Eklutna Lake in Chugach State Park north of Eagle River. See photos of Eagle River. |
About Eagle RiverLeon Unruh's Birchbark Press is in Eagle River, a rapidly growing town of 22,000 about 10 miles northeast of downtown Anchorage in south-central Alaska. The town sits in a glacially carved valley, forested by birch, aspen and spruce trees; moose live among us. Our maximum sunlight is 19.5 hours (summer solstice), and our shortest day is 5.5 hours (winter solstice). On the equinoxes, we're just like everybody else: 12 hours of sunlight, 12 hours of darkness. We get 6 to 8 feet of snow between October and April. Summer brings kayaking, hiking and fishing; winter brings downhill and cross-country skiing. Eagle River is connected to Anchorage by a six-lane highway and to the world by the Internet, cable and satellite TV, standard phone service and U.S. mail, plus FedEx, UPS, Airborne Express and DHL. The Municipality of Anchorage, the state's largest city (270,000 residents including Eagle River), is the financial, service and educational capital of the 49th state. The city has one of the country's busiest international cargo airports because of its great-circle location between the Lower 48, Asia and Europe. It's also perhaps the biggest city in the country where you can catch 50-pound salmon two blocks from downtown. Recommended books | Contact |