Georgia’s Old Car City is renowned for its vast collection of vintage vehicles, sprawling across six miles and boasting over 4,000 cars. However, Alaska offers a different, more serendipitous encounter with automotive history at Eklutna Tailrace. Here, instead of a curated display, you’ll find fragments of dilapidated old cars emerging from the earth, reclaimed by nature along a secluded riverside trail. This unexpected old car graveyard provides a fascinating glimpse into the past, blending natural beauty with rusting relics.
On a recent morning, a lone car marked the Eklutna Tailrace trailhead. A man and his dog strolled along a narrow strip of land extending into the Knik River, sparking my curiosity. Later that afternoon, I returned to explore what seemed like a promising location, unaware of the automotive treasures it held.
The main path was a wide, level trail leading directly to the rushing river, less than a quarter-mile away. To my right, a tranquil marsh mirrored the distant, snow-capped Chugach Mountains. To my left, the glacial blue tailrace surged – the powerful outflow from Eklutna Lake, channeled 4.5 miles through a mountain tunnel, fueling hydroelectric power for the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. The area below dams and hydroelectric plants is often popular for fishing, and Eklutna Tailrace was no exception.
Just a few steps down the trail, the allure of the expansive landscape and mountain reflections drew me towards the water’s edge.
Venturing along the riverbank, parallel to the main trail, I meandered through trees, initially focused on spotting warblers, examining tree bark, and photographing mushrooms. Then, something peculiar caught my eye – a shape protruding from the soil. Almost entirely buried, a mere sliver of metal, resembling a canoe, hinted at something more. As I continued, more and more remnants appeared. Thick metal cables snaked from the ground, seemingly anchoring these buried objects. Could these old cars be deliberately placed to reinforce the riverbank?
It was like stumbling upon a forgotten drive-in movie, but instead of screens, the landscape was littered with car carcasses. The entire north bank of this small peninsula was a graveyard of old cars, each in varying states of decay, spectacularly rusted, and sinking back into the earth. These automotive relics, scattered in this natural setting, offered a stark contrast and a unique photographic opportunity.
Completely absorbed in photographing these automotive relics, my initial moose search was forgotten. Time slipped away as I explored this unexpected old car city until hunger finally reminded me of dinner. Later, research revealed the story behind this surprising find at mile 3.6 of the Old Glenn Highway.
This wasn’t a deliberate landscaping project. From the 1950s through the 1970s, old cars were simply dumped here. This era of unregulated disposal transformed this riverside into an unofficial old car graveyard.
The State of Alaska attributes this to a period of federal land ownership. When the Electric Company acquired the land in the 1980s, increased oversight and local presence seemed to curb the dumping.
Speculation suggests this secluded location, easily accessible by road, became a convenient dumping ground. Some cars were abandoned by owners, perhaps after nearby demolition derbies. Others might have been stolen for joyrides and then discarded. Some were even set ablaze after getting stuck. Even today, abandoned vehicles are a common sight along Alaskan roadsides. The practice of leaving a broken-down car and figuring out transportation later seems surprisingly commonplace in Alaska.
The intricate details of these decaying old cars are captivating. A whole day could easily be spent exploring this unique location. Alaska consistently offers more than initially meets the eye, constantly exceeding expectations. This hidden old car graveyard at Eklutna Tailrace is a testament to Alaska’s unexpected treasures.
