Tahneta Pass Airport

The airport was a privately-owned airstrip exclusively serving the Tahneta Pass Lodge. Its closure was an economic decision by the private owner. Reasons typically include the high costs of runway maintenance, insurance, and liability, especially if the lodge ownership changed or the owner no longer had a need for a private airfield. There is no indication of closure due to an accident or military conversion.

The airport is permanently closed and is not used for any aviation activities. Satellite imagery of the coordinates shows the clear outline of the former runway located on the Tahneta Pass Lodge property, just north of the Glenn Highway. The surface is unmaintained, overgrown with vegetation, and appears to be used as a private access road or is simply reverting to its natural state.

The airport, known by its former FAA identifier AK51, was a private general aviation airstrip with a single gravel runway (approximately 2000 ft long). Its sole purpose was to provide direct, fly-in access to the historic Tahneta Pass Lodge for its owners, guests, and for receiving supplies. Operations would have consisted of small, single-engine 'bush planes' (like Cessna 185s or Piper Super Cubs) capable of landing on short, unimproved surfaces. Its significance was purely logistical and recreational, enhancing the remote lodge's accessibility for tourism, hunting, and fishing in the surrounding Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains.

There are no known public plans or official prospects for reopening the airport. Any potential reopening would be entirely at the discretion and expense of the private owner of the Tahneta Pass Lodge. Given the significant costs associated with runway restoration, ongoing maintenance, and insurance, a reopening is considered highly unlikely unless a future owner is an avid aviator with a specific need for the facility.