Big Delta State Historical Park
Big Delta State Historical Park
4.5
This location was reported permanently closed
About
"The most beautiful Park in Alaska," as many visitors have said. We offer a Cafe and Gift Shoppe, RV parking, hiking trails, pipeline views, cabin rental, 10 acres of museums, with the original Rika's Roadhouse, on the old Valdez to Fairbanks Trail. See where the original river crossing happened, by ferry, and explore the old 1900's roadhouse and museums with Alaskan artifacts and relics. For campers convenience, there is a dump-station on the grounds and clean restrooms. Our Cafe is on the grounds with delicious hot soups, sandwiches, reindeer sausage, coffee, home baked pies, ice-cream, soda, and more. Our Gift Shoppe offers Alaskan-made gifts of all kinds, ulus, souvenirs, vintage & antiques, and many more surprises! Park and Cafe/Gift Shoppe is open from May 8th - September 20th, 10-4pm daily. We can schedule buses, RV groups, van tours, and special groups, for lunch or morning coffee stops. Please call the listed number or email. Don't miss this Alaskan treasure!
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.5
38 reviews
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24
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11
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2
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0
Rhys J
Llanbedr, UK2,926 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
Big Delta Sate Historical Park is about 8 miles north of Delta Junction at Mile 275 and is also the location for Rika's Roadhouse Café and Gifts. This was the lunch stop for our tour group during the long drive from Valdez to Fairbanks along the scenic Richardson Highway as part of our 'Natural Wonders of Alaska' tour with Titan Travel. Our knowledgeable tour manager explained that this 10 acre park has been an important meeting point since the early 20th century for travellers, traders, and the military, is home to many historical buildings and offers numerous facilities incuding a camping area for RVs, a picnic area, water and toilets. Rika's Roadhouse Cafe and Gifts has served travellers since the early 1900s and became a popular venue with gold prospectors, hunters and traders travelling between Valdez and Fairbanks. As the first major road to be built in Alaska, the Richardson Highway has many historical roadhouses like Rika's along it's route and many are now listed on the US National Register of Historic Places.
This park is definitely worth exploring after a stop at Rika's Roadhouse Cafe and Gifts for a comfort break and a bite to eat. Rika's Roadhouse is now a beautifully restored building among many such historical buildings within the park. I had time after a light lunch to explore some of the buildings which included a Telegraph Building, being one of the original McCarty Station buildings and constructed in 1907. It contained the telegraph office and housed the staff required to operate and maintain the Washington to Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System (WAMCATS). Another impressive building is the Alaska Road Commission Outbuilding built in 1914 and housed road building materials and equipment. I also enjoyed the Museum housed within the Homestead Outbuilding, a detailed reconstruction of the original sod-roofed outbuilding that once stood on the site. It now accommodates a museum displaying exhibits from the Delta Historical Society's collections. This park is worth a visit and I'm sure many visitors travelling along the Richardson Highway have missed visiting this hidden gem!
This park is definitely worth exploring after a stop at Rika's Roadhouse Cafe and Gifts for a comfort break and a bite to eat. Rika's Roadhouse is now a beautifully restored building among many such historical buildings within the park. I had time after a light lunch to explore some of the buildings which included a Telegraph Building, being one of the original McCarty Station buildings and constructed in 1907. It contained the telegraph office and housed the staff required to operate and maintain the Washington to Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System (WAMCATS). Another impressive building is the Alaska Road Commission Outbuilding built in 1914 and housed road building materials and equipment. I also enjoyed the Museum housed within the Homestead Outbuilding, a detailed reconstruction of the original sod-roofed outbuilding that once stood on the site. It now accommodates a museum displaying exhibits from the Delta Historical Society's collections. This park is worth a visit and I'm sure many visitors travelling along the Richardson Highway have missed visiting this hidden gem!
Written 3 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sunni014
Kilgore, TX433 contributions
Jul 2017 • Couples
Stopped here because it looked interesting. Outside was a lot of history information and inside was a lot of things that you could purchase relating to the area of Alaska. Found it to be a quaint and interesting stop.
Written 6 August 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1never2late
Queensland, Australia183 contributions
Jul 2016 • Couples
An interesting 1 to 2 hour break in the drive up the Richardson Hwy into Fairbanks. Pamphlets available near the car park explain the buildings and surroundings of this once important roadhouse, run for many years by a Swedish immigrant woman named Rika. The grounds, old roadhouse and barn have been restored providing a real insight into life early/mid last century. If into history we'll worth a stop and its is free!k
Written 5 November 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jill B
Box Elder, SD392 contributions
Jun 2024 • Couples
Disappointed in this stop! Beautiful cabins along the river with interesting history. However they were all locked up. They were not taken of the yards were not kept at all. I wouldn't recommend them at all... they don't even take care of the American flag! Talk about a rip off for time & money! Just skip it!
Written 28 June 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarah V
Anchorage, Alaska478 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
Rika's Roadhouse & Landing is an excellent feature of Big Delta State Park. It provides a very real look into the past! The site was frequented by travelers, miners, hunters, traders, and the military in the early 1900s. Rika's Roadhouse was managed by a Swedish immigrant (Rika Wallen) beginning in 1917 and it has been very well-maintained to this day. You can tour the roadhouse and the barn, and there is another small cabin out front. Community volunteers raise chickens and goats on site- which are fun to see. The gift shop is well-appointed, the staff are friendly, and the bathrooms are clean. Great stop if you enjoy history. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is that it would be nice if there were people inside the roadhouse to go over some of its features.
Written 30 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AmberHess1
Anchorage, AK22 contributions
Jul 2014 • Couples
Hubby and I took the full loop from Anchorage to Fairbanks this summer, and spotted the park sign on our way down the Richardson Hwy. Never heard of the place so we stopped in to take a look see. What a great area! Rika's is a roadhouse built in the early 1900's by Swedish immigrants, mostly was inhabited by local pioneers and the military. the road has since been rebuilt and the tourist industry has moved on, but the cabins and lodge are now a historical landmark. Complete with campsite (and potty), room for RV's, museum and awesome hiking trails. Costs next to nothing to stay and hardly anyone there. Words of advice; take bear spray when hiking the trails, and food and water. Hiking trails are un-groomed and the restaurant is closed indefinately.
Written 23 July 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Micki G
Blairsville, GA67 contributions
Jun 2018 • Friends
I was more than happy to pay the $5 entry fee because the money goes to maintain this terrific state park that gets no government funding. Volunteers do a great job keeping the famous Rika’s roadhouse and other very old outbuildings in top shape. Lots of fascinating artifacts and museum pieces. Educational signage was top notch as well. The trails are great, and there are some wonderful scenic views as well. The restaurant and gift shop are very nice.
Written 29 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gmchat48
Anderson, IN24 contributions
May 2018 • Family
My niece's relative was having a book signing at the gift shop and cafe there, so our family decided to spend the morning at the park. The preserved road-house and out buildings were very interesting. It was a great place for the kids to explore and I, as an adult new to Alaska history, found the history of the area very interesting. We all had lunch at Rika's Roadhouse Cafe and Gifts. The soups and sandwiches we're very good and fairly reasonable.
Written 30 May 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HonestCountryCouple
Inverell, Australia174 contributions
Jul 2017 • Couples
A very worthwhile stop. There are lots of interesting buildings and information on the history of this area, including the roadhouse. We really enjoyed our time walking around the outbuildings and the homestead. It is located right on the river with nice views. 25th July 2017
Written 6 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jennifer R
Lexington, NC64 contributions
Jul 2017 • Family
We were pleasantly surprised at the park. it had nice signs about the history outside the museum and nice things inside. A nice stop along the Richardson Highway.
Written 24 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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