State Department of Transportation highway planners are considering blasting away the rock, which was left behind decades ago when the road was originally carved into the canyon leading to Hatcher Pass gold mines and the expansive state park. DOT is designing the proposed upgrade to the road to transform the curving gravel road into a paved, two-lane wonder. But the graffiti-covered Thumb Rock, which resembles a thumb rising from the edge of the Little Susitna River, sits stubbornly in the path of progress at Mile 9 of Hatcher Pass Road. Wedding couples put their names on it. There are always people climbing up there.
People stop and get their pictures taken in front of it.