Mill Loop Trail is a 0.9 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located near Palmer, Alaska that offers scenic views and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for hiking and is best used from June until September. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Short trail above Independence Mine in Hatcher pass. Easy trail across the tundra with a few rocks. Minimal elevation gain. Wildlife consists of marmots. Nice views of the Talkeetna Mountains.
I haven't thoroughly explored this trail yet but I just wanted to give a description of where this is located since I took so long trying to find it, only to happen upon it by planning a different adventure instead. This trail is located at Hatchers Pass, up at Independence Mine. If you walk up where the waterfall is, where the train cars are located, you will find the sign and trail. I plan to go back and thoroughly explore, now that I know where this trail is located.
We just did this trail and the road was closed which gives you an additional couple of miles to walk in snow. It was surprisingly busy for being closed. We saw another 30 people. Which makes me scared to think of how busy this might be when the mill is open to the public. The mill has a lot of fascinating historical information. The destination we used in our alltrails app is not the correct one for getting here unfortunately so we drove an extra half hour that we didn't need to. Make sure you cross reference the location for this hike.