Alaska Outdoor Reports

Hillside Thursday 7PM by Rocky

While this site is fantastic for trail reports, and recent complaints of user interactions could be construed as reports, this site isn't really set up to facilitate meaningful discussion. I think a group/forum on a site like Face Book might be more useful in this regard. Has anyone ever thought of setting up a group for outdoor related complaints?

Glen Alps Tuesday Aug 2 by Orange Crush

Objective Trail Reports:

Dangerous downed birch tree just below stadium at GPRA.

Dangerous, high speed bikers - who don't care about pedestrians - speeding down Hemlock Burn Trail with no warning, slowing, or evasive maneuvering.

Bikers who think HBT is "bike only" when it is not.

E-bikers passing a hiker on a trail at 25 mph without warning or slowing down.

Subjective Trail Report: Valley Orange hypocritically posting a complaint on the internet about people (supposedly) posting a complaint on the internet when in fact they were posting notices about safety hazards.

Government Peak Recreation Area Monday Aug 1 by Valley Orange

Objective Trail Report (preferred): There is a downed birch on a ski trail just south of the stadium, watch out!

Subjective Trail Report (not preferred): I don't like when I am on a trail and someone else, who is also on the trail, does something that upsets me...I strongly believe that something should be done about this interaction that angered me, so I am going to write about what happened on the internet.

Prospect Heights trailhead Monday Aug 1 by Breena Apgar-Kurtz

In light of the lively discussion about the new Hemlock Burn Trail, I decided to research this trail.

Here is what STA’s website says, “STA is partnering with Chugach State Park to build a world class, multi-use singletrack trail for bikers, hikers and skiers, that traverses from Glen Alps to Prospect parking lots.

The vision is to have a fun, family friendly trail that many different people can enjoy. “

https://www.singletrackadvocates.org/hemlock

In addressing the public’s concerns, one of the comments that the Chugach Advisory Board addressed was:

Comment 2: “The HBT will be designed as a dedicated mountain biking trail, at the exclusion of other users. Mountain biking is not compatible with front-range trails, due to the inherent speed and potential conflict with other users. It will disrupt other nearby trails, both official and social.”

Response:

The HBT will be a multipurpose trail that will not exclude any user group. It will be designed to sustainably support all users, including mountain biking and Nordic skiing. The trail design and construction will utilize natural features to slow riders and skiers and provide trail visibility at trail intersections and other necessary locations.

Let’s all be good trail stewards- bikers, hikers, etc.

The Dome Trailhead Sunday Jul 31 by Thomas Pease

On Friday, July 29, while hiking the Dome from the top of Basher, I was overtaken by an eBiker traveling at an exceedingly high speed. The trail was narrow and brushy with blind corners. I stepped off the trail just in time, and he passed quite closely without slowing down. I would estimate his uphill speed at 25 mph. He was traveling so fast that I at first assumed he was on a conventional motorcycle. I recognize the value of eBikes and support their use when used responsibly. This eBiker was a thrill-seeker, riding for speed to the detriment of others. While he was on military land at the time and the military is responsible for policing its property, the incident illustrates the dangers of rogue bikers/eBikers on any multiuse trail. At the top of the Dome, I encountered a human-powered biker, who was descending quite fast, but did not pose a threat since we were above treeline and were visible to one another. On about three other occasions, I have seen mountain bikes well east of the Dome, partway back on the ridge to Knoya. In early June, I watched bikers descend off the north side of the ridge across wet tundra. This was solidly in Chugach Park. The Chugach Park website appears to indicate what trails are open to mt. bikes, but does not explicitly state what trails are closed. I'm assuming the area east of the Dome is closed but don't know this for sure. If it is not, it should be, based on the risks posed by rogue bikers and off-trail scars that are appearing on the tundra. I ask the Chugach Park Advisory Board to address this issue at their next meeting.

Glen Alps Sunday Jul 31 by Thanks to the Trail Crew!

Thanks to the trail crew brushing / re-establishing a section of the Powerline trail a few days ago! For those who haven't been up that way in a while, the alder has grown to the point where it is almost blocking much of the trail. As a result, people have taken to leave the gravel roadway in some places and create a parallel trail in the tundra.
The Powerline Trail is one of the few hardened trails in CSP that is above the tree line. You can use it for hiking or biking without damaging the tundra regardless whether it has been raining for days or the lichen is so dry it would crunch with each step. It is great to see some much needed maintenance done to preserve low-impact access.
Thank you!

Glen Alps Saturday Jul 30 by EricFX

I’m with you frustrated walker. Many bikers and cross country skiers are just plain rude. While I very much enjoy both of those activities myself, I think some take themselves so seriously that anything which slows them down or harms their ideal conditions is deemed unsafe, inconvenient, and worthy of rudeness. This type of behavior is what pits user groups against each other and makes building trails more difficult than it should be.

FWIW, Hemlock is definitely marked as a multiuse trail, but is truly best for downhill biking. I would choose any of the other nearby options over Hemlock. If insistent upon Hemlock for its stellar views, I would hike it uphill. That way the downhill biking traffic is easier to see and hear coming.

Glen Alps Saturday Jul 30 by Frustrated walker

I was walking downhill on the Hemlock Burn Trail this afternoon with my wife and infant child (in a backpack). As a biker came barreling down towards us, I heard them in advance and got my family off the trail. The biker didn't have a bell, never said any warning in advance, never said thank you, and didn't even think about slowing down as he blasted by. A few minutes later another biker came down the trail and slowed down a bit, said thank you (as we stepped aside), but then also added that "this is a bike-only trail." I am a very avid biker myself who uses ALL of the trails in the greater Anchorage area. There are no bike-only trails anywhere in Anchorage. Since when did bikers get the idea that the Hemlock Burn Trail is "theirs?" There are plenty of signs indicated its multi-use nature. Whenever I pass anyone while riding my bike, if they do anything to interrupt their activity to let me go by, I say "thank you very much." Every. Single Time. It's not that hard. Why are so many bikers such jerks???

Upper Reed Lake trail, Hatcher Pass Thursday Jul 28 by Kwie-Hoa Siem

Trail 7/28: great. Boulders dry. Few muddy spots (nothing unusual). Beautiful day with a little breeze and no bugs!

Reed Lakes Trail Thursday Jul 21 by Ben

Re: query on Reed Lakes conditions. Hiked Tuesday 7/19. Trail is very wet, water running down large sections. Through the boulder section trail is flooded, over knee deep in spots. Getting past this requires extra boulder hopping, wading, or both. Otherwise wet and muddy above.

Reed Lakes Wednesday Jul 20 by Peterson

Does anyone know the condition of the trail to Reed Lakes?

Kincaid Park Tuesday Jul 19 by EricFX

Appreciate the heads up on the down tree. Isn’t it a bit wet and muddy to be riding the STA trails now?

Kincaid Park Monday Jul 18 by Singleton

Probably old news but big birch tree down just past the landing on the biggest jump on Hanging Chad. Careful, It’ll take you out.

Kincaid Park Monday Jul 18 by ipickupmydogspoo

Riding on wet trails is never good for trails, but walking the grassy ski trails is fine. Driving all over the stadium this weekend should have also been a non starter, as it has turned it into a rutted mudpit, I'm assuming there was an event? I hope the muni has a plan to repair the damage, it was bad enough that during the dry spell they allowed all the driving and RV camping during the AK airlines soccer cup but during the rainy July it's just full on destruction of public property.

Rippy trail Wednesday Jul 13 by Carlene

Bear tracks going down the trail about halfway between trailhead and bridge. No other signs of bear.

Government Peak Recreation Area Sunday Jul 10 by Dave Werner

Brushed out race trail between the upper crossings of fireweed single track. Cow parsnip and nettles down. Dave

Eagle River - Briggs Bridge access Saturday Jul 9 by Disappointed packrafter

Headed to Eagle River today, planning to float from the North Fork trailhead down to Briggs Bridge. Discovered that Eagle River Loop Road is completely blocked off for construction. There was no way to access the take-out point at Briggs Bridge. We drove around ER for an hour looking for another suitable access point before giving up. Our crew is not comfortable with whitewater, so going below Briggs to the campground was not an option. Is there another spot, or are we out of luck until the road re-opens on Aug 6th?

Government Peak Recreation Area Wednesday Jul 6 by Dave

Brushed out lower section blueberry knoll trail. Nettles and cow parsnip down. Dave

Archangel Road Friday Jul 1 by Bobbo

According to the Mat-Su District Office of the Division of Parks, Archangel Road is open. As far as I know the road is not maintained past the bridge, but up to the bridge it is reportedly in good condition with a few soft spots.

Government Peak Recreation Area Friday Jul 1 by Dave

Weed whacked middle portion yesterday for you cow parsnip and nettle haters. May finish lower portion tomorrow.

Government Peak Recreation Area Thursday Jun 30 by jt

Is archangel road open and drivable now? If so, how far in?

Alyeska Resort Saturday Jun 25 by Gavin Kentch

FYI, when the resort website says that the North Face trail is now "open," it more precisely means that the standard North Face trail is open about 80 percent of the way up to the top, but then you have to traverse across on Spoonline (?), lose some elevation, and then come up a different trail up the main ski face. All of which is fine - I only really know the mountain from going uphill in the Climbathon, and I could find my way up easily enough - but added 10-15 minutes and some more climbing to the ascent. Keep that in mind if organizing your time or planning multiple laps.

A few small snow patches to walk through on North Face (before cutoff). Multiple long snow patches while going up Zugs (?) hiking trail. Air quality has been great most of the last two days, even when Anchorage was a smoky hellscape.

Falls Creek Trail Tuesday Jun 21 by Chris

Does anyone know if the lake below south Suicide (top of Falls creek) is relatively snow free?

Hillside Friday Jun 17 by Emily carroll

Lost thermarest sleeping pad between Smokejumper and Hilltop probably on the Homestead trail. Bike-packing attempt with not enough straps apparently. If found we would love to have it back!

Mount Marathon Wednesday Jun 15 by Hillsider

Does anyone have a recent report on Mount Marathon conditions?

Hillside Wednesday Jun 15 by L.KytomaaLane

Fresh bear & moose tracks on and around Coaches' Cutoff. Yes, there is old bear scat there, but these tracks are all fresh as of today. It sure seems like one of them is chasing the other one around on the Hillside trails, and it is not clear who is chasing whom.

Upper Huffman Sunday Jun 12 by Michael Malvick

Noted an Apple Air Pod case (no pods) in the lost and found basket located at the Silver Fern and Gasline junction. I dropped the case into a plastic bag last weekend to protect it from moisture.

Also saw an Apple Air Pod case with pods on a boulder in front of 11300 Stroganof Drive near the Upper O'Malley Trailhead. Monogram "M" or "W." House is apparently vacant due to "For Lease" sign in front and the dumped garbage can that has not been cleaned up since at least yesterday.

Silver Fern Trail and Gasline dry. New bike trail still has muddy and/or soft spots between snowmachine access trails and White Spruce/Powerline intersection. Dry the rest of the way down to Prospect Heights.

Hillside Wednesday Jun 8 by L.KytomaaLane

Large, fresh bear tracks on Randy's. Looks like it was chasing a moose, as there were fresh adult moose tracks also. The bear claws are a distance from the front pads so I'd say a grizzly, except I am not sure what bear tracks look like if they are running. We tried backtracking to Service, and running up the ski trails, but there were the same tracks in the dirt up the first small hill from Service.

Sand Lake Sunday Jun 5 by Gavin Kentch

Pleased to report that the massive amounts of loose sand and road grit have been swept away from the stop sign at the SW corner of Sand Lake Rd and Kincaid Rd in the last day or two, welcome news for all west side rollerskiers. Just in time for the big APU rollerskiathon day oh wait.

Turnagain Bike Trail Sunday Jun 5 by Greg V

I think it was reported earlier, but the avalanche debris in the section between Bird Point and Girdwood has been removed from the trail. There are several sections with water flowing across the path but easily negotiated on a bike. However, the loose sand & gravel on both sides of the tunnel just south of Bird Point is still there. It could be a safety issue for those riding fast down the long hill if coming from Girdwood. I’m not sure who is responsible for maintaining this trail?

Johnson Pass Sunday Jun 5 by CC

Out & back on the North 6.5 miles of Johnson Pass (to Bench creek falls overlook). Three old avalanche slides to cross and a few small snow patches in last mile. Some runoff on trail just N. of Groundhog cr., but otherwise trail is in good shape. Anyone know if the trail is relatively snow free at the lakes?

Kincaid Park Saturday Jun 4 by Gavin Kentch

FYI to park users, the large annual soccer tournament is being held on the Kincaid fields through tomorrow. I haven’t been out there today, but judging from traffic on Raspberry today, and my experience in previous years, I would expect that it is a madhouse and that parking anywhere near the stadium or chalet is impossible. Note well. (I begrudge this user group zero percent; they get to use the park, too. Just want to flag this for rollerskiers or mountain bikers.)

Government Peak Recreation Area Tuesday May 31 by Mark Strabel

Re: Government Peak trail, Gov peak race
This Saturday from 10:30-2pm the Government Peak Climb will be occurring.
Most of the trail is in great shape, a little dusty, there are a couple of snow patches on the route, but melting very quickly.

Government Peak Recreation Area Tuesday May 31 by Hiltopper

Question: What is the snow situation on Government Peak? I am wondering how this weekend's race will be affected by snow. Any reports are appreciated!

Susitna River Monday May 30 by ShoelessToddlerMom

Afternoon on Memorial Day, on the shore of the Susitna River, next to the bridge the highway crosses. My family left a couple small pairs of brown kids’ shoes. We checked a couple hours later and found no trace of them anywhere in sight. Posting here in case anyone happened to see them, or has good suggestions of where else to post about them. Already checked the lost and found groups, and Craigslist. Thanks in advance.

Tony Knowles Coastal Trail Monday May 30 by Patrick Carnahan

Black bear on the trail this morning about 8:15 by the wastewater plant on the way to Kincaid. Was not disturbed by shouting, clapping, stomping. Eventually left trail of its own volition.

Tony Knowles Coastal Trail Thursday May 26 by Randal Bladel

To the cyclist on the red Specialized road bike and jersey who passed me and many others at high speed without ever announcing his presence: Your cycling behavior is both very rude and dangerous, and does not adhere to accepted norms. You cast all other serious cyclists in a bad light. The coastal trail is used by many others, including casual cyclists, kids and tourists, who may suddenly dart in front of you if they don’t know you are there. A simple “Passing on your left” or “Heads up” is all that is needed. You may be surprised at how many reply “thank you”. And yes, if I encounter you behaving in the same manner again, I will again be a grumpy old man.

Bird to Gird Trail Friday May 20 by devo

Biked from Indian to Girdwood today - the trail is open the whole way, with some minor obstructions left. Counted 13 separate avalanche debris fields that had come over the trail. Thanks to the crews that cut thru, plowed out, chainsawed up the debris to make it passable - huge broken trees and tall snow banks remain beside the trail. A small stream and extended muddy watercourse covers a ~100 yd section of flat trail between Girdwood and the big hill - I was able to ride thru it. Also, where the trail goes thru an underpass under the Seward Hwy ~2mi. NW of Bird Point, a small stream appears to have jumped it's banks and flowed thru the underpass, leaving sand and gravel - slow down there.

Independence Mine Friday May 20 by Brian

Thank you to All the Mat-Su groomers for a excellent season

Independence Mine Thursday May 19 by Ed Strabel

Last Attempt to groom through the mine buildings. Snow had gone isothermal and the ATV tracks were sinking in deeper than the groomer. Probably not worth the trip. We will see you in the Fall. We should have skiable snow at the mine by 15 October. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club

Independence Mine Tuesday May 17 by Ed Strabel

Mat-Su Ski Club re-groomed the mine trails for classic and skating. Still a little rutty but lots of corduroy. Deep classic tracks. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club

Independence Mine Monday May 16 by Ed Strabel

Mat-Su Ski Club will re-groom the mine trails late Tuesday evening and, weather permitting, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club

Independence Mine Saturday May 14 by Ed Strabel

Mat-Su Ski Club re-groomed the mine trails for classic and skating. Pedestrians really chewed up the lower portion of the road. Did an extra lap trying to take out the post holes and ruts. It helped a bit. Should be pretty good skiing early Sunday. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club

Independence Mine Friday May 13 by Ed Strabel

Mat-Su Ski Club re-groomed the road and through the building area for classic and skating. The area got 2-3 inches of snow since last night. Tracks are deep and solid. Skate lane has ATV tracks deeper than the corduroy in many spots. The Hatcher Pass Rd was clear of snow, but damp. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club

Archangel Road Friday May 13 by Ashley Wise

Attempted to groom the road tonight. Trail had so much avalanche debris sticking out. That combined with the sub optimal warm snow, the decision was made to turn around and call it a season for Archangel Rd. Thanks all for the unforgettable winter. Likely still some good touring on the road for those willing to hit it early. Cheers! Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club

Archangel Road Friday May 13 by Ashley Wise

Independence Mine Thursday May 12 by Ed Strabel

Mat-Su Ski club re-groomed the mine trails for classic and skating. Classic tracks are full depth. Snowing while grooming about an inch in the building area. More coming down.
We will re-groom Friday and Saturday nights. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club

Independence Mine Wednesday May 11 by Ed Strabel

CORRECTION TO MY LAST POSTING. We will re-groom Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Should be good conditions on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club

Independence Mine Wednesday May 11 by Ed Strabel

The Mat-Su Ski Club will tentatively re-groom the mine trails for classic and skating late Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Support grooming by the Mat-Su Ski Club