By Alison Rein
Special to the Turnagain Times
Camping, hiking, boating, fishing—the Glacier Ranger District, one of three districts on the Chugach National Forest, offers these activities and more! The Glacier district manages lands on the western half of Prince William Sound to just west of Granite Creek Campground in the Turnagain Pass area.
The Seward Ranger District manages the area west of this to the Russian River Campground. For more information about opportunities on the Seward District, please call them at 907-224-3374.The Glacier Ranger District’s headquarters are located in Girdwood, approximately a half mile from the Seward Highway, just above the small train station. Visit us 8:00 am -5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday for more detailed information and to view our salmon aquarium and wildlife displays. Call us at (907) 783-3242. The Begich, Boggs Visitor Center in Portage is open 9:00 am – 6:00 pm every day from Memorial Day through September. There is a $3/person entrance fee (visitors under 15 are free), for the exhibits and movie.
Forest Service naturalists at the Center can answer your questions about the cultural and natural history of Prince William Sound, or help plan your adventure on the Chugach National Forest. Programs include the award-winning film “Voices from the Ice”, ice worm safaris on the Byron Glacier Trail, and a variety of daily talks about the natural and cultural features found nearby. Call the Visitor Center at (907) 783-2326.
Another place for personalized information is our yurt in Whittier. Located near the middle boat ramp at the harbor, the yurt is generally open Friday thru Sunday, 9:00 am -4:00 pm. This site is geared for people venturing out into the Sound and has bear resistant food containers and portable, environmentally-friendly toilets available for loan. The Girdwood office and Visitor Center also loan these items.
Always remember you are in bear country wherever you venture out in the forest. Avoid surprising bears and attracting them with food odors. Make noise as you travel, especially where vision is hampered. Cook and store food away from where you sleep. All our campgrounds have secure food storage lockers.
Spencer Whistle Stop
Ride the Alaska Rail Road to the Spencer Whistle Stop for a unique way to experience hiking, boating and camping on the Chugach. Boaters can bring deflated watercraft on the train and float on Spencer Lake or take Placer River back to the Seward Highway; hikers will find a 3-mile, fully accessible trail that leads to the toe of Spencer Glacier; campers can tent at a group site (must have reservations and pay a fee), more rustic (but free) dispersed sites, or at a site they find for themselves (away from the developed features). Go to http://www.akrr.com/arrc34.html or call (907) 265-2494 to learn more about this opportunity and reserve your train tickets.
Hiking
Hiking on Glacier Ranger District can be on trail or off, from sea level to nearly 4,000 feet.
Crow Pass trail
Climbs just over 2,000 feet over a distance of 4 miles. The trailhead is at the end of Crow Creek Road. This trail continues north through Chugach State Park, another 20 miles to the Eagle River Nature Center. Bikes can be used only on the National Forest, not in the Park.
As part of the Iditarod National Historic Trail (INHT), Crow Pass provided access to mines as well as transportation north for miners moving to new prospects. Cables and other relics still remain today. If your destination is the cabin or beyond, please use the high traverse trail and avoid the braided switchbacks above the mine ruins. The traverse trail is marked by a small wooden sign approximately 1.4 miles from the trailhead.
Winner Creek trail
Also part of the INHT, is a much easier 3.5 mile woodland trail with great berry picking in August and spectacular creek crossings at Winner Creek Gorge and the Glacier Creek hand tram. Hikers can start just above Alyeska Resort’s Mt. Tram or at mp 2.5 Crow Creek Road at the “Hand Tram Parking” area.
Upper Winner Creek trail
Begins 1.5 miles from the resort end of Winner Creek trail, and heads southeast 5.5 miles to Berry Pass (elevation 2000’) through mix of spruce/hemlock forest, alder slide paths, and rock ruble. The trail continues another two miles down from the Pass through alpine meadows where the constructed trail ends at small pond. A 1.5 mile extension, planned for construction this summer, will end at bridge site across Rosehip Creek.
There are several trail hiking opportunities in Portage Valley, including Portage Pass, Byron Glacier, Gary Williams Moraine trail, Williwaw Nature trail, Moose Flats Wetland trail, and the Trail of Blue Ice. All but Portage Pass are located on the valley floor with virtually no elevation gain, and most of these are accessible for people with disabilities.
Portage Pass trailhead
Near the tunnel staging area in Whittier. The first mile of this trail climbs to 750 feet then continues as a primitive route down to Portage Lake for another mile.
Byron Glacier trail
As an easy hike for the whole family, treating you to summer sledding or the chance to find an ice worm in the snowfields at the base of the glacier, approximately one mile from the trailhead. Beware of the ice caves that form where Byron Creek carves through the snow, they will collapse as it gets warmer and the snow begins to melt.
Gary William Moraine trail
Between the Visitor Center and Portage Glacier Daylodge, it is a short trail with interpretive signs.
The Trail of Blue Ice
Starts at the far end of the lake-side parking and extends two miles to Black Bear Campground. The Williwaw Nature Trail joins into this trail to create a 3-mile loop around Williwaw Campground. Another section of the Trail of Blue Ice starts at Explorer Glacier Pullout and ends at Moose Flats Day Use Area, one mile away. The missing link between Black Bear CG and Explorer is under construction this summer. Related Story
The Wetland Walk
At Moose Flats, is a short interpretive trail with great birding opportunities. It was constructed with a Ducks Unlimited partnership.
Turnagain Pass
Offers opportunities for off-trail hiking, although some alder brush and wet ground may hamper your way through the lower elevations.
Johnson Pass trail
Starts at mile 64 of the Seward highway, and heads south 23 miles to another trailhead at mile 32.5 Seward Hwy, just north of Moose Pass. Hikers and mountain bikers both enjoy this route, portions of which were initially a road before the Seward Highway was constructed.
Prince William Sound has several trails, all require boat or plane access. There are two trails to Shrode Lake, one from Three Fingers Cove off Cochrane Bay, and the other from Long Bay, off Culross Passage. A three mile trail from saltwater leads to Coghill Lake and a public use cabin.
Camping/Cabins
The Glacier District has four developed campgrounds along the road system, two in Portage Valley and two in the Turnagain Pass area. All campgrounds provide a fire pit, table and tent area at each site, as well as bear-resistant food storage boxes, water, toilets and trash bins for campers to use. Williwaw and Black Bear Campgrounds are in Portage. Williwaw has 60 sites, is paved and designed with the larger RV in mind. Black Bear is a smaller, less developed campground in a forested setting. Bertha Creek and Granite Creek Campgrounds are at mp 65.5 and 63 of the Seward Highway.
Seward Ranger District has nine campgrounds open this summer. Tenderfoot Creek Campground will be closed for reconstruction this summer.
Campsites can be reserved online at www.recreation.gov for Williwaw and Granite Creek, or call 1-877-444-6777. The other campgrounds are available on a first-come first-served basis. Camping fees range from $14 to $18.
Camping in backcountry areas, away from developed sites or parking areas are the backpacker’s or kayaker’s dream. The forest has almost limitless opportunities for this kind of use; just be sure you know you are on National Forest Land!
Public use cabins provide for more secure backcountry overnight accommodations. The district manages seven cabins, all but one are in the Sound. Seward District offers many more on the Kenai Peninsula. All cabins can be reserved through the same site used for campsite reservations up to 6 months in advance.
Boating
Twentymile River
A popular day excursion, with a few good camping spots; it is extremely popular during the silver salmon run in August. A rustic launch is at mile 80.5 of the Seward Hwy; be prepared for log jams, and often shallow, glacial water.
Portage Valley
Has several boating options, ranging from small ponds to Portage Creek. Put in for a float down the creek near the Visitor Center, but be prepared for shallow water on the upper section of the creek. Portage Hwy comes close to the Creek in several places and a short road near the Explorer Glacier pullout provides access with deeper water. A paved pullout about half-mile north of the Portage Highway provides a take-out for float trips. There is no developed boat ramp in Portage.
Placer River
Is growing in popularity, although power boaters are limited by shallow water. Many boaters prefer to launch at Twentymile to use Placer.
The District is working on a management plan for the Twentymile, Portage, and Placer waterways, please let us know if you have ideas about how we can best manage these areas.
Prince William Sound is a haven for boaters, and most of the land surrounding the Sound is National Forest. From kayaks and jet skis to ferries and cruise ships, the Sound is alive with boaters. People using smaller boats often camp on the Forest, and the Sound offers outstanding off-trail hiking on muskeg meadows or recently un-glaciated areas.
Fishing
Alaska is famous for it fishing, and the Glacier Ranger District is no exception. Starting with Hooligan netting in the spring until the last salmon return in the fall, the district provides many places to satisfy the angler. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game issues sport fishing licenses. Anglers under 16 years old do not need a license, and resident anglers over 60 are exempt, everyone else needs a license to fish. The Forest Service does not issue these licenses, but both the Tesoro and Crow Creek Mercantile in Girdwood do.
Have fun, be safe, and recreate responsibly!
Alison Rein works for the U.S. Forest Service Glacier Ranger District in Girdwood.