bear valley trailhead anchorage
In 1967, the Stewart Trail was featured in 30 Hikes in Alaska as the preferred route to climb McHugh Peak. Find how many days you need based on what you want to see and do in Alaska. There is a parking-fee area at the Rendezvous Peak Trailhead. Basher Trailhead; Stuckagain Heights; Hillside. US. Nothing could be further from that insinuation. they can do what they want and have friends in some interesting places they can pull string to have are park access restricted and in forced by APD, that's funny. Over the subsequent years, Pughs gate has withstood repeated demands from the Municipality to tear it down, the ire and defiance of his neighbors, and the early stages of a lawsuit. Just past the first private drive, we immediately noticed several large boulders blocking vehicle access on the roadway. From the other side of the room, Whiteheads longtime companion Martha interjected: She had that old Alaska attitude of everyone helps everybody.. Nine-time champion and record holder at Crow Pass. The battle for the Stewart Trail has aroused powerful emotions: anger, annoyance, fear, frustration. Highlights plus less visited destinations. Brett Frazer hiking back down the McHugh Lake Trail toward the McHugh Creek Trailhead. 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. Big ship or small ship? After a third of a mile from the parking lot, the trail enters open tundra. Campgrounds, RV Parks & Public Use Cabins. Numerous trail users reported that Pugh began threatening and harassing them after they refused to sign his agreement. It can be overgrown so stay bear aware in this area. It is steep; however, wherever you stop, you will have a gorgeous view of Anchorage and Chugach mountains, from Flattop far on the left to peak 2, 3, and Ptarmigan Peak. Arctic Valley Road Scenic Drive. The six mile round trip requires three to five hours of hiking time. Indeed, the lack of visible progress had begun to invite comparisons with the 2014 Bundy standoff in Nevada and 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, in which armedand, some have pointed out, conspicuously whitemilitants had been treated with apparent indifference by government authorities after seizing and occupying public parklands. Carpooling to the trailhead is highly recommended. Before and after Frank Pugh bought his property people accessing Stewart Trail disregarded the property rights of nearby neighbors. On the other side, strike out across the open tundra and climb any of the slopes arcing upward toward McHugh Peak. The lot was bisected by the Stewart Trail, which runs from its northwest corner to the middle of its eastern side. Excellent trailhead, but limited parking. Out of necessity, homesteaders built and travelled this road to reach their homesteads. 2-5 day small ship explorations. Title: Bear Valley: Ray E Stork Homestead ParkLocation: Bear Valley: Ray E Stork Homestead ParkLink out: Click hereStart Time: 18:30Date: 2013-04-18End Time: 20:00, We hike around UAA park or Chester Creek Trail. Book entire boat for your family or group, or opt to bunk with other guests. Surveillance camera operated by Frank Pugh on the Stewart Trail. From downtown, take New Seward Highway toward Seward. Pugh, it seemed, dreamed of finding real estate riches in the steep slopes of upper Potter Valley. It leads along an old roadbed that can be steep and muddy in sections. One longtime local resident and trail user told the Landmine that Pugh chased him down the trail, yelling Dont come on here! But by mid-2017, those efforts had stalled. A January 6, 2017 article by ADN reporter Devin Kelly, titled Some Anchorage homeowners dont pay taxes for park upkeep. The room hummed with quick, whispered conversations. I understand the neighborhood's complaints as it will only get worse and worse. . 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. This is an easy to moderate 3 to 3.5 mile hike depending on the route you take on the descent. 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. Frank Pugh leads a Rabbit Creek Community Council Meeting, October 11, 2018. The Honey Bear trailhead lies about half a mile past a large metal gate on Honey Bear Lane. Cavanaugh emerged from the bushes yelling Go away! while waving a GoPro camera, and then attempted to block the trail with his vehicle. 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. My interaction with him was really short, I walked up to him and said whats going on? and he said Im building a gate or something. The Municipality has an obligation to protect the publics interest in this trail. Brett Woelber on the summit of Ptarmigan Peak, with the west ridge of McHugh Peak rising out of the clouds in the background. It was not evident what Pugh and Cavanaugh hoped to accomplish by taking over the RCCC. Our picks for the best tours and experiences during your Alaska Cruise. 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. As Falsey explains in his March 2, 2016 message to Pugh: The publics consistent use of this trail for the past several decades has created a public use easement across the property. Starting from Ram Valley, it's approximately 11 miles to Mile Hi trailhead with three summits, or approximately 13.5 miles to Baldy if you add in Round Top. 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. Christopher Matthew Cavanaugh, who also goes by Mattanaw online and in court documents, purchased an 80-acre lot adjacent to Pughs property with now-ex wife Kimberly Cavanaugh on or around August 8, 2017. 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. Campbell Airstrip Trailhead, Anchorage, AK 99507, USA . . In early August 2017, a new figure emerged on the Stewart Trail. Those who park on nearby streets risk tickets from APD, though enforcement is uneven and the legality of the No Parking signs and tickets has been questioned. 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 . However, the concept has been part of English common law since 1275 and has remained a central part of western property rights regimes since then. Plan your journey with this gorgeous printed map. Now on a busy day the road can honestly be blocked for fire engines. The trailhead parking lot can hold only 5-6 cars. 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. 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. Pugh met with the MOA to discuss a land swap, but rejected the proposed deal. ADN and KTVA ran articles announcing that parking on both sides of the roads was now illegal. The Anchorage Police Department does not consider use of the Stewart Trail to constitute criminal trespass and does not issue citations for use of the trail. Very interesting read! The Eagle River Nature Center, located just 45 minutes from downtown Anchorage on the northeast side of 500,000-acre Chugach State Park, provides an excellent starting point for hikes, nature walks, and wildlife viewing. Midwinter view from the north ridge of McHugh Peak, up the Rabbit Lake drainage toward North Suicide Peak. Find how many days you need based on what you want to see and do in Alaska. Around this point the brush gives way to open tundra and cross-country walking becomes simple. Documents obtained by the Landmine show that, starting in 2016, residents began a concerted effort to block members of the public from parking in the neighborhood. Discover the optimal month due to daylight, temperature, and rain. This is a shame, because the location provides access to a beautiful section of ridgeline upRead more . Book entire boat for your family or group, or opt to bunk with other guests. On October 11, 2018, Team Landmine attended the monthly RCCC meeting at Golden View Middle School. As Falsey notes, easements by prescription are created through public use that is continuous, hostile, and open. The lot appeared to have significant value to only one group: users of the Stewart Trail. 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. But, view is worth. We climbed past a line of game cameras on a side trail starting at the end of Switzerland Drive, reached the Stewart Trail, and backtracked to Pughs gate. By submitting the photos to the Assembly Pugh entered them into the public record, revealing the tools he employs to record and track those who use the Stewart Trail. 99516, Direction to the Golden View Trailhead The trailhead parking lot can hold only 5-6 cars. The North Ridge Route, starting at the Honey Bear Trailhead at the top of Honey Bear Lane in Bear Valley, is a fun Class 2 ridge walk with 2,300 feet of elevation gain and excellent views over Anchorage and across the inlet. Winner Creek Winner Creek Trail (map point 8) runs through the Chugach National Forest and has very little elevation gain. ADN Reporter Devin Kelly asked the Traffic department that exact question in July 2017. . This trailhead has many route options. Boutique, small ship adventure cruises in Alaska's Inside Passage, Cruises depart from Whittier, a 1 hr drive from Anchorage. Lock on Frank Pughs gate, photographed December 2, 2019. 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. Plan your journey with this gorgeous printed map. There is a park access with only 5 parking spaces and a "over flow parking" apx. All trails are moderate with wonderful view. The man in the audience grilling Pugh about his handling of the re-zoning issue was Bert Lewis, an Anchorage fisheries biologist who had already begun organizing a neighborhood effort to reopen the Stewart Trail. One group of hikers began referring to the trailhead as Grumpy Bear.. The crag is climbed from the north side via an obvious, well-worn route that ascends a steep grassy gully, traverses a few feet to the east and then requires a climb of about 8 feet up the final summit rock. The first mile is a straightaway past beautiful green lawns on both sides of the road, including the driving range for Moose Run Golf Course. The trailhead to this route provides access to Bear Mountain and Mt. 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. Vegetable, coffee and fitness junky. He is a card-carrying member of Mensa (The High IQ Society), and frequently writes about the burdens and challenges of high intelligence. As a young man, Whitehead spent long weekends camping on Ruby, watching dall sheep bound between the crags. How does Mattanaw access his parcel? Thats my final thought.. I feel compelled to set the record straight. Starting elevation: 2090ft, Ridge 3150 ft. Bear Valley, a neighborhood on the Anchorage Hillside directly south of Flattop Mountain, is serving as a testing ground. Car, train, or group tour. In a 2018 phone call, one exhausted legislator described the situation as an emotional shitshow.. 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. Discover the optimal month due to daylight, temperature, and rain. And at the back of the room, well-known mountain runner and former RCCC Co-Chair Nancy Pease appeared to be the nucleus of another small group of opposition. One trailhead leaves from South Anchorage off Upper Canyon Road (accessed from DeArmoun Road) and is a fairly straightforward and flat approach with only 1200 feet elevation gain and about 4 miles in distance one way to Rabbit Lake. ", "Jesse Aaronsen's review mistakes Canyon Road trailhead for this one. His points are well taken and he is just the kind of neighbor one wants to have living adjacent to a park access point. 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. Some doubted that Pughs RCCC had the political capital to affect public policy at all. Falsey followed with letters dated March 2, 2016, and April 20, 2016. And thats when residents knew something had gone badly wrong. Back inside, Team Landmine asked Whitehead whether Ivan or Oro Stewart had ever been concerned with granting permission to traverse the Stewart Trail. Ivan passed away in 1986. Click on the thumbnail to read the full letter in PDF format. Ivan and Oro Stewart occupy a middle ground in Alaska history: not quite famous enough for the history books, but so impactful that the ripples of their adventurous lives are still visible throughout the state. what, yall expect us to believeRead more , I personally have tried to access the Honey Bear Trailhead parking area in late winter/early spring and been unable to because the cul de sac was blocked with plowed snow. Toward the crest of the ridgeline the trail gradually disperses and disappears into loose rock. Photographed at Stewarts Camera, November 27, 2019. quarter mile away ya-no some people think just because there privileged! McHugh is often climbed from one of three public trailheads: the McHugh Creek trailhead off the Seward Highway, the Rabbit Lake trailhead at the top of Canyon Road, or the Bear Valley trailhead at the top of Honey Bear Dr. Map of McHugh Peak, with the three most well-known routes marked. This past summer and after working with traffic enforcement on improvements, we had one of the best summers yet for co-existence between residents and hikers. Note that in summer 2017 a teenage boy was mauled and killed by a bear during a race on the trail, so do be . It leads along an old roadbed that can be steep and muddy in sections. Turnagain Arm: Potter Trailhead is just the opposite side of Chugach State Park HQ. My mom grew up hiking these mountains, I grew up hiking these mountains, and now my kids are growing up hiking these mountains in the Alaskan spirit where folks cheer them on and enjoy the next generation growing up in the outdoors enjoying the adventure. We have no way to create parking, or pick up the trash. There was an audible gasp in the room. On April 18, 2019, Pugh called in to the Mike Porcaro show and, in his distinctive drawl, accused us by name of trespass. Sure enough, small piles of snow had already been mounded in front of the No Parking signs. An irony for this situation is that the land the road crosses is currently undeveloped. Insider tips to pick the best Alaska cruise. 15 Map. So, I decided to go back this weekend, with the attention of either turning into Ship Lake or the valley of tarns that lies below Bird Ridge. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, The 9 Best Northern Lights Viewing Spots Near Anchorage, How to Travel to Alaska in January and February, The Best Large Family & Group Vacations in Alaska, How to Get from Anchorage to Your Cruise Port in Whittier or Seward (or the reverse! Even waiting until 2100 hours on weeknights was sometimes insufficiently lateRead more , Most people I know avoid starting hikes at the Honey Bear parking lot these days. The business is listed under hiking area category. Pugh and several men arrived in person to the September 25, 2018 Assembly meeting and sat in the lower right section of the Assembly gallery. Some speakers were furious, while others expressed bewilderment at how the situation had dragged on for so long. Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. Also, the fire truck turnaround thing is obviously an excuse to keep hikers away. After about a mile and a half, the McHugh Lake Trail passes the base of a prominent rock and tundra gully with a small trail leading up it. 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. Out and back is about five miles through dense stands of spruce, lush fern and devil's club. Most of the summits near Baldy and Mile Hi . commented on the wrong one on accident but registered as a Republican huh? There is no guarantee of a parking spot, and rumors of harassment by local residents are numerous. Eklutna. Pugh, who repeatedly declined to comment for this article, stood at the front of the downstairs meeting space under a giant banner reading RESPECT. Even in a town where comfort with firearms is the norm, some residents found Cavanaughs postsand his increasing desire for confrontationunsettling. The emails, the blog posts, the relentless confrontations. After a while we turned our backs on Pughs gate and headed up the Stewart Trail. We have an active and vibrant trailhead in our neighborhood. Carpooling to the trailhead is highly recommended. The brilliant and eccentric couple were passionate about geology, and played a key role in the development of Alaskas jade industry. But there is a problem with this characterization: the Anchorage Police Department (APD) is a department of the MOA, and the MOA had determined that the Stewart Trail was public. The most intimate multi-day cruise option. 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Camera operated by Frank Pugh bought his property people accessing Stewart Trail was featured in 30 Hikes Alaska! Bought his property people accessing Stewart Trail was featured in 30 Hikes in Alaska to him and said going!
