five days
My GPX files
Permits and rules
Anderson Pass in the snow

See the guide: Enchanted Valley · $19

Cusco region, Peru

Salkantay Trek

4 days · 42 miles · lodges, no tent

From Challacancha over the Salkantay Pass to Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu, in Peru's Cusco region.

All four days
My GPX files
Machu Picchu
With a company or on your own

See the guide: Salkantay Trek · $19