MP121.5 parking lot
Trapper Creek
(RSVP needed for this ride, see contact info above)
Winter just keeps hangin’ on !! The season is hardly over yet, snow and river crossings in South Denali continue to resemble the end of February so why not?? LETS RIDE !!
“High Country” viewpoint in South Denali is an amazing perch up high in the foothills of the Alaska Range, not an overly technical ascent at all–maybe one or two steep climbs but most of the way up is a gradual rise in elevation. It needs to be a sunny, clear and less windy day for this event just like the weather service is predicting for this Saturday, but be sure to RSVP to be connected and check the hotline 907-689-7777 before leaving for the ride for any updates and advice.
This is an intermediate skill-level ride but familiarity with ascending and descending considerable hill pitches advised. Scratchers for liquid-cooled sleds in the morning across the valley is also advised. There is plenty of snow with little dirt showing if at all, but the sun is softening the snow in the afternoons which refreezes overnight. We’re riding in Denali State Park so state snowmobile registration is required: http://doa.alaska.gov/dmv/reg/snow.htm
We’ll meet at MP121.5 parking lot on the Parks Highway (6 miles north of Trapper Creek) at 10am and be ready to ride at 10:30am. We’ll head up Chulitna Bluff Trail to cross the highway at MP133 and over towards the Tokisitna Valley where we’ll head off the main trail on tracked snowmachine paths to ascend the foothills. Total miles around 70 for the day, we should be back to the cars by 5pm. Bring a full gas and oil tank, sack lunch and something to take photos with because the view is crazy-beautiful !
