bear valley trailhead anchorage
Great article on an important issue in Anchorage. His blog includes excited entries about the wind, problematic winterbears, moose, and ease of access to wilderness in Anchorage. Excellent trailhead, but limited parking. All trails are moderate with wonderful view. The trailhead to this route provides access to Bear Mountain and Mt. His points are well taken and he is just the kind of neighbor one wants to have living adjacent to a park access point. Bear Valley Trailhead is located off of the Pine Valley Rd. The north ridge of McHugh Peak. Focus on Denali & Kenai Fjords. The usual kind of casual, Alaska Hello.'. Sic burn, Paxson! Was there a word count requirement on the article submission? Full-day adventures can be found at Wheeler Lake and Bull Run Lake. I dont recall her telling anyone to leave. I grew up in Alaska and currently live in Anchorage. There is also overflow parking on Honey Bear Lane on a widened stretch of road about two thirds of a mile below the trailhead. Head out on this 5.4-mile out-and-back trail near Indian, Alaska. Cavanaugh sat at a table, apparently taking notes. From central Anchorage, take the Seward Highway south to O'Malley Road (or take the Minnesota Bypass, which turns east and becomes O'Malley Road). Also, it is a relatively short hike to the first peak with a great view of Anchorage. It has received 27 reviews with an average rating of 4.7 stars. We hike around UAA park or Chester Creek Trail. He said he had spoken with Pugh shortly after Pugh purchased his lot. From downtown, take New Seward Highway toward Seward. In the back yard, Whitehead introduced Team Landmine to Star the Reindeer, a descendant of the same herd that Ivan and Oro had paraded through Anchorage decades ago. But community councils are unable to change regulations directly, and their powers are largely advisory. The man sat down, seemingly unaware that he had just dropped a bomb into the battle for the Stewart Trail. Throughout our walk, Pughs cameras silently recorded us. Overwhelmed by choices? Choose a round-trip Inside passage or one-way Gulf of Alaska Cruise. This smaller trail switchbacks uphill until it gets above the V-shaped cut bank of McHugh Creek and then parallels the creek all the way back to McHugh and Rabbit Lakes, beneath the Suicide Peaks. 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. With the ups and downs of the ridge, however, you will have climbed about 2450 feet to gain the summit and 2700 feet by the time you complete a round trip. Bear Valley Trailhead provides ample parking for larger vehicles with trailers. But in 2015, Pugh abruptly gated the trail. I feel compelled to set the record straight. It leads along an old roadbed that can be steep and muddy in sections. Bear Valley, If you asked people what the largest cities in the US are, few would guess Anchorage. Though the area was beloved by many it remained something of a hidden gem, a place where those in the know could slip away from city life into the peaceful wildness of the Chugach foothills. Others thought that Pugh wanted to change municipal policy related to trail development and park access requirements for new developments. Before and after Frank Pugh bought his property people accessing Stewart Trail disregarded the property rights of nearby neighbors. On October 1, 2018, Team Landmine invited Assemblymember Christopher Constant and then-Representative Chris Birch to meet us in the streets below the Stewart Trail. Some trail users declined to engage with Pugh, while others began carrying copies of the MOAs letters stating the trail was public. As Constant said, Its dangerous to ask questions if you cant control the answers.. 7-10 days is the most common. Unless I missed a point- no where in this article does Alaska Landmine mention Private Property ownership Rights As longtime homesteaders of Potter Heights (60+ years) We knew The homesteaders that created Stewart road (the Millers were one) none of them did it to give the public recreational access to their land-Period!- Private property is just that- I stand with Frank Pugh, and other Potter land owners that want their privacy preserved. The trail is a mix of dirt and rocks. About fifty feet beyond the boulders, an offical-looking street sign read NO TRESPASSING. Legal scholars argue that easements by prescription help maximize the productive use of land, reduce long-term uncertainty over land use and access, and ultimately minimize intractable legal conflicts. Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. Just follow the ridge west to the summit of McHugh. Use our calculator to find out, Stay casual, dress in layers, and get proper footwear, View All Southcentral & Interior Towns on a Map, Cruises depart Juneau or Sitka. He writes that he is a good team player that is able to work effectively within interdisciplinary teams to deliver complex projects. Former coworkers describe Pugh as methodical and precise. Numerous trail users reported that Pugh began threatening and harassing them after they refused to sign his agreement. Your must-have activity guide + map while in Alaska. Local favorites for half-day hikes include Bloods Ridge and Inspiration Point. Visit September to April to see the Northern Lights. Under Alaskas criminal statute, its legal for trappers or hunters to access unimproved and apparently unused land unless the land is marked with 144-square-inch signs that give information about the people who can grant access, and specify prohibitions like No Hunting or No Trespassing. There are many unofficial trails, game trails, and old inholding trails in this area. The Landmine was unable to determine who first brought the situation to the attention of the Municipality of Anchorage (MOA), but on February 29, 2016 then-MOA Attorney Bill Falsey drafted a letter to Pugh with a clear message: the gate was illegal, and would need to be removed. In the end, the current land owners affected by the prescriptive easements have a wonderful opportunity to establish a positive legacy for themselves and their heirs by working nicely with the community. It is not good access to Rabbit Lake's, Flattop, Peak 2 etc. to many more hikes, and keeping our trailheads open andRead more . You are smart enough to be a CPA? Located 40 minutes north of downtown Anchorage in the Eagle River Valley, the center serves as the gateway to the Chugach. Christopher Constant, Chris Birch, and Jeff Landfield walk the Stewart Trail, October 1, 2018. Eklutna and Bear Mountain above Peters Creek. 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. In an internal email dated July 10, 2017, MOA Traffic Engineer Stephanie Mormilo writes that Honey Bear residents had complained long and loud enough to elevate the issue to the highest levels of local government: Langley had previously made the same claim in an email on June 15, 2017, writing that The situation on Honey Bear was generated by contacts to the 8th Floor at [City Hall].. category. Turn left onto the Glen Trail and begin climbing up the side of a ridge. From national parks to guaranteed views, Anchorage is in the heart of bear country. Toward the crest of the ridgeline the trail gradually disperses and disappears into loose rock. US. Hikers determined to follow the crest of the ridge may find some adventurous Class 3 scrambling, but steeper sections are generally easily avoided by moving onto the north side of the ridgeline. also- neighborhoods and property owners have a responsibility to develop in a manner that allows access to shared lands. Signage on the Stewart Trail posted by Christopher Matthew Cavanaugh, photographed October 14, 2018. How does Mattanaw access his parcel? With the snap of a padlock, Pugh claimed the de facto right to exclusively dictate access to over a thousand acres of Anchorage, including vast swaths of private, nonprofit, and state park land. According to an email from MOA Traffic Safety Division Manager Kris Langley, someone installed illegal signage around the trailhead, at times using MOA sign posts: In a series of emails sent between May 28 and June 23, 2016, Stolle Subdivision board member Dan Toomey requested that the MOA allow the local HOAs to gate nearby Snow Bear Drive and permit residents to assist in parking control at the Park access point. Toomey states a desire to limit parking to the approved spots at the trailhead and cites documented instances of crime and violence at the end of Snow Bear Drive. Lock on Frank Pughs gate, photographed December 2, 2019. The blood coursing through reindeer antlers, Whitehead explained, causes them to vibrate like a tuning fork. In one Instagram post detailing an attempt to climb Ruby, Cavanugh explains that he has decided to name the peak Mattanaws Peak, after himself. 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. sean, as article explains your neighborhood has such problems with trash, parking, etc because yall VOTED to stay out of the parks area so you could keep dodging that parks tax. The ridge consists of several peaks and valleys, but height of drop is about 100-200 ft. There is ample parking here year round for $5 (or an annual State Parks Pass), and the trailhead is located at the end of the uppermost parking lot. Several Anchorage real estate experts told the Landmine that subdividing the mountainous tract to muni standards and providing code-compliant roads, fire access, septic, water, and other services would be extraordinarily expensive and likely uneconomical well into the foreseeable future. The McHugh Creek Route up the west ridge starts nearly at sea level and requires just over 4,300 feet of elevation gain to reach the summitfar more than any other route. Let us simplify it for you, How much does an Alaska summer vacation cost? Boutique, small ship adventure cruises in Alaska's Inside Passage, Cruises depart from Whittier, a 1 hr drive from Anchorage. Bear Valley Hike is a Hiking area located at Make sure you bring your camera, there are pullouts the entire way up with stunning views of Anchorage, Cook Inlet and on a clear day, Denali (Mt. The park has many trails. Two trails reach the topamore direct steep route, and alonger. 2) 5 cars only for McHugh this is ridiculous. Midwinter view from the north ridge of McHugh Peak, up the Rabbit Lake drainage toward North Suicide Peak. Wolverine Trail, Anchorage, AK 99516, USA . From the summit either retrace your steps or drop off the ridge to the south for a cross-country downhill to the McHugh Lake Trail. Weddleton added, that traffics coming anyway. After 0.6 miles (1 km), keep right to stay on the Glen Trail. Difficulty: Class 2+(c4), McHugh Creek route (West Ridge): 7.8 miles round trip, 4,300 ft. elevation gain. The Stewarts were regular fixtures in Anchorage parades, towing their vehicle behind a team of domesticated reindeer. When Pugh purchased the lot, nearby residents had little reason to suspect that access to the Stewart Trail would change. Climbing the Valley. Send an email to friendsofthestewarttrail@gmail.com thanks, Saddened- this is so not the Alaskan spirit. Some residents appear to have a curious relationship with fire safety; on July 24, 2017, Honey Bear Circle resident Laurie Holland asked Langley what criteria the neighborhood streets would need to meet to be designated as fire lanes, thereby increasing parking tickets from $20 to $200. Nine-time champion and record holder at Crow Pass. Residents were forbidden from turning the neighborhood into a gated community because the streets are public, but the camera-studded gateand its message to visitorsremains. Rising above the Potter Valley neighborhood on the southeast corner of Chugach State Park, its summit and the ridges below it have a graceful symmetry uncommon in the Chugach Mountains. Plan your journey with this gorgeous printed map. Secretly collecting and sorting through tens of thousands of photos, videos and audio recordings of your neighbors. Starting in late 2016 an assortment of neighbors and trail users coalesced into a group, calling themselves Friends of the Stewart Trail. By this point, many influential people in the broader Anchorage community had become aware of the bizarre drama unfolding on the Stewart Trail and at the RCCC. Toward the end of the meeting, a man rose to speak. We were the 4th house up there at the time. Of Anchorage Trail is a relatively short hike to the summit of Peak... 1, 2018 40 minutes north of downtown Anchorage in the heart of bear country assortment neighbors. Larger vehicles with trailers Pugh, while others began carrying copies of the meeting, a rose. Control the answers.. 7-10 days is the most common also, it is not good to... Team player that is able to work effectively within interdisciplinary teams to deliver projects... Deliver complex projects south for a cross-country downhill to the south for a cross-country downhill to the.! 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