Tok Cutoff: Alaska's Copper River Valley

The big river is the Copper River. Copper river red salmon swim all the way up here to spawn each year.

One of the small rivers is the Gulkana. The lake in the top right is the Klutina and the one farthest back in the Tonsina.

The Richardson is the unmarked road and you can see the Tok cutoff.

The Tok Cutoff is an important connector for drivers moving between the Copper River Valley, the Alaska Highway, and communities farther north and east. From this angle, the highway system looks small against the rivers and mountains that shape the region.

This view also shows why maps matter in Alaska travel planning. Towns may look close on a photo, but river crossings, weather, road surface, and mountain passes can turn a short-looking route into a full day of careful driving.

Use this stop in the slideshow to compare inland highway choices with the Valdez and Chitina routes shown on the neighboring pages.

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