Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost is located in Chicken, Alaska, and is owned by Mike and Lou Busby and their daughter, Josea, and her husband, Anthony Sandoval. Mike and Lou created the business in 2001 after they mined the 20 acres of land for gold in 1998. The property was reclaimed after the mining process and now has 41 electric RV sites, five cabins, 35 dry camping areas, and six tent camping sites. Patrons can pay a fee to mine on the property. The troughs and gold panning gear are all provided by the owners. The owners will also transport them and allow guests to rent or provide their own equipment to mine on their nearby claims if visitors would like to. Patrons get to keep all the gold they find. The camp hosts the Chickenstock Music Festival in the second week in June and other various activities every year.
In the community of Chicken, Alaska, the Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost stands as one of the only three businesses in the "off-the-grid" area. The property is currently owned by Mike and Lou Busby and run with their daughter Josea and son-in-law Anthony Sandoval, their business partners. The business is located on 20 acres of land, which was previously mined by the owners then reclaimed to create the campground.
Visitors can choose from three different options while staying at the camp: cabins, RV sites, or staying in a tent. There are 41 electric RV sites, each location either including a 20 or 30 amp hookup. Of the 41 sites, 29 of them are pull-through accessible sites. There are five cabins and one apartment, with three having electricity and the other three not including it. Two of the cabins can access a combined kitchen space located in a separate building near the two cabins. The apartment has two bedrooms, electricity, and a kitchen. Six tent camping areas are available to patrons, and another 35 sites for dry-camping.
The main building on the premises is the Chicken Creek Outpost. Here patrons can visit the office, the gift shop, coffee bar, ice cream bar, or eat at the restaurant. Depending on the night, the restaurant makes wood-fired pizzas, where guests can eat either inside the outpost or outside seating. The restaurant also serves wine and draft Alaska micro-brews.
The property is located in the Chicken Creek Valley, which is about a half-mile from the Mosquito Fork River. Multiple walking trails start on the land owned by the Busby’s, with some leading to the river and even the old Chicken Cemetery. The land is officially a part of the National Historic site registry. A million-pound dredge, the Pedro Dredge, was brought to the property by the owners. Initially, the Fairbanks Exploration Company owned the dredge, which was in operation until 1958. Daily tours of the dredge are available to visitors. Another activity provided by the business is gold mining. For a fee, visitors can mine in the troughs set up by the Busbys. The property provides the equipment and material to gold pan. Recreational gold mining on the claims owned by the Busby’s is also available to guests. Transportation to these sites is provided, and gear rentals are also available.
If patrons find any gold on the property, they get to keep it. Mike has said that several of his guests have paid for their whole vacations with the gold they found, even one couple from New Zealand. Another feature of the property that visitors have remarked about in the past is the northern lights that appear over the land. Mike says that being off the grid means no light pollution, making his property a place where people can see the lights. Usually, the lights appear at the end of August through September, which is also when the fall foliage occurs.
One of the Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost owners, Mike Busby says many of those who have visited the property feel like they are part of the Chicken Gold Camp family. Especially during the summer, he reports that new customers come not knowing what to expect and leave, having become a part of the family culture that the property and returning patrons have established. This, in turn, has become the biggest goal of the owners, to make each visitor feel like they are a part of the family. This is implemented by interacting with guests and helping them with concerns or directing them to their interests. The Busby’s and staff will also give gold mining lessons for free, trying to ensure that everyone has a good time while staying at the camp.
There is a wide variety in the people that can be found at Chicken Gold Camp, with people coming in from all over the world. The owners say that they have had visitors from every continent and almost every country. Some of the people who pass through Chicken are often traveling down either the Alaska Highway or the Top of the World Highway, on their way down to South America. People from other countries will often ship vehicles over and drive them through the whole continent.
One of the biggest draws to the Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost is the Chickenstock Music Festival, held annually every second week of June. The Busby’s fill up the whole 20 acres of their property with people who come for the music and activities. The artists who perform at the festival are often Alaskan artists and a few other performers from various locations like Nashville and Colorado. One performer from Colorado is Cousin Curtis, who is said to be the excitement of the show. Vendors are brought in, and an airplane flies over the property dropping over 2,000 chicken marshmallow peeps into the sky. The festival is full of people of all ages; Mike says the attendees are for all ages: “Diapers to depends.” Camping sites are free for those who purchase a ticket to the festival.
Another activity that happens during the summer is a run from the town of Tok, Alaska, to Chicken, which ends up being 78 miles of running. The race begins at midnight and goes on until the runners finish. After the race, the business hosts a chicken wing cook-off. There are usually festivities over the Fourth of July; however, held either on the property or in a location nearby. One guest enjoyed the activities hosted by the owners and said, “Pulled 4.3 grams of gold. Friendly folks, great pizzas, and plenty of good advice from staff and other prospectors. Definitely want to come back for Chickenstock.”
The town of Chicken is almost vacant during the winter months due to the extremely cold conditions, with temperatures dropping to 80 below zero. The only people who stay in the community during this time are the postmaster and their spouse, and one or two other people. The business closes down around the 20th of September most years, opening back up right before Memorial Day. The access over the Top of the World Highway from Dawson City, Yukon, 100 miles away, requires crossing the Yukon River on a ferry so the road opening has to wait for the ice to melt. The access from
Tok on the Alaska Highway to the south is 78 miles which makes Chicken a remote, wilderness community.
Mike and Lou Busby converted their 20 acres of land into the Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost in 2001 and have been running it the 21 years since. The land was previously mined by them starting in 1998; after mining gold, they reclaimed the land. This reclaiming process won them the "Reclamation and Sustainable Mineral Development Award" from the US Interior Department of the United States. According to the owners, people can’t even tell that the land was previously mined.
The Chicken Gold Camp and Outpost has become a family business over the years after they partnered with their daughter, Josea, and her husband, Anthony Sandoval. The four of them have each done a part in adding new things to the business. One of the first additions to the property was the ability for guests to mine themselves. This feature was added 15 years ago and has continued to be a big draw to the establishment. Mike says that his daughter Josea has become a driving force in the business, including the Chickenstock Music Festival, which has been one of the biggest innovations that have led to success for the family. Mike calls her the “head chick.”
The owners have enjoyed bringing their visions and ideas that have “hatched” over the years to life through building their business. Mike says they are close to the staff they hire and enjoy working with them. Mike and Lou have loved meeting people from all over the world and helping them enjoy their trips to Chicken. They also love the location of their property, which they say has taken them away from the “craziness of the world into a remote wilderness community.”
The town of Chicken falls into “Gold Country.” Chicken is 100 miles from Dawson City, Yukon Territory, the center of all the gold history in the north. The gold rush to the north brought people to Chicken are when gold was discovered in 1896. Gold miners applied for a post office in 1902. When submitting the application for the post office, a town name was needed and "ptarmigan" was selected, but not being able to agree on the spelling, the founders decided to name it Chicken. The town is the only one in the world to this day named Chicken.
1/4 Airport Road
Chicken, Alaska 99732
United States
Campground
Mike and Lou Busby
