Overview
See Meat#Chicken for chicken as food.
Chicken is a small village at milepost 66.8 on the Taylor Highway in Alaska. As one of the few places along this highway where fuel is available, it is a popular rest stop.
Local legend is that the town was named after a group of miners decided to name it Ptarmigan after the local birds, but unable to agree on the spelling finally decided "Hell, let's just call it Chicken".
3 sights · 3 things to do · 2 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés · 2 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Chicken
Pedro Gold Dredge #4
This gold dredge operated on Chicken Creek from 1959 until 1967, and was used on Pedro Creek outside of Fairbanks. The Pedro Dredge is a National Historic Site and is open to daily tours. It is one of the most complete A…
Tisha's School House
Abandoned 1920s schoolhouse that was run by teacher Anne Hobbs Purdy, author of Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness (1976) and Dark Boundary (1954). Tours 9AM and 2PM daily (summer only) from Gol…
Chicken Statue
It would be a huge missed opportunity if the town named Chicken doesn't have a statue of... a chicken! Just refrain from trying to eat it.
Chicken Gold Camp & Outpost
$10 to $50/day for mining activities and $30 for 1/2-day kayak rentals. Gold panning and recreational mining are provided on their claims for daily fees. Rental equipment, kayaking adventures on the nearby Fortymile Rive…
Chickenstock Music Festival
Two-day annual gathering of global 'chickenites" and 'chickenuts' and local bluegrass music, mid-June, since 2007. Pack up your 'nest', 'comb' your feathers and come 'strut' your stuff in the midnight sun.
Goldpanner
Offers recreational gold panning on their claim on Chicken Creek.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Jun–Aug. Summer highs reach about 70°F; winter lows dip to about -29°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Mar, Oct, Nov, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Jul and Jun.
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- ORT Northway Airport, Northway — 77 mi away. Directions
The vast majority of visitors arrive by car along the gravel Taylor Highway. The road is not maintained year-round, so travel by road may be impossible once snow falls.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Places to stay listed here: about $14–$28 a night (typical $28), from 3 listed prices.
- Estimated daily budget per person (room, two meals, local transport and an activity): budget ~$60, mid-range ~$100, comfortable ~$190.
See the Sleep guide ↓ for places to stay.
Sample 2-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Pedro Gold Dredge #4, Chicken Statue
- Lunch Chicken Gold Camp & Outpost
- Afternoon Chickenstock Music Festival
- Dinner Chicken Creek Café
- Evening Chicken Creek Saloon
Day 2
- Morning Tisha's School House, Chicken Gold Camp & Outpost
- Afternoon Goldpanner
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Founded in 1886 as a gold rush town, Chicken served a remote river valley with almost 400 settlers by 1903. The Pedro Dredge, built in 1938 to mine Pedro Creek north of Fairbanks, was moved to Chicken in 1959 and used to mine 55,000 ounces of gold over the next dozen years. As the amount of remaining gold dwindled, commercial mining operators left; the Dredge was moved to its present location at the Chicken Gold Camp in 1998. While operation is now largely seasonal, a thousand acres of mining claims along the Chicken Creek remain open for temporary lease (days or weeks) to recreational part-time prospectors looking to pan for the last few bits of gold.
Climate
Tourist information
Get in
By car
The vast majority of visitors arrive by car along the gravel Taylor Highway. The road is not maintained year-round, so travel by road may be impossible once snow falls.
By plane
Get around
There are 3 businesses in Chicken: "Chicken Gold Camp & Outpost", "Downtown Chicken" and the "Goldpanner". The first two are located a short distance off of the highway on the Airport Road spur road. The Goldpanner gift shop is located along the Taylor highway.
Given the town's small size (the official population was 38 in 2002) the most obvious way to get around is by foot. Those unwilling to walk the short distances between the town's three businesses may want to ask themselves what they're doing in the wilds of Alaska!
See
See Pedro Gold Dredge #4
This gold dredge operated on Chicken Creek from 1959 until 1967, and was used on Pedro Creek outside of Fairbanks. The Pedro Dredge is a National Historic Site and is open to daily tours. It is one of the most complete Alaska gold dredges, an example of the type of equipment used to mine the area's gold deposits.
See Tisha's School House
Abandoned 1920s schoolhouse that was run by teacher Anne Hobbs Purdy, author of Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness (1976) and Dark Boundary (1954). Tours 9AM and 2PM daily (summer only) from Goldpanner to the town and schoolhouse.
See Chicken Statue
It would be a huge missed opportunity if the town named Chicken doesn't have a statue of... a chicken! Just refrain from trying to eat it.
Do
Do Chicken Gold Camp & Outpost
$10 to $50/day for mining activities and $30 for 1/2-day kayak rentals. Gold panning and recreational mining are provided on their claims for daily fees. Rental equipment, kayaking adventures on the nearby Fortymile River. Daily tours of the Pedro Dredge and museum, a National Historic Site.
Buy
Eat
Eat Chicken Creek Café
Pies, buffalo burgers, reindeer bratwurst, potato salad and baked wild Alaskan salmon.
Eat Chicken Gold Camp & Outpost
Café with fresh baked scones, egg soufflés, deli style paninis, soup du jour, BBQ chicken, ice cream, espresso and other beverage concoctions.
Drink
Drink Chicken Creek Saloon
Best bar in town. Only bar in town.
Sleep
Stay Chicken Gold Camp & Outpost
Camping on 50 sites with hookups and amenities including free wireless internet, free firewood, BBQ pits, picnic pavilion, dump station, potable water and access to public restrooms and pay-showers. Offers log cabins for up to six or rooms with two single beds, propane heat, free wireless internet, kitchenettes, and access to public restrooms and pay-showers. Daily tours of the Pedro Dredge, gold panning and recreational mining on their claims. Tours of an active gold mine available.
Go next
- Tok - 78 miles away at the southern end of the Taylor Highway at its junction with the Alaska Highway.
- Dawson City - One of the most famous and historic gold mining towns in the North, 108 miles away along the Taylor and Top of the World highways.
Nearby
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