Nancy Lake State Recreation Area
Encyclopedia
Nancy Lake State Recreation Area is a lake-studded landscapes in Alaska
preserved for recreation purposes. With clear waters are ringed with unspoiled forests,provide tranquil settings for revreational acticities such as canoeing, fishing, hiking and camping during the summer. During winter it is an ideal place for cross-country skiing, dog mushing and snowmachining.
along the Parks Highway. Nearby towns are Wasilla
, Houston
and Willow
. The broad Susitna River
Valley, including what is now the recreation area, was scoured by massive glaciers, which once covered it. When the ice retreated some 9,000 years ago, it left a rolling landscape of elongated glacial deposits, called drumlin
s, dotted with hundreds of lakes and ponds. Through the years, most of the Nancy Lake area has remained wild and natural. The area is too wet for ideal cultivation and is not mineral-rich, so it has escaped large-scale settlement by humans. Today, it is a prime place for recreation and enjoyment of nature. There are 13 rustic cabins that are available for rent on a nightly basis throughout the Nancy Lake State Recreation Area. Cabins are located on Red Shirt, Lynx, Nancy, James, and Bald lakes. The cabins are insulated and equipped with wooden bunks, counters, and wood-burning stoves. Each cabin has an outhouse and an outdoor fire ring.
and paper birch
, with some aspen interspersed. Large parts of the area have been burned by fires in the past 100 years, which have resulted in thick stands of birch, which precede the older forests of white spruce. Wildflowers abound, from the earliest violets and bluebells, through the last flower on the tip of the tall fireweed
. Water-loving plants, such as bog rosemary and wild iris
, are found in wet areas throughout the park. Water lilies decorate many of the lake surfaces. By early July wild berries begin to ripen and highbush and lowbush cranberries, and blueberries frequently provide a bountiful harvest. Varieties of raspberry, crowberry and other berries can also be found.
to the north, which protects it from the very cold temperatures common to interior Alaska. Summer temperatures rise into the 70s, with occasional highs in the 80s, however night time readings may fall into the 40s. Winter temperatures may fall to 40 degrees below zero and rise above freezing later on.
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
preserved for recreation purposes. With clear waters are ringed with unspoiled forests,provide tranquil settings for revreational acticities such as canoeing, fishing, hiking and camping during the summer. During winter it is an ideal place for cross-country skiing, dog mushing and snowmachining.
Overview
Nancy Lake State Recreation Area is located just 90 minutes drive north of AnchorageAnchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
along the Parks Highway. Nearby towns are Wasilla
Wasilla, Alaska
Wasilla is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the sixth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the state. The city's population was 7,831 at the 2010 census...
, Houston
Houston, Alaska
Houston is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,202 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Houston is located at ....
and Willow
Willow, Alaska
Willow is a census-designated place in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2000 census the population was 1,658.-History:...
. The broad Susitna River
Susitna River
The Susitna River is a long river in the Southcentral Alaska. It is the 15th largest river in the United States of America, ranked by average discharge volume at its mouth. The river stretches from the Susitna Glacier to Cook Inlet....
Valley, including what is now the recreation area, was scoured by massive glaciers, which once covered it. When the ice retreated some 9,000 years ago, it left a rolling landscape of elongated glacial deposits, called drumlin
Drumlin
A drumlin, from the Irish word droimnín , first recorded in 1833, is an elongated whale-shaped hill formed by glacial ice acting on underlying unconsolidated till or ground moraine.-Drumlin formation:...
s, dotted with hundreds of lakes and ponds. Through the years, most of the Nancy Lake area has remained wild and natural. The area is too wet for ideal cultivation and is not mineral-rich, so it has escaped large-scale settlement by humans. Today, it is a prime place for recreation and enjoyment of nature. There are 13 rustic cabins that are available for rent on a nightly basis throughout the Nancy Lake State Recreation Area. Cabins are located on Red Shirt, Lynx, Nancy, James, and Bald lakes. The cabins are insulated and equipped with wooden bunks, counters, and wood-burning stoves. Each cabin has an outhouse and an outdoor fire ring.
Plant Life
Vegetation within the recreation area is dominated on drier sites by white spruceWhite Spruce
Picea glauca is a species of spruce native to boreal forests in the north of North America, from central Alaska east to Newfoundland, and south to northern Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, upstate New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine; there is also an isolated population in the...
and paper birch
Paper Birch
Betula papyrifera is a species of birch native to northern North America.-Description:...
, with some aspen interspersed. Large parts of the area have been burned by fires in the past 100 years, which have resulted in thick stands of birch, which precede the older forests of white spruce. Wildflowers abound, from the earliest violets and bluebells, through the last flower on the tip of the tall fireweed
Fireweed
Epilobium angustifolium, commonly known as Fireweed , Great Willow-herb , or Rosebay Willowherb , is a perennial herbaceous plant in the willowherb family Onagraceae...
. Water-loving plants, such as bog rosemary and wild iris
Dietes iridioides
Dietes iridioides is an ornamental plant in the Iridaceae family....
, are found in wet areas throughout the park. Water lilies decorate many of the lake surfaces. By early July wild berries begin to ripen and highbush and lowbush cranberries, and blueberries frequently provide a bountiful harvest. Varieties of raspberry, crowberry and other berries can also be found.
Wild Life
The combination of lakes, wetlands, and forests in the recreation area create an ideal habitat for many mammals and birds. Perhaps most noticeable to the summer visitor are water dwellers, especially beaver and waterfowl. Beavers are active in lakes and ponds throughout the park and visitors can see evidence of their work. These animals are vital to maintaining crucial water levels in the ecosystem. Moose are the most common large mammal in the park although their numbers are dependent on an adequate food supply. They prefer brushy areas or shallow ponds with tender aquatic plants, as browse in mature forests is beyond even their reach. Black bears are common throughout the park but Grizzly/brown bears are occasionally sighted.Climate
The weather in the park is tempered by the relatively warm ocean waters to the south and the Alaska RangeAlaska Range
The Alaska Range is a relatively narrow, 650-km-long mountain range in the southcentral region of the U.S. state of Alaska, from Lake Clark at its southwest end to the White River in Canada's Yukon Territory in the southeast...
to the north, which protects it from the very cold temperatures common to interior Alaska. Summer temperatures rise into the 70s, with occasional highs in the 80s, however night time readings may fall into the 40s. Winter temperatures may fall to 40 degrees below zero and rise above freezing later on.