Reservations Open for Site Summit Tours
Contributed by Doris Thomas
Friends of Nike Site Summit (FONSS) has opened reservations for five Cold War history bus tours at Site Summit this summer. Space is limited and early registration is encouraged.
The first tour is a solstice fundraiser on June 19, leading off with a dinner at Arctic Valley’s Alpenglow lodge that features Joongsuk Park, Consul of the Korean Consulate in Anchorage, as the guest speaker. He will offer reflections on South Korea's journey from the Korean War, which began 75 years ago, until today. A bus tour of Site Summit follows the dinner. The bus is limited to 40 passengers, so early reservations are highly encouraged. The direct registration link for dinner and the optional tour is https://reg.planetreg.com/Solstice%20Dinner%20and%20Tour
Morning and afternoon bus tours are set for Saturday, July 12, and Sunday, July 27. Several spots on these tours and three hiking tours have already been filled up by those registered on FONSS’ advance tour notification system. To get on the 2026 notification list, contact FONSS at fonss2007@gmail.com.
Tour participants will talk to veterans who were stationed at Nike sites in Alaska, find out how the missiles were launched and learn about Alaska’s role in the Cold War. Site Summit is culturally significant as the only one of eight Cold War-era Nike-Hercules missile sites in Alaska still standing.
The registration link for the weekend tours is http://reg.planetreg.com/FONSS%20All%20Tours%202025 The bus tour price includes round trip transportation to Site Summit from the Alpenglow Lodge parking lot.
Reservations are required no less than three days in advance. Those without Internet access can reserve by calling (907) 717-0117 and making payment and reservation arrangements.
Friends of Nike Site Summit was formed by local volunteers in 2007 to advocate for the preservation of Site Summit. In 2009, it partnered with the U.S. Army (now JBER), the National Park Service, and State Historic Preservation Officer to preserve the historic mountaintop fortress overlooking Arctic Valley. FONSS' mission is to preserve and interpret the site for the education of current and future generations about the Cold War, and, by doing this, memorialize the millions of veterans who served during the Cold War. FONSS continues to work in cooperation with JBER.