🏚️ Prospect Creek, Alaska

Prospect Creek is a very small settlement approximately 180 miles (290 km) north of Fairbanks and 25 miles (40 km) southeast of Bettles, Alaska. Years ago it was home to numerous mining expeditions and the camp for the building of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS). Today, it is the location of Pump Station 5 of the TAPS. Prospect Creek is also home to the United States record for lowest temperature. On January 23, 1971, the record low temperature of −79.8 °F (−62.1 °C) was recorded. Wildlife can be found there even with its extreme changes in temperature; local fauna include anything from black and brown bears to bald eagles. The elevation of Prospect Creek is 643 feet (196 m) above sea level. Nearby Moore Creek is widely known for its gold and quartz mining and sits alongside Prospect Creek in Alaska’s Innoko Mining District. The Innoko Mining District is famous for its findings of large quartz.