By Allison Rein
Special to the Turnagain Times
The Trail of Blue Ice, in Portage Valley, is not your typical forest trail. This trail is wide enough to walk side-by-side and its smooth surface of compacted gravel, wood decking or pavement make family outings easy—even when some of your family members are not walkers yet or anymore. Strollers, wheelchairs, and bike wheels all spin easily on this trail. It’s like a bike path without being close to a road. And the Views—you’ll just have to see for yourself.
Planning for this six-mile long trail began over 10 years ago; partial funding through the state’s transportation enhancements program came in 2002 (many of the Chugach State Park sites along Turnagain Arm, such as Beluga Point and McHugh Creek, were funded similarly). The last major section should be under construction next summer, completing the majority of this Portage Lake to Seward Highway trail system.
Right now the trail is completed in two sections, and under construction in another. One ready to use section is a mile long, between Moose Flats Day Use Area and Explorer Glacier Viewing Area. The other section extends from Portage Lake to Williwaw Campground, and will extend to Black Bear Campground soon. An experienced trail building company, Oregon Woods, has been hard at work all summer constructing the trail between Williwaw and Black Bear Campgrounds. The last bridge will be installed by next summer. Their workmanship has been superb, using Alaskan yellow cedar instead of the usual treated wood to minimize the introduction of toxins found in treated wood.
Check out this trail. The following describes a loop that is just under three miles total length. Starting at Portage Lake, the very first part of the trail has a short section steeper than a person using a wheelchair can manage without help; the roadway into the parking area can be used if that fits your description, joining into the trail where it crosses the Byron Glacier Road. From the road crossing to Williwaw Campground (CG), the trail winds through dense, fat spruce trees, filled with song birds every spring. The mountains on each side of the valley have waterfalls and glaciers to add variety to your vista.
Soon you’ll see Freestone Ponds, the source of much of the gravel used for Girdwood’s recent construction projects. Just past the ponds, you’ll come to a junction with the Williwaw Nature Trail. You can go right on the nature trail, or continue on the Trail of Blue Ice (they join at the campground). The nature trail crosses Portage Highway and leads you around Williwaw Ponds. You’ll cross over Williwaw spawning channel, teeming with salmon near the end of their life’s journey. Follow the channel downstream, eventually going back across (actually under) Portage Hwy, and end up at the Salmon Viewing Area. Several new interpretive signs were recently installed on the nature trail about the fisheries habitat.
Walk straight back on the CG Road towards the mountains to rejoin the Trail of Blue Ice, and head back up valley to return to Portage Lake. Hope to see you on the trail!
For a detailed map, come visit us in Girdwood at the Glacier Ranger District, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays or in Portage at the Begich Boggs Visitor Center, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through September. Due to a lack of funding, the Begich Boggs Visitor Center will be closed for the winter again this year.