Find how many days you need based on what you want to see and do in Alaska. Pugh had also written to the Assembly alleging repeated trespass by Pease, unlawful behavior and serious concerns about Ms. Peases ethical integrity and conflicts of interest. Shortly before the meeting, Christopher Matthew Cavanaugh had emailed the mayors office, Assembly, and others calling Pease a criminal and accusing her of criminal trespassing behaviors.. Anchorage is the best spot to start a visit to Alaska's iconic bear viewing locations. ), but it is an official parking area. Read 5 Best Hikes in Anchorage, Alaska. The northeasatern bowls and ridges of McHugh Peak are wide and there are countless ways to move through them. If Pughs purchase were simply a long-term investment, there would appear to be little incentive to alter the status quo. There is a park access with only 5 parking spaces and a "over flow parking" apx. Tensions flared, and hikers began reporting angry confrontations with people identifying themselves as local residents. An informal survey of the neighborhood reveals that residents have been walking this trail since at least the mid-1960s. Direction to the Golden View Trailhead The trailhead parking lot can hold only 5-6 cars. Our picks for the best tours and experiences during your Alaska Cruise. There are many unofficial trails, game trails, and old inholding trails in this area. The room hummed with quick, whispered conversations. Book entire boat for your family or group, or opt to bunk with other guests. Portage Valley One of Alaska's most accessible glaciers and most popular attractions, Portage Glacier is the crown jewel in a valley studded with alpine glaciers. Bear Valley Route (North Ridge) 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. Rising above the Potter Valley neighborhood on the southeast corner of Chugach State Park, its summit and the ridges below it have a graceful symmetry uncommon in the Chugach Mountains. After ten years of permissive use, Pugh would have legal grounds to argue that he had successfully eliminated the easement. Very interesting read! Located 40 minutes north of downtown Anchorage in the Eagle River Valley, the center serves as the gateway to the Chugach. After a third of a mile from the parking lot, the trail enters open tundra. This trailhead has many route options. Curious about the roadblock, we knocked on the door of the nearest residence, a sprawling red-roofed house with a commanding view of the Anchorage bowl. The drive itself is only 45 minutes, but once you get there, you'll want to spend more time photographing and exploring. Weekly hike Locations; Archives; 2022; Welcome to the Alaska Outdoors; 2021; Trailhead Direction; Photo Album; 2020; The best times to visit this trail are May through October. Yes, Dennis, you and other landowners including the developer of the Southpointe Subdivison, have done your best to shut down access to the ridge between Turnagain Arm and Potter Valley, which extends to the Ruby Peak referenced in the article. Some time afterward, an arsonist burned down many structures in upper Potter Valley, including the Stewarts amphibious vehicle. With additional reporting by Jeff Landfield. Which one is right for you? Cavanaughs signs demand that trail users exit the property and incorporate clip art of handcuffs, a person being arrested, and a person gripping the bars of a prison cell. Smoked salmon and cans of King Street hefeweizen sat on the table, and an aged golden retriever ambled between guests in the packed living room. 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. 99516, Eventually, the neighborhood had had enough. Either way, public access would remain. Turnagain Arm: Potter Trailhead is just the opposite side of Chugach State Park HQ. I have photos. There is a parking-fee area at the Rendezvous Peak Trailhead. Heres your chance LM Team: Sue Pugh for slander. Shed stopped using the Stewart Trail after Pugh erected his gate because she found the situation depressing. The letters are reproduced below. Moreover, Pughs gate now blocked access to the original Stewart Homestead land now owned by the Alaska Zoo and Alaska Botanical Garden, as well as large tracts owned by the MOA Heritage Land Bank and the State Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Great views. Prescriptive easements can be frustrating for private property owners, but necessary for the free movement of people and goods. Traveling safely in the outdoors requires experience with routefinding, gear selection, emergency response, weather assessment, etc. This expansiveness and proximity to Anchorage make McHugh an excellent choice for easy day trips, afternoon berry-picking jaunts, long ridge walks, and rocky scrambles. After repeated objections and pressure from a man in the audience, it became clear that Pugh was attempting to obliquely record the RCCCs support for a re-zoning measure to allow higher-density development on the Hillsidean effort that RCCC members had previously opposed. After 0.6 miles (1 km), keep right to stay on the Glen Trail. Frank I dont know how long youve been in the area, or where you live, but my folks homesteaded the 1/4 section north of Earl Hutchins old homestead (Doc Schoffs place, to us kids as he bought it from Earl). Which one is right for you? Overwhelmed by choices? Find the best bear viewing spots by season. The Bear Valley area is a hiker's paradise! Distance: 0.9 miles, Elevation gain 1000 ft. Welcome to Rabid Creek, he said. The Municipality has an obligation to protect the publics interest in this trail. This wide trail continues from mile 4, up the valley to the Bird Creek crossing. Thank you all of those working on this. When weather is good, you have wonderful view of mountains. And at the back of the room, well-known mountain runner and former RCCC Co-Chair Nancy Pease appeared to be the nucleus of another small group of opposition. Others thought that Pugh wanted to change municipal policy related to trail development and park access requirements for new developments. Focus on Denali & Kenai Fjords. Title: Bear Valley: Ray E Stork Homestead ParkLocation: Bear Valley: Ray E Stork Homestead ParkLink out: Click hereStart Time: 18:30Date: 2013-04-18End Time: 20:00, We hike around UAA park or Chester Creek Trail. One group of hikers began referring to the trailhead as Grumpy Bear.. Also, the fire truck turnaround thing is obviously an excuse to keep hikers away. Insider tips to pick the best Alaska cruise. The nearby Chugach is home to many bears, and Anchorage has fantastic access to spots famous for views of bears fishing for salmon, snacking on sedges or even digging for . According to his resume Pugh spent two decades working in Louisiana, primarily for Schlumberger, until arriving in Alaska in 2006 to work for BP at Prudhoe Bay. All trails are moderate with wonderful view. Roadblock on Snow Bear Lane, photographed November 29, 2019. Great article! Free personal GPSdriven travel guide to Alaska. This trailhead specifically provides access to McHugh Peak ridge. The net climb from the trailhead to the summit is 2200 feet. Some doubted that Pughs RCCC had the political capital to affect public policy at all. 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! Before Pugh bought the property nighttime parties and litter were a constant problem. It is not good access to Rabbit Lake's, Flattop, Peak 2 etc. 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. This is one of the steepest hike we do. This is BS! In a 2018 phone call, one exhausted legislator described the situation as an emotional shitshow.. Location:18691-18699 Seward Hwy, Anchorage, AK 99516, USA. It was trivially obvious that several spots on Honey Bear Lane would allow vehicles to pull fully off of the road surface and onto the shoulder. Bear Valley: Golden View Trailhead has great access to McHugh Peak, and view from ridge is one of the best view of Anchorage and Chugach mountains. Full-day adventures can be found at Wheeler Lake and Bull Run Lake. Pugh took the mic and, in a thick southern accent, began. Our picks for the best tours and experiences during your Alaska Cruise. It is unclear what answer Kelly received, but documents suggest that Traffic had their own internal answer: directions from above had come down after all. No one asked Stewarts or anyone else for permission Read more , Dan Rogers is an authoritative voice on this whole case. Pugh later repeated his accusations to the audience of an Anchorage crime town hall hosted by Lt. From the top of Point 3,200, follow the crest of the ridge 1.9 miles to the summit of McHugh. Families walked dogs, jogged, berry-picked and ambled into the tundra for panoramic views of the city and the mountains beyond. While you can find wildlife throughout the surrounding area and along any of the four established trails . The trail, and the state park beyond it, are beautiful. 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 piece tries to set the impression that landowners in the vicinity of Stewart Trail endorse open access. As Falsey explains in his March 2, 2016 message to Pugh: The publics consistent use of this trail for the past several decades has created a public use easement across the property. 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. After it became clear that he would not remove the gate voluntarily, several organizations attempted to negotiate with Pugh. By the same token, nobody would ever claim that McHugh Peak, which borders south Anchorage at the southwest corner of Chugach State Park, is the largest peak in the Chugach. Few crowds and fantastic views. Pugh began patrolling the trail on foot or in his truck, often confronting those who circumvented his gate to demand that they sign Access Agreements. Many relented and signed the agreements, which affirm that Pugh owns the Stewart Trail and has the exclusive right to dictate trail use. FYI, Mensa members normally dont mention it & they definitely dont brag about it. A public prescriptive easement exists when there has been continuous, hostile, and open use by the public over a 10-year period.. Some noted that the city was overwhelmed with a property crime wave, and stolen cars took precedence over stolen mountains. Local favorites for half-day hikes include Bloods Ridge and Inspiration Point. no location exemplifies the difficulties providing park access as well as the "Honey Bear" trailhead in upper Bear Valley. ARead more . I knew his parents Dan and Helen starting in 1982 when we bought a lot in Mountainside Village and built a house. GLT has negotiated major land deals in the Anchorage area, including a $7.4 million purchase for South Anchorages 60-acre Campbell Creek Estuary Park. It makes me really angry that this has gone on so long, upstanding people in our community such as Nancy Pease has been attacked and that Pugh and Cavanaugh have been allowed to bully the public. The measuring tape thrashed in the wind, but with one of us on each side of the road we were able to wrestle it to the ground. Have been walking this trail since at least the mid-1960s agreements, which affirm that Pugh to..., the center serves as the gateway to the Chugach Pugh would legal! Has been continuous, hostile, and hikers began reporting angry confrontations with people identifying as. Lake 's, Flattop, Peak 2 etc set the impression that landowners in the of. Area at the Rendezvous Peak Trailhead they definitely dont brag about it the Municipality has an obligation protect. 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