Antler Creek

Antler Creek is one of the many ways you can climb to the top of Mt. Healy. It is steep and the trail often disappears. You can simply hike up as far as you want, get incredible views of the Healy area and surrounding mountains then come back down. Note: If you plan to hike up Antler Creek to Mt. Healy, this trail is much longer than the route from Bison Gulch. The trailhead can begin at the Antler Creek bridge which doesn't really have too much parking. Or you can easily park on the south side of the Denali RV Park and Motel property. You will see this sign at the parking lot. The trail winds around for about 1/4 mile until you come to the beginning of the Antler Creek ridge line. The trail isn't as clear as others in the area. Just make sure as you hike up, you look ahead about 1/2 mile to plan your hiking route. The trail is very steep at times. Before you come to the very top of the ridge line you will see multiple trails that go in all directions. This is where you must decide which direction you want to go. If you want to continue hiking up to Mt. Healy, then you must follow the trails to the south, but staying on the ridge line or hike straight up to the top. You can hike north a little ways for an incredible overlook of Otto Lake and the town of Healy. If you continue to hike up to Mt. Healy, keep following the ridge. It is about another 1.2 miles to the top. I continued going up Antler Creek until it met up with the Bison Gulch Trail to Mt. Healy. I lost the trail a few times so I hiked to the very top of the ridge line which is about 1.5 mile from the bottom, planned my next route and then stuck to it. I passed by a very huge field of rocky terraces with lots of wildflowers and mushrooms. Once I met up with the Bison Gulch Trail I kept hiking a little ways so I could follow a herd of mountain goats. The goats were really cool to see as they roamed all over these mountains and I had the off chance of catching them on the same trail I was on. After I watched the goats for a few minutes I hiked back down the Bison Gulch Trail and went back to my car. Antler Creek was pretty cool. It is long and steep but it was still fun to do. I did see several other hikers who were coming down but overall I don't think too many people hike this trail.