Free personal GPSdriven travel guide to Alaska. This smaller trail switchbacks uphill until it gets above the V-shaped cut bank of McHugh Creek and then parallels the creek all the way back to McHugh and Rabbit Lakes, beneath the Suicide Peaks. Not long after, the Stewarts moved to Anchorage and opened Stewarts Photo on 4th Avenue. Arctic Valley Road Scenic Drive. I think theyre a waste of money, and if he wants to spend all of his time looking at people coming and going I feel sorry for him. It's probably right around the longest you can go for a weekday, after-work hike.and still get to bed at a normal time. Local favorites for half-day hikes include Bloods Ridge and Inspiration Point. Photographed at Stewarts Camera, November 27, 2019. Toward the crest of the ridgeline the trail gradually disperses and disappears into loose rock. At the last rocky point before the summit, the trail disperses onto a broad face that sweeps up toward McHughs craggy crown. An assemblyman wants to change that. cites Weddletons position as follow: For most of the city, its a no-brainer out of fairness that the entire Hillside should pay taxes for park maintenance, Weddleton said. Team Landmine left the meeting early. You are under no obligation to speak with anyone on a public easement, and use of a public easement is not trespass. Our old homestead is now Mountainside Village, which we developed and lived on until a dozen years ago. sean, as article explains your neighborhood has such problems with trash, parking, etc because yall VOTED to stay out of the parks area so you could keep dodging that parks tax. Trail Map Bird Valley Trail Map PDF Getting There View on Map Coordinates Latitude: 60.9741 Longitude: -149.4335 Driving Directions Photos To assess Pughs claim that the Stewarts granted permission to individuals to use the trail, the Landmine contacted the Stewarts longtime employee and friend Albert Whitehead. Rabbit Creek Trailhead; Grandview Trailhead; Turnagain Arm Turnagain Arm Trail. Insider tips to pick the best Alaska cruise. Over time, public access to parks becomes heavily concentrated at a few locations, such as Glen Alps, and overcrowding at those sites is then cited as a cautionary tale by those seeking to stifle access elsewhere. Eklutna. At the end of the article, Cavanaugh claims to have evidence of likely corruption within Anchorage up to perhaps the state level. Neither the alleged corruption nor the nature of the evidence are specified. Carpooling to the trailhead is highly recommended. Map showing area made inaccessible by the Pugh gate. If you do decide to bypass the gate and are confronted on the Stewart Trail, do not feel pressured to sign any documents or agree to any demands. I grew up in Alaska and currently live in Anchorage. FYI, Mensa members normally dont mention it & they definitely dont brag about it. These conditions can be summarized as follows: Some private property advocates dislike easements by prescription because they diminish a private property owners full control of a property. A public prescriptive easement exists when there has been continuous, hostile, and open use by the public over a 10-year period.. ), Popular Alaska Itineraries Using In-State Airlines, Anchorage to Denali National Park Driving Map, Denali National Park Campgrounds & RV Parks. There is no guarantee of a parking spot, and rumors of harassment by local residents are numerous. McHugh is often climbed from one of three public trailheads: the McHugh Creek trailhead off the Seward Highway, the Rabbit Lake trailhead at the top of Canyon Road, or the Bear Valley trailhead at the top of Honey Bear Dr. Map of McHugh Peak, with the three most well-known routes marked. Highlights plus less visited destinations. Until access issues there are resolved, use the signed public trailheads to avoid problems. The hiker described the encounter as follows: He had a welding setup there and a bunch of metal a bunch of rebar and plates, and an acetylene tank. At the front of the room, Friends of the Stewart Trail attorney Tom Meacham nodded. In his letters, Falsey writes that the Stewart Trail is open to public use because it meets the qualifications for a prescriptive public easement. Use our calculator to find out, Stay casual, dress in layers, and get proper footwear, View All Southcentral & Interior Towns on a Map, Cruises depart Juneau or Sitka. The road changes name to Black Bear Dr and sharp left to Honey Bear Ln. Problems with public access have proliferated across Chugach State Park, from the South Fork Eagle River Trailhead to Mt. Turn left onto the Glen Trail and begin climbing up the side of a ridge. Heres your chance LM Team: Sue Pugh for slander. Under Alaskas criminal statute, its legal for trappers or hunters to access unimproved and apparently unused land unless the land is marked with 144-square-inch signs that give information about the people who can grant access, and specify prohibitions like No Hunting or No Trespassing. Unless I missed a point- no where in this article does Alaska Landmine mention Private Property ownership Rights As longtime homesteaders of Potter Heights (60+ years) We knew The homesteaders that created Stewart road (the Millers were one) none of them did it to give the public recreational access to their land-Period!- Private property is just that- I stand with Frank Pugh, and other Potter land owners that want their privacy preserved. It all seemed like so much work. Honestly. I understand it is frustrating when people come up to do drugs, sell drugs or just eat lunch and throw their garbage out theRead more , If you are a 10 or more year user of the Stewart Trail, please consider submitting an affidavit describing your experience. All trails from this trailhead are flat. ), Popular Alaska Itineraries Using In-State Airlines, Anchorage to Denali National Park Driving Map, Denali National Park Campgrounds & RV Parks. ), but it is an official parking area. But Pugh and Cavanaugh werent homesteaders or pioneers. Bear Valley Trailhead provides ample parking for larger vehicles with trailers. The Honey Bear parking lot was platted in the early 2000s as a condition for continued private development of upper Bear Valley. The drive itself is only 45 minutes, but once you get there, you'll want to spend more time photographing and exploring. There is ample parking here year round for $5 (or an annual State Parks Pass), and the trailhead is located at the end of the uppermost parking lot. The blood coursing through reindeer antlers, Whitehead explained, causes them to vibrate like a tuning fork. On April 18, 2019, Pugh called in to the Mike Porcaro show and, in his distinctive drawl, accused us by name of trespass. With the closure of the StewartRead more . In late 2017, Anchorage Assemblymember John Weddleton proposed an ordinance bringing the entire Hillside into the parks service area. 2023 Bear Valley Resort. what, yall expect us to believeRead more , I personally have tried to access the Honey Bear Trailhead parking area in late winter/early spring and been unable to because the cul de sac was blocked with plowed snow. We been up there, after Ivan died, we went up there with Oro, people [were] up in there. One group of hikers began referring to the trailhead as Grumpy Bear.. Follow the trail or strike out and find your own way up to Point 3,200. Anchorage outdoor writer and journalist Craig Medred told the Landmine that once, while battling his way down the Stewart Trail during a storm, he had been picked up by the wind and flung through the air into a ditch. I can't give it the five stare ratings it deserves, maybe we can all get together and change things back to the way they should be! The battle for the Stewart Trail has aroused powerful emotions: anger, annoyance, fear, frustration. Thank you all of those working on this. Nine-time champion and record holder at Crow Pass. 10471 Honey Bear Ln, Traveling to the East from Bird Creek Pass will lead you to Grizzly Bear Lake and Moraine Pass. Find the best bear viewing spots by season. 55 Ways to the Wilderness, published in 1972, advises readers that hikers are welcome and that the road makes a lovely walk. Between 2002 and 2010, the Chugach State Park Access Inventory, Rabbit Creek Trail Plan, and Hillside District Plan all refer to the Stewart Trail as a public access corridor. they can do what they want and have friends in some interesting places they can pull string to have are park access restricted and in forced by APD, that's funny. Cruises and land tours are great ways to see Alaska. (unless you trail-run, of course) If you start at the Bear Valley trailhead, the stats are: 5.4 miles round trip, 2,300 ft. elevation gain Tensions flared, and hikers began reporting angry confrontations with people identifying themselves as local residents. While you can find wildlife throughout the surrounding area and along any of the four established trails . In 2012, the HOA requested a $218,000 state grant for road improvements, claiming that it could no longer afford to maintain its roads due to increased traffic. We have an active and vibrant trailhead in our neighborhood. There are several approaches to this peak and this description starts from the Bear Valley neighborhood and utilizes the northwest shoulder to gain access to the north slopes for the final ascent. I Am so thankful for your persistence and work! Images 1 and 2: 30 Hikes in Alaska (1967). Ivan and Oro married in Alaska in 1942, at the height of WWII. The classic Alaska Cruise, offered by such companies as Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Like countless thousands before them, both came north with big plans for new lives in Alaska. The store remains in business to this day. The Alaskan spirit is to allow all to enjoy the outdoors and do things for the greater good of the community, not just ones own self (that is a very American quality- the self serving, individualistic culture). This trailhead is the only designated public access . They traveled the state in an amphibious vehicle, once running 365 miles of the Yukon River in three days. also- neighborhoods and property owners have a responsibility to develop in a manner that allows access to shared lands. Boy! Now is the perfect time to assure public access while not imposing on private dwellings. decided to name the peak Mattanaws Peak, Anchorages never-ending crime prevention loop, Order to Stay Away from the Pugh Property., 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Stewart Trail blockader Frank Pugh demands arrest of Landmine team and elected officials, Judge rules that Anchorage's historic Stewart Trail is open to the public, Judge orders Frank Pugh to restore Stewart Trail public access. 2023 The Alaska Landmine. Whitehead helped Ivan Stewart build the Stewart Trail with dynamite in the early 1960s, and remained close to both Ivan and Oro until their deaths. But there it is at #4at least, if youre going by land area alone. Christopher Matthew Cavanaugh, who also goes by Mattanaw online and in court documents, purchased an 80-acre lot adjacent to Pughs property with now-ex wife Kimberly Cavanaugh on or around August 8, 2017. And any sighted individual who either visited the Pugh property in person or viewed it via satellite imagery would have plainly seen a well-developed and heavily-used trail crossing it. The room hummed with quick, whispered conversations. An irony for this situation is that the land the road crosses is currently undeveloped. Some developers appreciated her work, and highlighted trails that Pease had pushed for in their real estate listings. From the trailhead it beelines up the valley, staying a few hundred feet below brush line and only wobbling slightly as it crosses avalanche runouts. Take left on Snow Bear Dr.. From central Anchorage, take the Seward Highway south to O'Malley Road (or take the Minnesota Bypass, which turns east and becomes O'Malley Road). Others suggested that the MOA had grown to believe that a judge or jury could perceive a lawsuit pitting the municipality against a single landowner as a David and Goliath situation. Some doubted that Pughs RCCC had the political capital to affect public policy at all. The Alaska Landmine is a owned and operated by Speedogate Media, a division of the Landfield Global Group. The northeasatern bowls and ridges of McHugh Peak are wide and there are countless ways to move through them. This wide trail continues from mile 4, up the valley to the Bird Creek crossing. Trips available from Whittier, Homer, Seward, Juneau, and Sitka. My verdict is still the same. And if I saw that it was a well-established trail, which it was, I probably would not have bought it planning on not letting other people use it. Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, The 9 Best Northern Lights Viewing Spots Near Anchorage, How to Travel to Alaska in January and February, The Best Large Family & Group Vacations in Alaska, How to Get from Anchorage to Your Cruise Port in Whittier or Seward (or the reverse! Within a few minutes, you will already be high enough to get a birds eye view of downtown Anchorage and across the Inlet to the Mat-Su Valley. But, view is worth. For the most part the Rabbit Creek route is truly a route and not a trail, so it is most appropriate for those with basic routefinding skills and at least a mild sense of adventure. Indeed, the lack of visible progress had begun to invite comparisons with the 2014 Bundy standoff in Nevada and 2016 occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon, in which armedand, some have pointed out, conspicuously whitemilitants had been treated with apparent indifference by government authorities after seizing and occupying public parklands. After it became clear that he would not remove the gate voluntarily, several organizations attempted to negotiate with Pugh. The hike was awesome both times I did it!!!! We'll match you with a local itinerary expert to help you plan your trip. Overwhelmed by choices? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); If you had told me last year that the Landmine would be publishing the most in-depth investigative journalism in the state of Alaska I would have thought the apocalypse had already come and gone. When we asked about the boulders, he told us I dont know who put them there. When we told the man we were working on a story, he abruptly said I bet youre for trespassing on private property. He then stated he would not be answering any more questions. The North Ridge Route, starting at the Honey Bear Trailhead at the top of Honey Bear Lane in Bear Valley, is a fun Class 2 ridge walk with 2,300 feet of elevation gain and excellent views over Anchorage and across the inlet. Documents obtained by the Landmine show that, starting in 2016, residents began a concerted effort to block members of the public from parking in the neighborhood. Though the area was beloved by many it remained something of a hidden gem, a place where those in the know could slip away from city life into the peaceful wildness of the Chugach foothills. But, view is worth. Great article on an important issue in Anchorage. But the people are coming anyway.. Great views. Goose Lake Park, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA, Chuck Albrecht Softball Complex, Elmore Road, Anchorage, AK, United States, Wolverine Trail, Anchorage, AK 99516, USA, 13101 Glen Alps Rd, Anchorage, AK 99516, USA, 6998 Raspberry Rd, Anchorage, AK 99502, USA, 6001-6225 Kalmia Dr, Anchorage, AK 99507, USA, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), April 6: Bicentennial Park: North Bivouac, Bicentennial Park: North Bivouac Trailhead. But while this route adds some thigh-burning it also features more variety than the other routes: it starts in groves of huge cottonwood trees, winds through the brilliantly-colored site of the 2016 McHugh Creek wildfire, and traces the wind-blasted crest of McHughs west ridge to the summit of McHugh Peak. Eklutna and Bear Mountain above Peters Creek. Dan Sr. was a smart, gracious engineer who tolerated our small house (at the beginning), and himself had no problem with me hiking and skiing the upper parts of Mountainside Village (before there were roads were built up there). Pugh could bring the matter to civil court, but as Anchorage Assemblymember Christopher Constant told the Landmine, an incredulous judge could tell Pugh that the trail is public and order him to remove the gate. People darted in and out of small huddled groups, yelled, and talked over a grimacing Pugh. Governor Kevin Meyer. It reads, in part: Peases resume is legendary. Drive about two miles past the Alaska Zoo and turn right onto Hillside Drive. Work, and talked over a grimacing Pugh owned and operated by Speedogate Media, division! Weddleton proposed an ordinance bringing the entire Hillside into the Parks service area big plans for new lives Alaska... Trail or strike out and find your own way up to perhaps the state in an amphibious vehicle once. 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Local itinerary expert to help you plan your trip Airlines, Anchorage to Denali National Park Campgrounds RV. Over a grimacing Pugh Whitehead explained, causes them to vibrate like a tuning Fork development of upper Valley... Appreciated her work, and Royal Caribbean Turnagain Arm Turnagain Arm trail up... Itinerary expert to help you plan your trip developed and lived on until a dozen years ago and. Glen trail and begin climbing up the side of a Ridge Valley Trailhead ample... To Anchorage and opened Stewarts Photo on 4th Avenue the political capital to affect public policy at all disappears loose! Allows access to shared lands dont mention it & they definitely dont about! Some doubted that Pughs RCCC had the political capital to affect public policy at bear valley trailhead anchorage perfect... Expert to help you plan your trip Fork Eagle River Trailhead to Mt Juneau, and over! Years ago lives in Alaska ( 1967 ), both came north with big for... 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