Alaska

Cordova Trail Deferred Maintenance ($200,000)

Chugach National Forest, Alaska

This project aims to improve the line of sight for popular motorized and non-motorized trails in the Cordova Ranger District. This project addresses deferred maintenance on four trails within the same trail network. Upon completion, this project will improve access to national forest system lands, provide outfitter guide access, provide a better line of sight for all-terrain vehicle use, and reduce encounters with bears.

Critical Deferred Maintenance on Glacier Ranger District Winter Trails ($40,000)

Chugach National Forest, Alaska

Project work is occurring along the Turnagain Snowmachine Trail and the Turnagain Pass Trail, which are both part of the longer Iditarod National Historic Trail Southern Trek trail system. Upon completion, this project will complete brushing, logging out, and other deferred maintenance tasks for multiple winter trails.

Dangerous River All-Terrain Vehicle Trail ($200,000)

Tongass National Forest, Alaska

The Middle Dangerous River Trail receives the most use in the fall around the moose hunting season.  The fall is also the wettest time of the year. The moisture and high traffic volumes have taken a toll on the sustainability of this trail.  The trail alters the natural drainage patterns and collects surface flow along its length, affecting approximately 4.5 miles of ephemeral and intermittent streams and surrounding wetlands. The project’s goal is to divert as much water as possible off the existing trail back into its natural drainages and evaluate the effectiveness of the structures for future work. Some ATV boardwalks have been constructed, and a combination of crushed gravel and geo-block along the wettest parts of this trail has been installed; however, a lot more needs work.

Iditarod National Historic Trail Master Deferred Maintenance Project ($1,000,000)

Chugach National Forest, Alaska

This project proposes to address deferred maintenance on portions of the existing trail and bridges on the 120 mi Iditarod National Historic Trail (INHT) Southern Trek- A National Priority Trail Maintenance Area. When completed, this trail will eventually be part of a continuous trail that will go from Seward, AK, to Eagle River, AK. Investing in this trail system’s ongoing maintenance and improvement will help us meet the forest’s goal of creating resilient, sustainable trails. It will put us well on our way to meeting the criteria of the 10-year Trail Challenge.   

The project area spans the Seward and Glacier Ranger districts on the Chugach National Forest. It will address heavy deferred maintenance on the following sections of the INHT: Nash Rd to Bear Lake, Lost Lake Trail, Primrose Trail, Johnson Pass Trail, Turnagain Pass Trail, Winner Creek Trail, Upper Winner Creek Trail, Crow Pass Trail, Portage Pass Trails and the Trail of Blue Ice.    The INHT is an immensely popular trail, seeing hundreds of thousands of visitors annually. The trails are popular for hikers, bikers, backpackers, runners, fishermen, hunters, subsistence gathering, and winter activities, including skiing, snowshoeing, fat biking, and snow machining. This trail is the backbone of our local towns and acts as an economic driver for our Alaskan communities. South-central Alaska is the vacation destination for a majority of Alaska tourism, and providing safe, accessible, and world-class trail systems is vital to the area’s continued success and outstanding reputation. Our permitted outfitter/ guides also rely on this trail system to provide guided, knowledgeable outdoor recreation experiences to a diverse user group. Improvements to this trail system will create additional opportunities for our O/Gs and the public.

Lower Cinder Cone and Connecting Off-Highway Vehicle Trails Deferred Maintenance and Improvements ($101,000)