Chitina

Chitina is a small census-designated place in Alaska's Copper River Census Area, sitting at the junction of two river valleys in a remote stretch of the state. Though technically still an active CDP with a recorded population of 101 as of the 2020 census, it carries the character of a near-ghost town — a quiet, sparse community where the past weighs heavily on the landscape.

Visitors today find a place that rewards curiosity more than comfort. The setting itself is the main draw: vast, wild, and largely unchanged. Access to Chitina is realistic by road during the warmer months, but the remoteness and Alaska's seasonal extremes mean winter travel is genuinely hazardous.