WELCOME TO TOK

We are pleased that you have chosen to spend some time in our small community. Our residents number 1415 and our elevation is 1635'. Tok is the trade center for the Athabascan Native villages of Northway, Tetlin, Tanacross, Mentasta, Eagle and Dot Lake. Local Native arts and crafts may be found in many of our gift shops.

Tok originated as an Alaska Road Commission camp for the construction of the Alcan and Glenn Highways in the 1940's during World War II. There are many tall tales about how Tok got it's name but you can discover what really happened if you stop by the Mainstreet Visitor's Center located at the intersection of the Alaska Highway and the Tok Cut Off. You will be surprised. In 1946, Tok Junction was designated a Presidential Townsite, the same year the Alcan opened to civilians and the little community gained a roadhouse.

In 1954, the Tok Dog Mushers was founded, and the U.S. Army began construction of the Haines-Fairbanks fuel pipeline, with a pump station located here. It closed down in 1979. In the fall of 1976 the U.S. Coast Guard built the Long Range Aid to Navigation station (LORAN). Four 700' towers, 6 miles east of the junction, transmit radio navigation signals for air and marine traffic in the Gulf of Alaska. U.S. Customs moved from Tok to its present location on the border in 1971.

northern lights in tok

Milepost 1324 leads to the Tanacross Indian village and the Tanacross Airport. The village is where the Eagle Trail crossed the Tanana River. Sternwheelers once plied the river. The large paved airstrip was built during WWII to handle aircraft being ferried to Russia. It remains a base for summer fire fighting crews.

The Tok Race of Champions Sled Dog Race, one of the oldest in the state, is held each March. Tok is one of the centers of dog breeding, training and mushing.

2019'S TREK OVER THE TOP WILL BE MARCH 7 - 10, 2019

The most fun you can have with your snow pants on! Trek over the Top is an international snowmobile run from Tok, Alaska to Dawson City, Yukon. Riders travel over 200 miles of groomed trail through pristine wilderness to arrive in one heck of a party town! Click for info on the Trek

Need more reasons to visit?

Our community is also a winter playground for snow machiners, cross country skiing, hunting, and trapping. Everywhere in Alaska boasts of great Northern Lights displays... but honestly, ours are some of the most breath-taking Northern Lights you will ever see. Don't come to Alsaka without seeing the coldest inhabited community in North America with the warmest, friendliest people in the interior.

Travel Tips

  • MOST businesses in Tok are open year-round.
  • Reservations from May-Sept. are recommended.
  • TOK'S summer temperatures average 60-70`F. Bring a light jacket and good walking shoes.
  • TOK'S winter temperatures average -30-70`F.
  • ALL major roads are maintained year-round.
  • TAYLOR/TOP OF THE WORLD HWYS. are good gravel roads, travelled at moderate speed. Please allow extra time on all roads due to added seasonal traffic and construction.
  • MANY Alaskan attractions do not begin operations until mid-to late May because of weather restrictions.
  • GAS prices in Tok in 2000 averaged $1.76 per gallon of regular unleaded. Lower in cities. GROCERY prices vary around the state.
  • HOMESTEADING & FREE LAND are a thing of the past.
  • U.S. CURRENCY, traveler checks and credit cards are accepted at most Alaskan businesses.
  • TOK has no car rental agencies.
  • LIMITED bus service to Fairbanks, Anchorage, Whitehorse and Haines.
  • SEAT BELTS are to be worn by state law, and while headlights on during daylight is not a requirement, it is good safety practice.
  • NORTHERN LIGHTS are visible August through May.

Activities in Our Area

Drive around Tok and you'll see wild and domestic flower gardens, big vegetables, log homes with sod and wild flower roofs, old fish wheels, historic mining equipment, lots of airplanes, log caches.

  • Nature trails and paved bike paths.
  • Visit Mainstreet Visitors Center with statewide trip planning, lots of information and Alaska video viewing.
  • Pan for gold.
  • Bird watching.
  • Tetlin Wildlife Refuge Headquarters and Alaska Public Lands Information Center.
  • Visit mini-museums on Alaska pioneer life, gold mining and Alaska wildlife.
  • Play some Bush golf.
  • Flightseeing - Wrangell Mts
  • Relax for the day, prepare for your great Alaskan experience, or rest up for the trip home.
  • Fish in our nearby streams and lakes.
  • Check out the wolves!
  • Boat rides on the scenic Tanana River.
  • Foraging for wild edibles.
  • Horse riding.
  • Take a day trip up the Taylor Highway (Scenic Byway) to historic Chicken. Talk to real miners. Dredge tours are available.
  • Enjoy a great 4th of July with us. Parade, flag ceremony, picnic, craft fair, games. Volleyball, 3-legged race, greased pole, outhouse race, baking and photo contests, live music and tug of war.

Community Information

CHURCHES

  • Assembly of God Church (907) 883-2171
  • Chapel of the North (907) 883-5800
  • Faith Chapel (907) 883-4771
  • Catholic Church (907) 883-4111
  • Seventh-Day Adventist (907) 883-3341
  • Carpenter's Workshop (907) 883-7839

    • CLUBS & ORGANIZATIONS

  • Lions Club
  • PTSA
  • Home Makers Club
  • Boy & Girl Scouts
  • Tok Dog Mushers
  • Snowmobile Club
  • Shooters Club
  • Drama Club
  • Search & Rescue
  • E.M.S. Teams
  • Cemetery
  • Alcoholic's Anonymous

    • Find more about Weather in Tok, AK
    Click for weather forecast

    Area Highlights

    Flightseeing

    The Tok River is as beautiful from the air as from the highways and byways. From the Wrangle Mts to the Tanana River and beyond are sights you will want to see from our local flight tours.

    Chicken Creek

    Gold Panning in Chicken

    A fun destination from Tok is Chicken which offers free gold panning at Chicken Creek. It's a richly historical town of 25 people. Make sure to visit the Post Office there; its a living museum. And never forget the Chickenstock Music Festival in June..

    Mukluk Land

    Alaska visitor park for all ages. Mini golf, museum, and much more. Open June, July and August. The kids will love it and you will too. Just 3 miles out of Tok you will find lots of history, games, and outdoor displays. Don't leave Tok without seeing Mukluk Land.

    Hiking in Alaska

    Hiking Trails

    Eagle Trail State Recreational Area is 16 miles south of Tok at mile 109.5 of the Tok Cut-Off Highway. Visitors to this 280-acre site can enjoy a walk on the one mile nature trail or the 2.5-mile hiking trail with an overview of the Tok River Valley. Eagle Trail SRS offers most highway travelers their first opportunity to explore the Alaska Range. An eight-hour hike up the bordering creek brings backpackers within close viewing distance of Dall sheep in the Tok Trophy Sheep Management Area. (907)883-3686

    Fourth of July Celebration

    Tok's Chamber sponsors our 4th of July festivities every year with food, booths, contests, displays, and a huge parade down the Alaskan Highway--this year for the Highway's 75th year, the chamber is going all out!

    Trek Over The Top

    Trek Over the Top

    Every March, the most fun you can have with your snow pants on! Trek over the Top is an international snowmobile run from Tok, Alaska to Dawson City, Yukon. Riders travel over 20 miles of groomed trail through pristine wilderness to arrive in one heck of a party town! This year is sold out, but you can sign up for next year beginning in August.

    Other ways to reach us

    • Email

      info@tokalaskainfo.com

    • Are you a business Interested in Membership?

      Membership has it's value. Click here for more information.

    • Phone

      1-907-883-5775

    • Facebook

      facebook.com/tok.chamber

    • Mailing Address

      Tok Chamber of Commerce
      P.O. Box 389, Tok, Alaska 99780
      United States

    • Location

      Click for Map We are located at the Tok cut-off intersection on the Alaska Highway. We are 90 miles from the Canadian border. If you stay on the Highway headed north, you go to Fairbanks (200 miles) and if you turn left, you are headed for Anchorage (365 miles).