Alaska Hiking

[teachergal]

Hello! This is WAY off the topic of AT - a couple thousand miles off!!! HA HA HA!!!

Anyway, I'm going to AK in a few weeks. I'm meeting up with my parents who are driving the Alcan in their 36 ft diesel RV. When I meet them I'm renting a little 22 footer and we are going RVing for 2 weeks. We will be traveling down the Kenai Peninsula to Homer and Seward (Kenai Fijords NP), then out the Glenn Highway to skirt Wrangell-St. Elias NP, then up the Richardson Highway to the Denali Highway (127 miles of gravel....out in the middle of nowhere....I'm calling it RV backpacking!) then into Denali NP, then back to Anchorage.

The number 1 thing on my to-do list up there is hiking. I want to hike as much as I can. However the bears are a concern. Has anyone here been to AK? Been hiking in AK? What is the deal with the bears - how much fear is reasonable? Should I plan to carry bear spray? What about bear bells?
I have hiked in bear county before - Glacier NP, Grand Teton NP - and found both of those items to be more nusiance than anything else. I plan to be with my dad at all times - or on a ranger led hike, and I'm only talking day hikes here, no overnights.

Also, anyone who has been to AK - what are some don't miss hikes? I'm already planning to hike to Portage Glacier in the Williawaw area of the Chugach Mts, and the Exit Glacier/Icefield (it's name after a president but I can't rememver who) hike in Kenai Fjiords. Also planning to go on a ranger lead hike in Denali and hike as many of the short trails around the visitor center as possible. Any suggestions for the Homer area would be especially welcome!

Thanks guys!

[The Solemates]

Hello! This is WAY off the topic of AT - a couple thousand miles off!!! HA HA HA!!!

Anyway, I'm going to AK in a few weeks. I'm meeting up with my parents who are driving the Alcan in their 36 ft diesel RV. When I meet them I'm renting a little 22 footer and we are going RVing for 2 weeks. We will be traveling down the Kenai Peninsula to Homer and Seward (Kenai Fijords NP), then out the Glenn Highway to skirt Wrangell-St. Elias NP, then up the Richardson Highway to the Denali Highway (127 miles of gravel....out in the middle of nowhere....I'm calling it RV backpacking!) then into Denali NP, then back to Anchorage.

The number 1 thing on my to-do list up there is hiking. I want to hike as much as I can. However the bears are a concern. Has anyone here been to AK? Been hiking in AK? What is the deal with the bears - how much fear is reasonable? Should I plan to carry bear spray? What about bear bells?
I have hiked in bear county before - Glacier NP, Grand Teton NP - and found both of those items to be more nusiance than anything else. I plan to be with my dad at all times - or on a ranger led hike, and I'm only talking day hikes here, no overnights.

Also, anyone who has been to AK - what are some don't miss hikes? I'm already planning to hike to Portage Glacier in the Williawaw area of the Chugach Mts, and the Exit Glacier/Icefield (it's name after a president but I can't rememver who) hike in Kenai Fjiords. Also planning to go on a ranger lead hike in Denali and hike as many of the short trails around the visitor center as possible. Any suggestions for the Homer area would be especially welcome!

Thanks guys!

You do not need bear bells or pepper spray. Just be smart, hang your food, cook away from your tent, etc. Portage Glacier is great. Exit Glacier and Seward are also dont miss spots. I would suggest the Resurrection trail, which runs from Hope to Seward, but its a week in itself. You could do from Hope to the Highway and its a quick overnighter (or perhaps two nights). We did that last year and had a blast, before we headed towards Homer.

[Fiddleback]

You do not need bear bells or pepper spray. Just be smart, hang your food, cook away from your tent, etc.

Everybody has an opinion about bear spray. Mine is that you don't need bear spray until you meet a bear.

The issue of carrying bear spray (or firearms, for that matter) is not necessarily about being 'smart.' It's about accidental encounters. It's about walking around a blind curve, or being surprised in tall grass, or finding yourself with a sow 100' to your left and cubs 100' to your right. You can do everything right and still end up involved in a dangerous meeting as did the father and daughter couple in Glacier two years ago. If an aggressive encounter happens, bear spray is the most effective method for ending that encounter without injury to the hiker or the bear.

When I lived in Alaska some 20 years ago, Chugach State Park (Anchorage's backyard and along the way to Portage Glacier) had one of the most dense populations of brown bears in the state (and a fair number of black bears). I don't know if it still holds that honor but I imagine it still has a lot of bears. Just a few weeks ago a grizzly took down a moose in someone's driveway on the Kenai Peninsula.

Alaska itself has about 98% of the U.S. grizzlies. The Alaskan brown bears are about half again the size of Glacier's and not near as human habituated as those in the Norther Rockies ecosystem...if bear spray is 'needed' anywhere in the U.S., Alaska is the place.

Although Portage Glacier has retreated drastically in recent years, it's still pretty much a road side stop...there's not much of a hike involved if you drive to the visitors center and the roadside view point.

If you have time for a two or three night backpack, checkout Crow Creek Pass (26 miles) from south of Anchorage to Eagle River. On the north end of the state park, Eklutna Lake offers day hike opportunities. One overnight I particularly enjoyed was south of Anchorage and was up the hill to Half Moon Lake. At least, that's the name I remember...I can't find a reference now.:o

All the locations above are within an hour or so of Anchorage and easy access. Be advised there's a fair sized forest fire on the Kenai right now.

Wear a helmet when you bike, use seat belts in your car, and carry bear spray on the trail.;)

FB

[mudhead]

One thing I would do again, is a glacier tour by boat. Drove to some train station near Anchorage, rode the train thru a mountain, got on a tourist boat. About $125, lunch included. Cash bar. They opened the front deck when idling near the small ones. Way cool.

Walk into the hotel in Anchorage that has the stuffed bear.(Touristy, but worth it just to see the claws up close.) Then decide if you want bear spray.

I was alot more observant after seeing it...

[Garlic]

I have spent much time up in the Northwest and highly recommend reading these two books:

Bear Attacks by Herrero

Mark of the Grizzly by McMillion

A lot of good insight. It can be quite dangerous is you are not careful. Making a lot of noice while hiking helps and a few canisters of bear spray helps. Would recommend hiking slow and not running the trail.

[lightning]

i spent two months in alaska. backpacked denali (kantishna hills area) for 7 days. backpacked and rafted gates of the arctic (anaktuvuk to bettles) for 14 days. i made noise by talking aloud to bushes and tight spots, and i still met several grizzlies. but! not up close and personal (just the way i like it). got to sit and watch them from a comfortable distance while planning a new route.
i did not wear bells or any other sort of sound-making device. it was the first time i did -not- carry pepper spray, and that made me rather uncomfortable. i will carry pepper spray the next time i go back into grizzly country.
*please note: if you are driving thru canada, you may want to buy your spray in alaska. if i remember correctly, the canadians won't let you in with pepper spray. that is, if they stop you at the border and search your car like they did mine.

[Hikes in Rain]

I spent seven years up there back in the late 70's and early 80's. In fact, i actually visited there just before it became a state, which should give you a clue about my age. (Lord, I'm getting old! When did that happen?) In that period, I hiked a LOT on the Resurrection Trail down on the Kenai Peninsula, through most of Denali Park (that was back when you could drive your own car back there!). Even walked up to Camp 2 for the McKinley assaults. That's not as great as it sounds. It's a pretty easy stroll from Wonder Lake, Camp 1, which is at the end of the road. In the whole seven years, I only saw a few bears, all of which were heading away from me. Just be smart, and you'll be fine.

I envy you! Could you use a guide? I can't afford to pay you much, but.....

[LIhikers]

My wife and I spent 2 weeks in Alaska in August of 2006. We spent 1 week in the Denali area and did 2 day hiking trips in the Denali Park wilderness. We took the bus ride out to Wonder Lake, early one the day, so that we could see what different parts of the park looked like. On the way back we got off the bus and hiked and then caught a later bus back out of the park. Then a couple of days later did the same thing but to a different part of the park. Another day we hiked up a mountain in the area of park visitors center.


We then spent about a week on the Kenai Peninsula. We did a 14 hour day cruise out of Seward, spent another day driving around, and then did day hikes every other day including up to glaciers and ice fields. We had a book that listed a lot of the hikes. I won't have time to look for it in the next week but if my 55 year old memory serves me right I think the title was Hiking In Alaska.

As for bears, we didn't see any :(
We did encouter plenty of other wild life but I think we were the only ones in AK not to even see a bear.

Hope that helps some.

[LIhikers]

Come to think of it, while you are in Denali keep your eyes open to see if you can find my camera. I lost it in the wilderness part of Denali.....lol :D

[Fiddleback]

The book that got me around my part of the state when I was a happy Alaska resident was, "55 Ways to the Wilderness in South Central Alaska" by Nienhueser and Simmerman.

I also used "Alaska's Parklands - The Complete Guide" also by Simmerman, "Alaska Paddling Guide" by Mosby and Dapkus, and "The Alaska Wilderness Milepost" which is not the same as the "Milepost" which in itself is a great resouce for driving around the state.

Although it's been a while since I got hold of these books I imagine they're all in print...

FB

[teachergal]

Thanks for the replies! :banana

I'm flying to Anchorage, so I'll def plan to pick up some bear spray, but won't worry about the bells.

I'm not going to be doing any backpacking....just dayhikes. I was trying to avoid taking the bus ride in Denali, I'm sorry but 12 hours on a bus with a bunch of tourists is not my idea of fun...I'm hoping to get on some ranger led hikes.

I'll send pics when I get back!:)
Oh and I'll look for the missing camera too! :D

[Fiddleback]

Again, it's been a while since I've been in AK but I'd recommend you reconsider the bus at Denali. When I was last there it was the only transportation into the backcountry of the park. As I recall, the round trip was a few hours, but certainly nothing close to 12. The ride lets you see things you can not otherwise see if you're short on time. That includes the (then...now?) end-of-the-line stop at Wonder Lake and view of Denali itself. The bus not only stops for backpackers and hikers it stops for wildlife viewing as well...sometimes some good wildlife viewing. I saw my first-ever grizzly and first-ever wolf from that bus.:) In a separate trip, My Lady and her family got to watch two grizzly cubs very close up as they gamboled on the road beside the bus. You can get off and back on anytime you want (subject to seat availability) and it probably affords some good access to day hikes. I only remember one bus/route but there are several now.

I understand your comment about tourists, etc. (when I lived back east, just before moving to AK, I usually would avoid the AT because of all the people). It may not be your thing but it sounds like your expectation is far apart from my memory of the experience.:D Check it out http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttle-buses.htm ...if my experience is close to today's reality you'll not want to miss the opportunity.

FB

[trlhiker]

there are so many trails to hike in and around Anchorage. Exit Glacier is a great one. there is a trail near the portage visitor center that will take you up to another smaller glacier but i cannot remember its name. Don't forget to hike Flattop mountain. Ashort but great hike with fantastic views of anchorage. Get yourself a guide book once you are there and take lots of pictures. The bus thru Denali is the only way to get into the backcountry. It is a 4 hour drive to Eilson Ranger Station. But you can get off almost anywhere but I recommend going all the way. Lots of good hiking around the station.

[Egads]

Here is an excerpt from my 24 yo son's email from Denali.

"I was camped in the woods on a river surrounded by ferns and I was awoken at 7:30 by a bear who kind of snorted and then reared up on my tent. He tore two claw marks in the vestibule. I yelled and scared him off."

My son is an experienced backpacker & knows to hang his food and toiletries. He either had food residue (odor) on his clothes or the bear had other intentions. We don't know whether it was a black or brown bear. This is his second close encounter this year; following a face off on the trail with a brown last summer.

I am glad that he is ok, but I'm PO'd the bear tore his tent. It's a new Six Moon Designs Lunar Duo given in June for his graduation present.

Egads

[minnesotasmith]

1) A professor named Roman Dial who works at a college in Anchorage (Alaska Pacific, I think) has hiked most of the Brooks Range and some other areas in AK. You might want to look up his writings.

2) I am seriously considering a trans-Alaska hike at some point. It would go from the Canadian border near the Brooks Range, along the Brooks Range west to Nome. Perhaps we should talk sometime...

[Hikes in Rain]

The book that got me around my part of the state when I was a happy Alaska resident was, "55 Ways to the Wilderness in South Central Alaska" by Nienhueser and Simmerman.



FB

Second endourcement for "55 Ways". It was my bible up there back in the 70's, and I still have my old, now-ragged copy I use to reminisce, even though I now live in Florida. Someday, I want to go back, just to see how my favorite hikes have faired over the decades. Is Rabbit Lake still there, for example?

[minnesotasmith]

"Anchorage? Nice place -- only 30 minutes from Alaska."

My take is that Alaska only starts 30 minutes north of Anchorage. The SE part of the state -- Seattle north.

You have to get to USDA zone 4b at least to be in the "real" Alaska IMO:


http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/alaska.html

[budman5]

We've had alot of grizzly bear in close to fairbanks this year. The route you described is a worthwhile trip, but you probably won't have much trail time with the driving envolved. While on the Denali road, take a 2 mile trip into Landmark gap lake ( about 25-28 miles in from Richardson Hwy. It is spectacular secenery. Grizzly are where you find them in AK, but you'll be driving a road corridor. Just watch out 15 feet from the road...8-)

[The Solemates]

"Anchorage? Nice place -- only 30 minutes from Alaska."

My take is that Alaska only starts 30 minutes north of Anchorage. The SE part of the state -- Seattle north.

You have to get to USDA zone 4b at least to be in the "real" Alaska IMO:


http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/alaska.html

you're crazy. part of the awesomeness of alaska is its shoreline and surrounding areas, with its many fjords, glaciers, sealife, and ports. spend some time in these areas and you will change your opinion.

[Fiddleback]

"Anchorage? Nice place -- only 30 minutes from Alaska."

My take is that Alaska only starts 30 minutes north of Anchorage. The SE part of the state -- Seattle north.

You have to get to USDA zone 4b at least to be in the "real" Alaska IMO:


http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/alaska.html

Superimpose a map of Alaska on a map of the lower 48...north to south, it'll run from the Gulf to the Canadian border. East to west, it'll run from Washington D.C. to Salt Lake City. Dense rain forests to tundra, mountains to swamps, volcanos to glaciers, desert-like conditions to the richest and largest marine ecosystems in the U.S., extremes of -60° to 100+° with, as your reference points out, about a dozen USDA Hardiness (sub) Zones. It's hard to tell what the 'real' Alaska is supposed to be.;) Shoot, if it wasn't for international convention, the state would be in two different days!:D

FYI, Anchorage is within Zone 4b as is Missoula, Minneapolis, much of the mid-west and a goodly portion of New England...

FB

[minnesotasmith]

you're crazy. part of the awesomeness of alaska is its shoreline and surrounding areas, with its many fjords, glaciers, sealife, and ports. spend some time in these areas and you will change your opinion.

Spent over a month on the Kenai Peninsula in 2005. Pretty, but not like what I saw flying from Anchorage to the North Slope. More like a cross between central MN and LA, excepting where there were mountains.

[minnesotasmith]

It's hard to tell what the 'real' Alaska is supposed to be.;)


FYI, Anchorage is within Zone 4b as is Missoula, Minneapolis, much of the mid-west and a goodly portion of New England...

FB

Juneau is not within 4b. Neither is Seward or Kodiak.

"Go north, young man, go north." IMO that means a more bracing place than Iowa.

[Fiddleback]

Juneau is not within 4b. Neither is Seward or Kodiak.

"Go north, young man, go north." IMO that means a more bracing place than Iowa.

Yup...like sleeping in hammocks, it all depends on the individual when it comes to determining what's cold. Personally, I don't think Hardiness Zone 4b's range is significant which was my point...many places in the lower 48 are in the zone. More so, I don't find much difference in the more extreme zones. Minus 45° doesn't feel much different to me than -35° for example. Although there are another six zones that are colder than 4b, they only account for another 25-degree drop. The thing about zones is that they're often 'violated.' Despite the fact I'm in Zone 4b/4a, three years ago we hit -44° which is the low extreme of 2b, another four zones lower. And that causes a bit of a problem for landscaping which is what the hardiness zones are all about...I think the plants are more sensitive to the record lows than I am.:-?

We've had temps 20 degrees colder than what I experienced in Anchorage. But for me, the big difference is the length of the season. The ground was frozen hard by early October and stayed that way until May when I lived outside of Anchorage. Here in my little microclime of western Montana that cold season is about six weeks shorter...on both ends!:sun But then, we live in Montana's banana belt and the winter seasons are a bit milder than they were 20 years ago. What I'd really like to see right now, is just a little extreme in rainfall.

Still, Alaska is about more than cold. It gets quite hot (again an individual judgement) in the interior. The same Fairbanks that often approachs -50° often approaches 100°.

FB

[The Solemates]

Spent over a month on the Kenai Peninsula in 2005. Pretty, but not like what I saw flying from Anchorage to the North Slope. More like a cross between central MN and LA, excepting where there were mountains.

comparing ak to mn and la is wrong :)

[NorthCountryWoods]

there is a trail near the portage visitor center that will take you up to another smaller glacier but i cannot remember its name.

Old thread but that's Byron Glacier.

[dessertrat]

1) A professor named Roman Dial who works at a college in Anchorage (Alaska Pacific, I think) has hiked most of the Brooks Range and some other areas in AK. You might want to look up his writings.

2) I am seriously considering a trans-Alaska hike at some point. It would go from the Canadian border near the Brooks Range, along the Brooks Range west to Nome. Perhaps we should talk sometime...

MS, did you see the link posted about someone's travels along the Brooks range? He has a film.

[saimyoji]

MS, did you see the link posted about someone's travels along the Brooks range? He has a film.


Thats Colter. He posts here occaisionaly.

[Jim Adams]

I bought the video as soon as it was mentioned here on WB....incredible scenery...nice trip!

geek

[Doughnut]

Bears should all be hibernating, it's COLD there,
I lived in AK 4 years, NEVER had a bear problem, often they would wander through camp at night, didn't know htey were there until I saw the scat the next morning. Also, don't know about flying with bear spray, there may be restrictions even checking it on, my advice, if you feel you NEED it, is buy it in Anchorage, good excuse to visit local stores,
In Seward, hike the Marathon Mountain, enjoy the visit.
I would definately only plan day hikes, the days are short, the weather cold, snow can be real deep.

Dough Nut

[oruoja]

Lived in Anchorage from '83 to '05. Quite a bit of good hiking off the Seward Highway from Anchorage to the Kenai off the Seward Highway if the weather is good. As far as bears I remember about ten years ago some seismic crew was working on the Kenai during winter and apparently they disturbed a Brown Bear which killed one the crew, so it is possible to see them in winter. Just read in the news from up there a pack of wolves on the northern end of Anchorage (Ft Richardson to Eklutna) has taken out a few domestic dogs.

[trlhiker]

Old thread but that's Byron Glacier.

Thanks, that was the first glacier that my wife ever saw and touched. Hope to go back up there on our 10th anniversary (in 2 years).

[NorthCountryWoods]

Thanks, that was the first glacier that my wife ever saw and touched. Hope to go back up there on our 10th anniversary (in 2 years).

Holy crap that's weird!

We weren't married then, but it was the first my wife stepped foot on. I think the first one she touched was Exit glacier. My first was the Muldrow.

[Atreus]

don't worry about bears, be weary of Moose. They're just crazy. Seriously

[Hikes in Rain]

Agreed. Friend of mine described a moose that walked through their campfire, while they were hiking the Resurrection Trail. He admitted that he and his friend had partaken of a certain herb that at the time was decriminalized. When my wife and I, er, expressed doubt, he abruptly left the house.

Ten minutes later, he was back, bearing a set of seven or eight photographs, showing...yep, that's exactly what had happened. Here came the moose, calm as you please. Right through the little fire, kicking it apart. And there he went, still calm and unruffled. Best photo was the moose, in the fire, with his buddy in the background, mouth hanging open, eyes like saucers, and one hand limply pointing at the moose.

Another time, a moose came into the back yard, and for whatever reason, attacked my bicycle, which was chained to a low fence. No idea what the bike said or did, but it paid dearly for its offense.

Another friend hit a moose full tilt with her little car. Car was totaled (she was OK). Moose walked off. (Admittedly, not very far) Before it left, it, er, deposited a little pile of mementos through the shattered windshield.

Atreaus is right. Moose are just crazy.

[JAK]

I would be crazy too with all those grizzly bears about. :)

[Atreus]

The bears only want and if they don't smell it on you they will leave u alone. I smelled bear and saw scar n prints but never saw any during prime mating season. I meant food in the sentence... want food.