Other great hikes in Alaska

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erikhalfacre
Posts: 173
Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 12:48 am
Location: Palmer, AK
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Other great hikes in Alaska

Postby erikhalfacre » Wed Jul 06, 2011 10:24 am

I've hesitated to start this thread for a while for fear folks here might see it as some sort of sacrilege :? but I've decided to give it a go.

The Stampede Trail is a remarkable hike. It's challenging (length and river crossings) and it's rewarding (you get to SEE THE BUS.) It's also not the worst scenery in the place; to be honest I don't think there really is an ugly patch of Alaskan wilderness. That said, I think there are definitely some much MUCH more beautiful trails and hikes to do in Alaska. Now I'm not suggesting that you abandon your plans to go see the bus in favor of a different hike BUT if you have extra time, if you already live in Alaska, or if your bus trip gets cut short by a flooded Teklanika river, I'd like to suggest some other hikes you might be interested in that are absolutely spectacular.

For right now I've got two I'd like to talk about. I'll post more later, and I would LOVE for you guys with some experience up in AK to chime in and list off some of your favorite Alaskan hikes.

1) Reed Lakes / Bomber Glacier
Image
photo credit: Jeremy Egger

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photo credit: robertlroyall

http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikhalfacre/galleries/72157627004697579/ (PHOTO GALLERY)
This hike is great. It's a hair under 5 miles one way and an elevation gain of about 4000 feet. You start out along a creek, pass an old mine shack, go up some switch backs and then across a boulder field. Next up is lower Reed Lake. It's deep turquoise water comes from the Upper Reed Lake, seperated by a short stream and a large waterfall cascading over bare rock. From upper reed lake it's a short climb up a scree slope to a ridge line and then out onto the glacier itself to the wreckage of a WWII era bomber, crashed there many decades ago. There are great spots to camp at upper reed lake. I myself have not actually made it to the bomber. I got turned around in a dense fog/rain and ended up having to put it off til 2012.

2) Crow Pass
Image
photo credit: Jeremy Egger

Image
photo credit: Jeremy Egger

http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikhalfacre/galleries/72157627004629909/ (PHOTO GALLERY)
http://vimeo.com/15531767 (VIDEO)
This hike is 24 miles one way, and is best done as a thru hike. It goes from Girdwood to Eagle River (or vice versa) over Crow Pass on the historic Iditarod Trail. This trail I have no experience with, but it is at the top of my list of to dos for next year. The photos I have from friends' trips, and the photos in the flickr gallery I linked to, are STUNNING. Another thing that makes this hike great for folks coming from out of state, is it's proximity to Anchorage in the Chugach State Park. There's a parks cabin at the top of the pass that you can reserve/rent if you book it in advance, as well as views of Raven glacier (or you could make a side trip and walk right up to it.) Definitely worth checking into if you're going to have some free time in AK.

So everybody, what hikes have you done/really enjoyed in Alaska in addition to the Stampede Trail?
Erik Halfacre - Moderator
info@pathfinderalaska.com
http://www.stampedetrail.info

erikhalfacre
Posts: 173
Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 12:48 am
Location: Palmer, AK
Contact:

GULL ROCK

Postby erikhalfacre » Mon Jul 18, 2011 11:24 am

Gull Rock
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photo credit: Jenna Halfacre

Image
photo credit: Jenna Halfacre

Image
photo credit: Jenna Halfacre


To hike to Gull Rock, drive from Anchorage South towards Kenai, but take the turnoff to Hope. The trailhead is just past the actual town of hope at Porcupine Campground. From there it's a five mile walk in to the rock, along coastal trail overlooking Turnagain Arm. Eleveation gain is minimal, a few hundred feet tops, but you can see all the way out across the inlet and all the way up Girdwood. If you are looking for amazing scenery and a pretty easy hike, this is definitely the trip. It also gets less traffic than a lot of the other spots closer to Anchorage.

Once you get to the rock itself, there are several spots in grassy clears on the rock peninsula jutting out into the arm. The best spot (in my opinion) is the spot at the grass clearing farthest out on the peninsula. You are about a hundred feet off the water straight up the side of a cliff, but you have plenty of nice soft grass to pitch a tent in, or even trees to tie a hammock between. The nearest water source is about 1/4 mile back the trail where a stream comes down the mountainside into the ocean. From camp you can take a walk along the beach, where there is plenty of driftwood for a beach fire.

This trail also seems to melt off and dry out sooner than most of the other trails in the area, thanks to it's low elevation, high sun exposure, and ocean breeze. If you are going to Alaska in the early season (early May on) this is definitely a hike I'd look into. Absolutely beautiful.

Image
photo credit: Jeremy Egger
Erik Halfacre - Moderator
info@pathfinderalaska.com
http://www.stampedetrail.info

ellisd
Posts: 150
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2010 1:01 pm
Location: central/upsate New York
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Re: Other great hikes in Alaska

Postby ellisd » Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:27 pm

when i was up there last month me and my pal went to white mtn. gorgeous hike!

admin
Site Admin
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Re: Other great hikes in Alaska

Postby admin » Sat Jul 23, 2011 11:44 pm

Great stuff Erik.

A.Alnahdi
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2013 5:56 am

Re: Other great hikes in Alaska

Postby A.Alnahdi » Tue Dec 31, 2013 2:39 pm

ﺔAlways have a romantic idea about the beautiful Alaska I hope that someday I visit, I alway imagine I visit and have wolf there:-) I do not know why? I love to go farway and distance from the the cities and nuisaes I love the countryside as the U.S. and Canadiﺠ
 -so uk too
محبة
رحمة
سلام
و جمال
هذا يعني انسانية

fredmerlin
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:12 am

Re: Other great hikes in Alaska

Postby fredmerlin » Wed Jan 01, 2014 1:40 pm

Ditto admin! Wish I was there...your photos DO bring us right in! The best part...the kids getting 'full'! Keep up the great work!

Subbotaisows
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Jun 12, 2017 10:28 pm

Other great hikes in Alaska

Postby Subbotaisows » Fri Jul 28, 2017 2:38 pm

As posted above my ideas for SL's next Great Nation war, so sorry for the double topic as I should have done this when I first posted via using a poll.

Subbotaisows
Posts: 20
Joined: Mon Jun 12, 2017 10:28 pm

Other great hikes in Alaska

Postby Subbotaisows » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:00 pm

As posted above my ideas for SL's next Great Nation war, so sorry for the double topic as I should have done this when I first posted via using a poll.


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