Skijoring Trails

 by H William Cole

  Trails in and around Anchorage :

1. Coastal Trail – The Coastal Trail is open to skijoring for its entire length of approximately 10 miles.  It is mostly flat terrain, except going over Point Woronzof and climbing into Kincaid Park .  Grooming is done by the Municipality of Anchorage , and is not as regular as other places like Kincaid.  The grooming is generally at least acceptable, although it does get pretty hard packed at times.  The Coastal Trail generally offers good, flat cruising.  You will have to contend with other trail users, and it is not lighted for night skijoring.  Also, the section on top of Woronzof is often very dirty due to dust blowing up from the bluff below and covering the snow.  MAP
2. Chester Creek – Chester Creek offers 4 miles of lighted skijoring from Westchester Lagoon to Goose Lake .  The terrain is gentle, with the exception of one short steep hill approaching the Northern Lights overpass.  The trail is groomed by the Municipality, and is usually in at least reasonably good condition.  The major drawback is that there are numerous underpasses along the trail.  If these are not shoveled in with snow you may have to stop and remove your skis.  There are fewer underpasses toward the Goose Lake end of the Trail.  There are 4 underpasses in the roughly half mile below Valley of the Moon Park   These are often shoveled in, however.  Slow down and look before you go blasting through tunnels. 
3. Campbell Creek – There is about a 7 mile bike path along Campbell Creek, interrupted by the Seward Highway and a few other road crossings.  I don’t recommend it for skijoring.  There are a lot of underpasses that usually don’t have snow shoveled in them.  There are also a lot of bridges that may not have good snow, with some sharp corners to negotiate. 
4. Bicentennial Park : c
   1. Tour of Anchorage Trail – The Tour Trail is generally well groomed, and offers some really good skijoring.  From where the trail leaves the Service H. S./ Hillside area to the overpass at Bragaw and Tudor is approximately 5 miles.  The terrain is generally pretty easy to moderate, and extended flat with gentle grades that make for fast cruising.  There are a few good hills and sharp corners that can be challenging behind fast dogs, though.  There are other users with off-lead dogs, so you need to be careful.  The Tour Trail is most easily accessed from the Mile 1.1/Campbell Airstrip Trailhead, the Ball Fields Trailhead, or from Tudor Road at Bragaw Street .  It can also be accessed from Hilltop Ski Area by skijoring the Gasline Trail to Mellen’s Trail (formerly Rover’s Run, see below) to the Tour Trail near the Mile 1.1 Trailhead, or from South Bivouac Trailhead by going south on the Gasline Trail and down Mellen’s Trail. 
   2. Mellen’s Trail – Moose Meadow – Mellen’s Trail runs approximately 1 ½ miles from the Tour Trail ¼ mile east of the Mile 1.1 Trailhead to the Gasline Trail near the bridge over South Campbell Creek.  Moose Meadow is about 1 mile long, and connects Mellen’s Trail (at a point about 1mile from where Mellen’s leaves the Tour Trail) with the Tour Trail 0.9 miles from the Mile 1.1 Trailhead.  These two trails are groomed for skijoring by the club, but both are relatively narrow, and get a lot of foot, bicycle and some horse traffic.  They also have numerous sharp corners and dips which make them difficult skijoring behind fast dogs.  Mellen’s, Moose Meadow and the Tour Trail make a nice loop for slower runs from the Mile 1.1 Trailhead. 
   3. Coyote and Moose Track Trails – These trails run a bit more than a mile around the west side of Campbell Airstrip, and join the Tour Trail at each end.  Coyote Trail leaves the Tour Trail about a half mile from the Ball Fields parking area.   Moose Track re-enters the Tour Trail about a half mile below the Mile 1.1 Trailhead.  A loop of about 4 miles can be run on the Tour Trail and Coyote Trail starting from the Mile 11 Trailhead or the Ball Fields parking area.  The trails are packed with a snowmobile, and are pretty well packed by foot and ski traffic.  The terrain is flat, but there are some pretty sharp corners in places, so be careful.  This is probably a better route for slower or tired dogs. 
   4. The Tank Road – The Tank Road runs north from North Bivouac Trailhead in Bicentennial into Fort Richardson and eventually comes out on the Arctic Valley Road .  Access through Fort Rich is now restricted.  My understanding is that trail users can get some sort of pass from the Army, but I don’t know the details.  There is about a mile and a half of trail before it enters the base.  This is not groomed, but like Coyote it gets pretty well packed out from foot and ski traffic.  The terrain is gently rolling with no sharp curves, but there is a narrow bridge across North Campbell Creek near where the trail enters Fort Rich .  Be very careful of this bridge. 
   5. Moose Ridge and other trails in north Bicentennial from North Bivouac Trailhead – There are several trails that can be accessed from the Bivouac Trailhead and Tank Road .  A 4 mile loop can be made by going out the Tank Road about 300 yards and turning left on the 4.5 Km Loop Trail.  That will be the second trail on your left.  About 3/8 mile down the trail Moose Ridge Trail goes to the right (north).  Follow it around a long loop and eventually connect back to Bivouac Trailhead via the 4.5 Km Trail.  If you have dogs loose the south side of the 4.5 Km Loop is not advisable.  That trail passes very near Campbell Airstrip Road .  It is better to come back up the trail that crosses the small lake north of Bivouac Trailhead.  Although the Skijoring Club grooms Moose Ridge, it gets heavy foot traffic and is often in poor condition.  It also has some tricky corners and downhills.  This route is probably best for slower dogs or very good skiers. 
5. Powerline Pass Trail from Glen Alps – When it’s groomed, Powerline Pass can be a blast.  A couple of years ago when Anchorage didn’t have much snow, the Ski Club groomed the trail regularly, including a loop in the upper part of the valley.  Skijoring up and around the loop was approximately 8 miles.  With good conditions and weather it was great.  If the trail isn’t groomed, however, it can be difficult skiing with bad snow for the dogs.  Also, even when groomed wind can blow in the trail and make for a lot of side hill skiing. 

Trails Outside Anchorage

            It’s not altogether easy to find good skijoring on ungroomed trails outside of town, but here are a few suggestions.  Given the lack of grooming on most of these trails, you should consider using classic skis rather than skating in some areas.

1. Eklutna Lake - Take the Eklutna Lake exit at Mile 26 on the Glenn Highway , and follow park signs ten miles to Eklutna Lake .  The trail runs 12 miles along the lake and up the Eklutna River valley.  The first 7-8 miles are right along the lake.  The area is heavily used, including by snow machines.  No motorized vehicles are allowed Thursday through Saturday, however.  Conditions are tricky at Eklutna Lake .  Water seeping out of the hillside forms water ice for much of the winter.  There are a number of ice sections along the trail.  The ice will be impossible to skijor across, and difficult to get across with dogs.  Call Chugach State Park before you go to find out if there is new snow covering the ice stretches.  An alternative is to skijor on the lake.  However, be very careful of thin ice.   If you or your dog fall through, you will likely die.  If snowmobiles have been out on the lake, they can provide a route for your dogs to follow. 
2. Peters Creek – Take the Peters Creek exit from the Glenn Highway and navigate your way up the hill a couple of miles to the trailhead.  The trail follows a fairly wide road for about a mile, then forks off to the right onto a smaller road.  You can go in about 5 miles without too much difficulty if conditions are good.  This is a good trail for classic skis.  I wouldn’t try to skate it.  It initially climbs fairly steeply.  You will probably want to turn your dogs loose coming back down this section.  The fork is at a high point on the side of the mountain.  From the fork the trail rolls up and down gradually coming to meet Peters Creek at about the 5 mile point.  You may think you are dropping elevation, but overall you are not.  There are some pretty good downhills in this section, so use caution.  You may want to release your dogs in places. 
3. Nancy Lake - Nancy Lake State Recreation Area is a ninety-minute drive north of Anchorage along the Parks Highway . To enter the recreation area, turn west onto Nancy Lake Parkway at Mile 67.3 of the Parks Highway . From there, the Nancy Lake Parkway travels 6.5 miles southwest to South Rolly Lake Campground; in winter the parkway is not plowed beyond the Winter Trailhead at mile 2.2.  There are a number of trails in the Recreation Area.  Most are used heavily by snow machines, and would probably be good skijoring if you don’t mind the mechanized traffic.  I have not been on these trails myself, and can’t speak from personal experience.  There are about 8 miles of trail for skiing only.  These are very nice trails, but have some really sharp corners, some of them on fast downhills.  I don’t recommend them for skijoring, other than behind a slow, mellow dog. 
4. Spring Skiing/Crust Skiing – In the spring there is good crust skiing in the upper parts of Turnagain Arm, and possibly the Turnagain Pass area.  If you want to skijor over the crust, remember that if there is no well defined trail you dog doesn’t know where you want to go.  You need some sort of track that the dog can recognize.  Also, don’t get too far up a trail and let the snow soften up on you.  You and your dog will have a long slog to get back to your car.  Some suggestions are: 
   1. Placer River up to Spencer Glacier.  Park at the Placer River Bridge at the end of Turnagain Arm. Or at the Placer River Overflow.  It’s about 10 miles up to Spencer Glacier.  This area is heavily snow machined.  In the machine tracked areas the trail can be pretty rough.  A skijorer could either try crust skiing next to the tracks, or skiing on the snowmobile trails.  Classic skis might work well for skijoring after the snow has softened up for the day. 
   2. Portage Lake – Start from the Boggs Begich Visitor’s Center off Portage Road .  Most of the skiing is on the lake.  Be very careful that you don’t get on thin ice.  Don’t go anywhere near the glacier.  I have seen it calve in early April.  and DO NOT let your dog run loose and go toward the glacier.  With those warnings, Portage Lake can be a beautiful ski.  Skijoring may be problematic with no clear trail for the dog to follow. 
   3. Turnagain Pass – I have never skied the Turnagain Pass area  You might try skijoring the bike path that runs from about the Johnson Pass Trailhead to the Hope turnoff.