Crow Creek Road trailheads not maintained for winter use
By Alison Rein
Special to the Turnagain Times
Due to winter driving conditions, Forest Service Trailheads along Crow Creek Toad are not maintained for winter use. This includes the Crow Pass trailhead and the new Winner Creek Gorge Trailhead at MP 2.9 Crow Creek Road. Please help keep Crow Creek Road more useable by the private residents who are paying to maintain it this winter by not driving up to park near the new trailhead. Alternative access for the Winner Creek Gorge trail is from downtown Girdwood. The Iditarod trail can be accessed from behind the chain link fence near Glacier Creek at the school, or walk on the road. Please do not park at the school during school hours. The Forest Service will open these trailheads as soon as snow conditions allow, this spring.
The trailheads along Crow Creek Road provide important access for area trails. The Winner Creek Trail is part of the Iditarod National Historic Trail, which stretches from Seward to Nome. The Southern Trek of the Iditarod includes trails sections from Seward to Crow Pass Trail. In Girdwood, the Iditarod Trail sections include Winner Creek, Upper Winner Creek, and the Iditarod Commemorative Trail that starts near the Seward Highway, follows Glacier Creek upstream, crosses under the Alyeska Highway near the Lion's Club Park, continues past the school and then parallels and crosses Crow Creek Road several times until it reaches the Winner Creek Gorge Trailhead.
Crow Creek Road itself is acknowledged as one of, if not the oldest road in Alaska! The Iditarod trail alignment follows one of the earlier alignments of this road. The early roadway used the most available building materials, such as tree trunks and boles, to raise the road above the wet soils in our valley. This construction technique, known as corduroy, was installed in the late 1800s or early 1900's. Many sections of corduroy have disappeared due to natural decay or are being eroded or collapsing with increased pedestrian use. This corduroy is now considered an historic artifact. Imagine, those old wet logs you can see have been in the old roadbed for over 100 years!
This summer, more improvements are planned for Winner Creek Gorge trailhead and the section of the Iditarod Commemorative Trail between the new trailhead and the small trailhead at MP 1.6 of Crow Creek Road. At the trailhead, a toilet will be installed , along with a kiosk that will feature information about the Winner Creek and Iditarod Trails. Along the Iditarod trail, the Forest Service will install puncheon over wet sections and add gravel to create a more level and stable tread. We are looking for partners to help in this effort; groups such as the scouts, service organizations, and all trail users are encouraged to help us re-build this historic section of the trail.
Please contact Alison Rein at 754-2329 or the Glacier Ranger Station at 783-3242 to find out more about this summer's work plans.
