The Edgerton Highway is a minor highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 33 miles (53 km) from the Richardson Highway near Copper Center to the town of Chitina. The McCarthy Road, within the Wrangell-Saint Elias National Park and Preserve, is a 58-mile (93 km) extension from Chitina to McCarthy.[1]

Alaska Route 10 marker
Edgerton Highway
Map
Edgerton Highway highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Alaska DOT&PF
Length33.5 mi (53.9 km)
Major junctions
West end AK-4 (Mile 82.5 Richardson Highway) south of Copper Center
East end AK-10 McCarthy Road in Chitina
Location
CountryUnited States
StateAlaska
Highway system
The Edgerton Highway at about mile 4 (km 6). The northern/western end of the highway, between the Richardson Highway and Old Edgerton Highway intersections, is mostly a long, straight stretch. This is unusual for Alaska, where highways typically follow a meandering route.

The Edgerton Highway, named for U.S. Army Major General Glen Edgar Edgerton, a member of the Alaska Road Commission, follows an old pack trail along the Copper River, and is paved. The popular dip-net salmon fishery in Chitina causes the highway to be fairly heavily used in summer. It is part of Alaska Route 10.

Route description

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The Edgerton Highway begins at its junction with the Richardson Highway at Pippin Lake in the rural community of Kenny Lake. The highway travels east-northeast through rural Kenny Lake before reaching an intersection with the Old Edgerton Highway and turning southeast.[2] The highway continues through several miles of forest along the Copper River, crossing several small affluents.[2] The roadway passes the Chitina Airport, ending at its junction with the McCarthy Road after passing through the very small town of Chitina.[2]

Recreation site

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Liberty Falls

Liberty Falls State Recreation Site is located at mile 23 of the highway. It is one of the smaller units of the Alaska State Parks system, at only 10 acres (4.0 ha).[3] The site features a small campground and picnic area and, as the name suggests, a close-up view of a waterfall and the canyon created by Liberty Creek as it runs down to the Copper River.[4]

Major junctions

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The entire route is in Copper River Borough.

Locationmi[5]kmDestinationsNotes
Kenny Lake0.0000.000  AK-4 (Richardson Highway)Western terminus
7.25211.671Old Edgerton Highway
Chitina33.32053.623Copper River Spur
34.97056.279McCarthy RoadEastern terminus. Highway continues east as McCarthy Road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

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KML is from Wikidata
  1. ^ "Edgerton Highway (AK 10) & Chitina." alaskajourney.com. Accessed 23 March 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "Map of Edgerton Highway" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  3. ^ Liberty Falls SRS Alaska Department of Natural Resources
  4. ^ The Milepost, 2018 edition, page 450,ISBN 9781892154378
  5. ^ Birkholz, Ethan (2010). Annual Traffic Volume Report (PDF) (Report) (2008-2009-2010 ed.). Alaska Department of Transportation & Public Facilities. Route Number 210000. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2014. Retrieved May 31, 2012.