bear valley trailhead anchoragebear valley trailhead anchorage

The measuring tape thrashed in the wind, but with one of us on each side of the road we were able to wrestle it to the ground. Christopher Matthew Cavanaugh confronts Alaska Landmine Editor-in-Chief Jeff Landfield, Anchorage journalist Craig Medred, and the author on the Stewart Homestead Trail, June 2019. Insider tips to pick the best Alaska cruise. The Cavanaughs drove their RV up the mountain and parked it in the middle of the Stewart Trail, blocking the trail and forcing hikers to detour around it. Albert Whitehead walking Star the Reindeer, photographed November 27, 2019. There is a park access with only 5 parking spaces and a "over flow parking" apx. After a brief discussion, the Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to confirm Pease. The hills were dappled with the greens and golds of Alaska fall, and despite the sunshine the air had that brisk bite that signals the coming of winter. When weather is good, you have wonderful view of mountains. 99516, The nearby Chugach is home to many bears, and Anchorage has fantastic access to spots famous for views of bears fishing for salmon, snacking on sedges or even digging for . The wind-swept tundra and rocky ridgeline is easy to follow and runs at a relatively shallow angle, though there are two prominent notches during which youll lose (and regain) about 150 feet of elevation each time. On September 17, 2012, Frank Pugh and wife Oksana Pugh purchased a 120-acre lot in upper Potter Valley formerly known as the Earl Hutchings Homestead. When Oro Stewart passed away in 2002, Whitehead learned that she had willed him her ranch home on the Park Strip in downtown Anchorage. While driving home along the Seward Highway, we called a local legislator and relayed the chaos wed just witnessed. We have several options. residents in mountain view, muldoon, downtown, midtown, etc. 5: Chugach State Park Access Inventory (2002). Note that in summer 2017 a teenage boy was mauled and killed by a bear during a race on the trail, so do be . Here youll find Alpenglow Ski Area, which offers miles of hiking trails and late summer berry picking. Nothing could be further from that insinuation. But in a May 7, 2018 email to a member of the public, Langley writes that, despite the No Parking signs, parking would still be legal if a driver could find a way to leave 20 feet of roadway clear: According to Langley, Honey Bear Lane was a public street open to the appropriate legal use by any person, and parking on the shoulder was no more or less illegal than parking on the shoulder of any Anchorage road of equivalent width. Big ship or small ship? To enjoy a scenic drive just a few minutes from downtown Anchorage, head north to mile 6.1 on the Glenn Highway. Eventually, the neighborhood had had enough. In an October 10, 2018 call, APD spokesperson MJ Thim told the Landmine: Overall this is a civil matter [as opposed to criminal] and we will respond if there are any public safety matters, but this is a civil matter and thats how were treating it., Though Pugh has repeatedly called APD to report trespassers, noone has faced criminal charges for using the trail. But there it is at #4at least, if youre going by land area alone. He rushed to the Bird Valley Trailhead to aid volunteers from Alaska ATV Adventures in rescuing Knudsen. join the parks and rec service area! Great views. While the Bear Valley route up McHugh is just an adventurous Class 2, the final few feet to the true summit qualify as Class 4 (light rock climbing). Free personal GPSdriven travel guide to Alaska. Ultimately you're responsible for yourself and your group. The reason that the MOA claims to lack authority over the Stewart Trail area is that much of the trail lies outside of the MOAs parks service area. When the boundaries for the parks service area were drawn, a diagonal line across the Chugach foothills excluded portions of Bear Valley, Stuckagain Heights, Potter Valley, and other portions of the upper Hillsideincluding much of the Stewart Trail. The battle for the Stewart Trail has spilled over into a bitter civil war on the Rabbit Creek Community Council, into heated Anchorage Assembly meetings, onto talk radio and into cryptic op-eds published by the ADN. Your must-have activity guide + map while in Alaska. The trailhead provides quick access to a scenic alpine shoulder of McHugh Peak and some of the best blueberry picking around Anchorage. Highlights plus less visited destinations. It requires only a bit more elevation gain than the north ridge route (2550 ft. vs. 2320) and far less than the McHugh Creek route (4,300 ft). Big ship or small ship? Though tens of thousands of Anchorage residents live on the foothills below this belt of parkland, the Honey Bear trailhead can accommodate only five vehicles. You will probably also have to cross a few very small streams. Citing precedent and practicality, Fire Marshall Cleo Hill and representatives from the Traffic Department refused to approve the gating of a public road. See them by hiking up 1,500feet to the 4,050-foot summit. I havent listened to the Porcaro show (and wont), but saying that someone has committed a crime is, if untrue, slander per se. Overwhelmed by choices? When we asked about the boulders, he told us I dont know who put them there. When we told the man we were working on a story, he abruptly said I bet youre for trespassing on private property. He then stated he would not be answering any more questions. Bear Valley Hike has 4.7 stars from 27 reviews. I Am so thankful for your persistence and work! In the winter, experienced outdoorspeople hike its wind-blown ridges and ski on its mellow north and west-facing bowls. By Paxson Woelber, with additional reporting by Jeff Landfield, bringing the entire Hillside into the parks service area, Some Anchorage homeowners dont pay taxes for park upkeep. Proof: your dead end problem. But GLT determined that the Stewart Trail easement had little monetary value and Pugh balked at their offer, which was reportedly in the low tens of thousands of dollars. My notes on the summit pinnacle itself are in the Bear Valley route description above. ), but it is an official parking area. In a 2018 phone call, one exhausted legislator described the situation as an emotional shitshow.. He identified himself as a longtime former coworker and friend of Pugh. . But in the summer of 2015, everything changed. ADN and KTVA ran articles announcing that parking on both sides of the roads was now illegal. The challenge is to figure out how to curb the bad behavior of those people who are simply looking for an out-of-public-view spot to engage in such activities, without restricting access to the park by legitimate users who simply want to be able toRead more , Im sympathetic about the crime, but it sounds like the Honey Bear residents are engaged in their own illegal behavior (blocking off a public city street and putting illegal signage on it, even after the city told them they couldnt!). Back inside, Team Landmine asked Whitehead whether Ivan or Oro Stewart had ever been concerned with granting permission to traverse the Stewart Trail. With the closure of the StewartRead more . Which one is right for you? A man answered the door. All Rights Reserved. Others, like Pugh, saw her as a threat. eric, please re-read the quotes from weddleton, your assembly person. . The Alaska Landmine is a owned and operated by Speedogate Media, a division of the Landfield Global Group. I dont know why you put us in your article. It has highlighted how decades of compounding errors in city planning have created so much dysfunction that one rogue landowner has been able to seizeand, for years, successfully holdcontrol over more land than any other individual in the Municipality of Anchorage. Take your time, and follow the trail all the way to the ridge. Prescriptive easements can be frustrating for private property owners, but necessary for the free movement of people and goods. From the trailhead, the clearly-signed trail begins at the parking lot and switchbacks through dense alder toward the broad shoulder of McHughs north ridge. After 0.6 miles (1 km), keep right to stay on the Glen Trail. (unless you trail-run, of course) If you start at the Bear Valley trailhead, the stats are: 5.4 miles round trip, 2,300 ft. elevation gain But it was hard not to have some reluctant sympathy for Pugh and Cavanaugh too. Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. Ive got this now and all of a sudden nobody can use or appreciate it because its mine all mine. Its really sad. GLT has negotiated major land deals in the Anchorage area, including a $7.4 million purchase for South Anchorages 60-acre Campbell Creek Estuary Park. Difficulty: Class 2+(c4). Wow. Measuring road widths on Honey Bear Lane, November 29, 2019. The local HOA agreed to create a small public parking area in the cul-de-sac at the top of Honey Bear Lane, dedicate an easement to Chugach State Park, and maintain the roads and parking area. In a July 2017 email, Langley suggests that because there was little precedent for the signs, it was unclear whether a ticket issued on Honey Bear Lane would actually hold up in court. I can't give it the five stare ratings it deserves, maybe we can all get together and change things back to the way they should be!". Goose Lake Park, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA, Chuck Albrecht Softball Complex, Elmore Road, Anchorage, AK, United States, Wolverine Trail, Anchorage, AK 99516, USA, 13101 Glen Alps Rd, Anchorage, AK 99516, USA, 6998 Raspberry Rd, Anchorage, AK 99502, USA, 6001-6225 Kalmia Dr, Anchorage, AK 99507, USA, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), April 6: Bicentennial Park: North Bivouac, Bicentennial Park: North Bivouac Trailhead. Read 5 Best Hikes in Anchorage, Alaska. Others thought that Pugh wanted to change municipal policy related to trail development and park access requirements for new developments. Follow the ridgeline 1.5 miles over the top of Ruby (the west summit of McHugh Peak) and then on to the summit of McHugh Peak itself. Discover the optimal month due to daylight, temperature, and rain. And thats when residents knew something had gone badly wrong. The classic Alaska Cruise, offered by such companies as Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. To access the Rabbit Creek route, park at the Rabbit Creek Trailhead at the end of Canyon (Upper Hiland) Road. My verdict is still the same. Exit at Rabbit Creek and take left on Rabbit Creek Road. It is best as an out and back hike, however you could use it to do a few loops: 1) go to the "peak" and head over ridge to connect to McHugh-Rabbit Lake trail and end up at McHugh Rec Area along Turnagain Arm, or 2) go down to Rabbit Lake from the end of the ridge, return on the Canyon Road-Rabbit Lake trail and eventually end up at Canyon Road, but neither are obvious and both require some wayfinding. He said he had spoken with Pugh shortly after Pugh purchased his lot. In an August 22, 2019 phone call, Chugach State Park Superintendent Kurt Hensel told the Landmine, To me its really frustrating to have such a great, big awesome park out there, but have limited parking and we have to turn people away to the third largest state park in the country. Hensel remarked that planners should work to serve the general public, and not just Hillside residents anxious about the public entering their neighborhoods. This trailhead is the only designated public access . Distance: 0.9 miles, Elevation gain 1000 ft. Cavanaugh sat at a table, apparently taking notes. Its western flanks enfold several of South Anchorages hillside neighborhoods and dont flatten out until they reach the New Seward Highway. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); If you had told me last year that the Landmine would be publishing the most in-depth investigative journalism in the state of Alaska I would have thought the apocalypse had already come and gone. From the top of Point 3,200, follow the crest of the ridge 1.9 miles to the summit of McHugh. Bear Valley, Meanwhile, the situation on the Stewart Trail was devolving into a tense standoff. The walls inside Whiteheads home were covered with prints of Alaska paintings, and chunks of jade quarried by Ivan Stewart sat on the windowsills. The trailhead to this route provides access to Bear Mountain and Mt. The Rabbit Creek route combines a fast approach, breezy backcountry travel on open tundra andperhaps best of alladequate and uncontroversial parking at the Rabbit Lake trailhead. I think theyre a waste of money, and if he wants to spend all of his time looking at people coming and going I feel sorry for him. Focus on Denali & Kenai Fjords. The Chriss hadnt met before and occupied opposite sides of the political spectrum, but nothing encourages bipartisanship in Alaska like the prospect of an interesting hike.

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