Susitna Landing getting $4.4 million overhaul to improve river access, campground

What you need to know:

• A $4.4 million Susitna Landing project aims to improve the boat launch, upgrade 61 campsites, expand parking, add accessible facilities and fix silt buildup and drainage problems.
• Construction began Sept. 15. The site is scheduled to reopen for winter day use from Nov. 15 through April 11 before closing again until the project's anticipated completion in mid-July.
• While some visitors welcome the long-awaited improvements, others, particularly moose hunters, were frustrated by the temporary loss of river access. State officials say the upgrades will reduce maintenance problems and improve the site for future use.
• Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.

WILLOW — An access area at the confluence of the Kashwitna and Susitna rivers is getting a series of major upgrades, including a new boat launch, upgraded campsites, new toilets and wheelchair access.

Construction started Sept. 15 and will stretch through midsummer next year, with a pause for the winter, officials said.

The $4.4 million Susitna Landing upgrade project is funded by the state and the federal Sport Fish Restoration Program, which is supported by excise taxes on certain fishing and boating equipment.

“It’s important to get people out on the water and recreating,” said Tracy Smith, an Alaska Department of Fish and Game boating and angler access coordinator. “I mean, that’s the whole thing is getting someone, getting a fishing rod in their hand and getting them out, enjoying all that the resource has to offer. Being on the water, be it recreating, boat rides, fishing, what have you. It’s just providing that experience for people.”

Once the project is finished, the site's boat launch will be replaced with a two-lane floating dock with wheelchair access. Crews will clear silt at the end of the dock that makes access difficult, and Fish and Game officials plan to develop a dredging plan to help maintain the new site over time.

“We’re going to address the siltation issues,” Smith said. “We can’t control Mother Nature, but we can control how we respond to what happens with siltation and getting that nice berm at the base of the boat launch.”

The site will also feature 31 parking spaces for vehicles with boat trailers; 25 day-use parking spaces; 61 upgraded and redesigned campsites, including 16 with electric hookups and sites accessible to people with disabilities; and 40 overflow parking spaces for vehicles with trailers.

Crews will also install three new vault toilets, new campground buildings, upgrades to electrical, wastewater and drainage systems, and new culverts along the entrance road to alleviate breakup flooding. An updated traffic pattern that separates boat launch users from day-use parking and the campground will also help reduce congestion, Smith said.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has operated the site since 1986, when the state purchased it from private owners. The site was managed by private concessionaires until around 2020, when the state took over management.

The upgrade plans follow nearly a decade of public surveys asking users what improvements they want to see. Contractors developed initial plans in 2024, and public comment opened last year.

The site will be closed through Nov. 14, then reopen Nov. 15 through April 11 for winter day use. The access site will close again April 12 and remain closed until the end of the project, targeted for mid-July.

The boat launch basin and the shoreline upstream of the launch will remain closed over the winter, with construction potentially resuming in early spring. Utility installation this fall will give the project a more definitive timeline, and officials plan to keep the public updated.

The start of construction in mid-September was met with mixed reactions, Smith said. Some users are excited about the upgrades to the facility for use next season. Others, mainly moose hunters who were looking to use the launch to access the Kashwitna and Susitna rivers, were disappointed by the closure, she said.

“We have to strike while the iron’s hot,” Smith said. “We only have a little bit of a work window to get these things done. It’s trying to appease all user groups at the same time.”

But overall, users said they want the project, said Tim Blackmon, a state Region 2 access coordinator. The improvements will help officials focus on services rather than constant repairs, he said.

“It’s nice to actually see it getting done,” Blackmon said. “Because some of these projects are years in the making. Finally getting to see the construction crews show up is pretty exciting.”