- Self Guided
Fort McGilvray is the scenic site of an abandoned World War II fort with two beaches to walk from.
There is a good salmon stream there with pink and chum salmon in it from late June through September. There is also good beachcombing there. You should allow about one hour to hike from Miller’s Landing to Tonsina.
The first mile and a half of the trail is all upland, through the woods. It starts near Miller’s Landing and goes to Tonsina Beach Bridge. You will know you are there because that is the first bridge you come to. There is also a picnic shelter there. In late June, July, August and September, there are also salmon spawning in the stream.
You can fish from the beach here for salmon in late June through September for pink, chum and silver salmon. Dolly Varden are also caught here. Silver salmon are caught here also, in late July and August, even though this is not their normal spawning grounds. Remember to read the fishing regulations because you cannot fish for the salmon in the streams. You have to fish from the beach into the salt water. The salmon are schooling up in the salt water, getting ready to return back to the streams that they were born in. It is very easy to catch the salmon from Tonsina Beach.
There is a picnic shelter area at Tonsina. Often people like to camp here (there is no charge for camping).
There is also good berry picking along the trail to Tonsina in late July and August! Always be alert – there are bears around and they may feel a need for berries or a taste of salmon (yours or theirs).
Miller’s Landing also does water taxi drop-off and pickup services here, both one way and round trip. Some people enjoy hiking out and like to have a water taxi pickup here so they don’t have to carry all those salmon back! The limit is six salmon per person per day. The pinks generally way about 2 to 6 lbs., and the chum salmon weigh about 8 to 13 lbs.
The two most popular lures for catching salmon are a pixie (usually orange or pink) or an Alaskan Snagging Hook (legal in our area). Miller’s Landing campground store has both lures for sale and also sells fishing licenses too. There are also salmon fishing poles for rent for a half day or a full day.
Please note: Miller’s Landing encourages only guaranteed prepaid reservations. Unlike many other states, Alaska has a very short tourist season which can make it difficult for us to rebook when we have cancellations without ample notice.
If you are booking a charter and lodging and your charter , water taxi or kayaking is cancelled due to weather you are still responsible for the lodging or camping reservations and the normal cancellation policy applies. All of our activities are possible during rain, so rain does not constitute a cancellation. Miller’s Landing is not responsible for vehicle break downs, personal emergencies, flight delays, health issues or other unforeseen hardships. We will try very hard to work with you but the cancellation policy will need to be applied if we cannot issue a raincheck or find an alternative solution that appeals to both parties.
Please understand that Miller’s Landing also incurs a hefty financial merchant fee from our bank for the cost of charging your credit card and again for the cost of refunding it, and there is also a cost involved for the time involved in processing and refunding your reservation in employee costs. Our goal when taking your reservation is to have a solid, guaranteed prepaid reservation. We strongly discourage the practice of making reservations without having an airline ticket or making tentative reservations. Thank you for your understanding.
Fort McGilvray is the scenic site of an abandoned World War II fort with two beaches to walk from.
Thumb cove is only accessible by water taxi and a popular spot for all outdoors activities!
Hike what Backpacker Magazine has ranked one of the top ten costal hiking trails in North America.