Sutton

A town with a rich coal-mining heritage, Sutton offers roadside services and activities for visitors including fishing, fossil hunting, rafting, horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking. The Alpine Historical Park is an outdoor museum featuring the concrete ruins of a coal washery from the 1920s. It's open daily throughout the summer.

For the outdoors adventurer, Sutton is a great place to visit. Coyote Lake Recreation Area and Seventeen Mile Lake are popular spots for visitors, and have access to launch a canoe or kayak. Several of the lakes in the area are stocked by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, giving anglers success at species such as lake trout, burbot and landlocked salmon. Locally grown produce is available at a farmers market during the summer.

Sutton can be found at Mile 60 Glenn Highway, a National Scenic Byway. The town was established in 1918 as the Matanuska Branch of the Alaska Railroad. Today, the railroad does not go to Sutton, but it played a big role in the settlement, as the railroad was used to transport coal to Anchorage from the rich veins found in the area.

Each August, the town celebrates its past with the Sutton Coal Miner's Ball.