According to local lore, Hope was founded by prospectors who decided, in 1889, their impromptu settlement needed a formal name. Unable to agree among themselves, they compromised by deciding to christen the town after the next newcomer to arrive. Soon after, one Percy Hope disembarked from the Resurrection Creek ferry, and the gold rush community was given a fitting name.
Hope remains a small community of fewer than 200 residents, and the gold rush legacy persists in more than its name.
Its log cabin social hall still stands beside Resurrection Creek and still hosts events, including a pancake breakfast during the town’s Wagon Trail Festival on the third weekend in July.
The Hope and Sunrise Historical and Mining Museum (incorporating the name of Sunrise, another local prospector town that no longer exists) displays antique mining equipment and buildings, and offers lessons to visitors who want to try their own luck at gold-panning in Resurrection Creek.
Hope is also home to many fishing guides who specialize in boat-fishing and hike-in fishing, on local waters and on the upper Kenai River. Hikers should check out the 5-mile Gull Rock trail, and the 38-mile Resurrection Pass North trail. Click here for more trails info.
