by Cindy Ross
Singletrack in the Chugach
A family adventure in the backc ountry of Alaska
Jungles of grass and flowers whip our
arms as we race along on our mountain
bikes. The vegetation obscures rocks,
approaching curves, and grizzly bears that
could be lurking around each bend. But we
whoop and holler every few seconds, “Heh,
bear! Coming through!” to announce our
presence. We stay about 10 yards behind
the mountain biker in front, so we won’t
crash if they stop abruptly and, to keep it
tight enough to prevent a startled grizzly
from darting in between.
It is both exhilarating and terrifying to
mountain bike in an area where you are not
at the top of the food chain. This condition doesn’t happen often in the northern
hemisphere, but in Alaska bears outnumber
humans, and they can grow to be 1,400
pounds. Yet to cycle here is to immerse
yourself in some of the most exquisite
mountain scenery on the planet. It’s a
worthwhile exchange.
We can feel the great snow-capped,
5,000-foot Chugach Mountains on either
side as we race along the singletrack
Crescent Lake Trail. Alpine peaks surround
I’ve never felt more alive in my life.
Alaska is one-fifth the size of the
entire Lower 48, larger than the combined
mass of Texas, Montana, and California.
Its wilderness is so immense, so unpopulated, that it is beyond our comprehension.
When my family and I were planning a
trip to Alaska, the agenda naturally had to
include a mountain-biking experience —
but where, in all that territory, would we
go, and how would we access bike-friendly
roads and establishments?
Alaska has only 10 paved state roads
and we weren’t interested in fighting with
logging trucks and motor homes on these
long-haul roads. The heart of the wilderness is what we’ve come to Alaska to experiencel, so I contacted Alaska Backcountry
Bike Tours, a premier adventure-cycling
company in the state and the only one to
focus on single-track mountain-biking experiences.
Tony Berberich established his
Palmer-based company in 1999 and concentrates most of his cycling adventures on
the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska’s playground.
Glacial wonder. A side trip to the Harding Ice Field gets the Ross family off their bicycles.
us like bald brows, rolling with dark cloud
shadows and splotches of blinding sunlight.
When our trail breaks out above the
tree line, the ground becomes a riot of
color. Alpine lichens and cranberries turn
shades of honey, magenta, and rust as the
season moves closer to winter. It is absolutely gorgeous up here in the high country, and with my heightened senses (as we
constantly consider the presence of bears),
32 adventure cyclist april
200 8 Our family usually opts for independent
adventures as opposed to organized group
tours, but we’re a tad concerned about
those heart-thumping grizzlies. And on
Day Two of our four-day adventure, we
understand completely the wisdom in this
decision.
One of the most popular Kenai
Peninsula mountain-bike rides is the
Russian Lakes Trail. This 21-mile trail fol-
adventurecycling.org
lows the incredibly scenic Russian River,
the largest freshwater fishery in Alaska.
The sockeye salmon leap up and over a
series of cataracts (falls up to 40 feet tall)
and rapids as they make their amazing
return journey to their ancestral spawning
grounds. Bears love fish and gorge themselves on the tender red flesh when the
fish are running, and a noisy stream masks
your ability to hear a bear — or for a bear
to hear you. Tony knew the griz might still
be in the area on the day this ride is usually
scheduled, so he inquired about the bears’
presence. He learns that over 70 piles of
fresh bear scat had been found along the
trail, making it far too dangerous to risk the
safety of cyclists. The Russian Lakes Trail
is off limits, and an alternative ride must be
found. Had we not signed up to ride with
Alaska Backcountry, we would have never
known about the danger. Of course, this
is only one of the reasons we’re happy we
chose to go with an Alaska expert.
Tony bases most of his rides in the
Kenai’s enormous Chugach National
Forest. It is the second largest national forest in Alaska after the Tongass and engulfs
5.5 million acres. Development and logging
are minor in the Chugach, but the trails
are the jewels in its crown. The hiking and
mountain-biking trails comprise Alaska’s
most developed trails system, totaling over
100 miles of recreational access. Not only
are they the outdoor enthusiast’s ticket
to some of the most gorgeous mountain
scenery in the entire state, these trails are
brimming with history. As you ride, you
are following in the footsteps of turn-of-thecentury prospectors who initially blazed
these trails and carried millions of dollars of
gold over them. Or you could be following
in the paw prints of the first Iditarod route.
On our four-day adventure, we are
based out of Cooper Landing Campground
and RV Park, a central location used as a
base for all of our rides. Our sites cluster
together by the mint-green Kenai River,
which rolls closely by. Tony and his staff
whip up gourmet dinners every evening
after a day of biking, followed by campfire
camaraderie. Hearty lunches are packed
every morning before heading out to one of
our favorite meals of the day — breakfast.
Alaskan roadhouses are eating establishments dating back to the time when this
great state was still a territory. Eating at a
place like Gwinn’s Roadhouse is like dining
in a living legend. The log walls are covered
with old photos and memorabilia, but it’s
the food — reindeer sausage, smoked salmon omelets, and sourdough pancakes — as
well as the colorful local clientele that create
our most vivid memories. Of course, carboloading is just what we need to propel us
along the trail and keep us fueled for hours.
Our favorite ride is on Day Two, Devil’s
Pass Trail and Resurrection Pass.
The first six miles are gradual, taking
us on a needle-cushioned trail through cool
forests of lovely spruce trees. When the
land opens up, we witness the jaw-dropping
beauty of green mountains spotted with
snowy-white mountain goats. As the trail
dips into a moist gully, we are forced to
stop and reach for the deep-red sweet salmonberries, so large that four of them fill
your palm. High stalks of magenta-colored
fireweed line our trail. Alaskans say when
the last row of blossoms open up, the first
snow is not far behind. Only one row
remains in this last week of August.
Elevation tops off at 2,600 feet at the
pass, but we aren’t even aware that we
have climbed anything significant. Part of
this is because of the Kona mountain bikes
kept in impeccable working condition that
Tony provides for his riders. Back home,
our family has “old junkers” (the kids’
description) that have served us well over
the years. But we are amazed at the terrain
we can cover with these bikes. With just a
reasonable level of fitness, we would never
have believed we could accomplish such
mountain biking. It has to be the bikes! Of
course, after only the first day, our teens
announce that they would like such bikes
for Christmas. Right! Enjoy them while you
can.
The Chugach National Forest has 18
public-use cabins that are available for $35
a night. Mostly log structures, they sleep
four and have wood and oil stoves, wooden
bunks, a table, and benches, but they lack
running water. You can reserve them ahead
and incorporate overnight stays, creating an
extended mountain-biking pack trip. It is
possible to cycle a distance of 74 miles from
the town of Hope on Cook Inlet to the
vicinity of Seward on the Gulf of Alaska —
all the way down the Kenai Peninsula.
G1310_08Aly_AC_ad1_fa.indd 1
2/14/08 12:55:18 PM
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33
Nuts & Bolts: Alaska
Short ride options There are
tination is in Denali National
a few gorgeous short bike
Park. Check out the paved
rides that you may want to
and gravel trails in the park
schedule. One heads right
that head off right from
out of downtown Anchorage
the visitor center. Denali/
on the Tony Knowles Coastal
Aramark (907-683-2591,
Trail. This 11-mile asphalt track
www.denalialaska.com)
takes cyclists along the mag-
rents bikes next to the Lynx
nificent Turnagain Arm, a long
Creek Store in Denali Park.
inlet where you can watch for
For a half- or full-day ride,
Beluga whales and bore tides.
cycle the first 15 miles of the
Dall sheep sometimes frequent
park road to Savage River
the cliffs on the other side of
Campground. Only this sec-
the trail and Moose feeding
tion of the 85-mile, one-way
the Alaska range, with heart-
on wild currants in the forest
road is paved and it offers
stopping views of the great
are also a familiar site. This
spectacular scenery after
20,320-foot Denali Peak, the
stand your ground until he is
extremely scenic trail hooks up
climbing above the tree line.
highest mountain in North
about three feet away. Then
with a huge network of moun-
You can choose to hop on the
America. It traverses some of
drop, play dead, cover your
tain-bike trails in Kincaid Park,
camper shuttle bus (be sure to
the most pristine land in the
neck with your hands locked,
world and is a playground for
and ball up to protect your
bears, caribou, Dall sheep, and
vital organs. Try to position
mountain goats. You must
your bike between you and
plan to camp along the way,
the animal. Never run. Check
securing a backcountry permit
with the local wildlife officials
beforehand.
to learn which trails may have
Tour guide Alaska Backcountry
bear activity.
ALASKA
Bristol Bay
Pacific Ocean
Bike Tours, (866-354-2453,
them.
If a grizzly bear charges,
Learn to identify devil’s
www.mountainbikealaska.com).
club and cow parsnip. If you
They can also create a custom
tumble off trail into cow pars-
cycling or multi-sport adventure.
nips, you won’t soon forget.
Important precautions Know
Know how to repair your
how to defend yourself if you
bike and have the proper tools
or cyclists can turn onto the
mention this when you book
encounter a bear. Protocol for
and equipment. Know how to
Chester Creek Trail, another
your bus reservation) for a one
black bears and grizzly bears
navigate and bring along a
greenbelt across Anchorage.
way ride.
are different. Make a noise or
compass, GPS, and a map.
Contact the Downtown
For the more ambitious If
sing when you ride through
Dress for the weather. In
Bicycle Shop in Anchorage
you are craving a long adven-
thick terrain. If a black bear
Alaska pleasant, sunny condi-
(907-250-2871, www.alaska-
ture, saddle up and head
charges, fight back. These
tions can quickly turn into win-
bike-rentals.com) for rentals
down deep into the park. This
animals attack to kill (although
ter weather. A waterproof and
and shuttles.
narrow, gravel road takes the
they rarely attack), and pas-
windproof jacket is essential.
adventuring cyclist deep into
sive behavior does not deter
Another favorite riding des-
The ride continues up to a Forest
Service cabin in the pass, where we enjoy
a delicious lunch amid the glorious high
country of the Chugach Range. Sitting on
the porch at a small picnic table, we agree
that food never tasted so good. My kids
laugh and say, “Nothing like a roast beef
sandwich in the middle of nowhere.”
34 Kenai Peninsula
adventure cyclist april
200 8 But I correct them, “In the middle of
everywhere.”
After filtering water, we push off from
the cabin in the pass with 20 more miles
ahead.
Lakes are tucked up high between
mountain passes, looking like scattered mirror fragments of blue sky. As we begin our
adventurecycling.org
slow descent, we skirt smatterings of beaver
ponds, rimmed in alders and sparkling in
the sun. Dark storm clouds are brewing in
the mountains and chase us all afternoon,
although we are lucky and completely
escape the rain.
The trail is like an amusement park
ride with a series of steep hills that we
speed down and zip up. It is great fun to
splash through the puddles and spray yourself with mud, but you have to be careful
rounding sudden bends when there is a perilous cliff on one side. My husband Todd
compares it to being inside a video game as
we dodge obstacles while barely maintaining control. The exhilarating ride turns my
innocent children into confident weekend
warriors. To add to the effect, they smear
themselves with mud from their tires as if it
were barbaric war paint.
It is fascinating to watch the progress
we are making as mountain bikers, both
in skill and confidence. Before we signed
up, Tony quizzed us on our experience
level to see how we’d fit into the group and
told us about the planned cycling itinerary.
We’ve done lots of cycling, including longdistance, some rough and some singletrack,
and we’ve carried weight. But you wouldn’t
classify any of us as mountain-biking animals; we’re more interested in the scenery
than the adrenaline rush. So we had some
trepidation about the adventure, although
we were also terribly excited.
We learn that our first ride — the
14-mile RT Crescent Lake route with a
1,000-foot elevation gain — was a test. A
few of us crashed (although nothing dangerous happened). Many of us dumped and
did so multiple times (nothing dangerous
again). We found it to be very challenging.
And at least half of our group had some
doubts about whether we had signed up for
the right trip.
What we didn’t realize is that we were
learning how to mountain bike on rough
terrain and how to handle these new (to
us) bikes. Because the bikes are so light,
we have to learn how to pop the wheel up
to get over things and not resort to hopping off the saddle to lift the bike over the
obstacle — a tremendous energy drain.
We have to learn how to sit back in our
seats and keep our center of gravity low
when descending over rough stuff; to aim
and time our swerves as we careen around
rocks; that we don’t need to rush in order
to keep up; that we can take our time. And,
finally, we have to learn how to relax and
let go and just cruise down the mountain,
confident that we know how and when to
break and at what angle to cut our front
wheels. It takes time. It took all 12 miles of
the Crescent Lake Trail.
We didn’t know we could really
perform like this until our ride on
Resurrection Pass. This is when we fall
in love with mountain biking in Alaska. It
is incredibly exhilarating and rewarding.
If possible, the land we cycle through is
becoming even more spectacular to us, and
we’re having the time of our lives.
This is perhaps one of the best gifts
Alaska Backcountry Bike Tours gives us.
If a member of our group is having a rough
time and lagging behind, a guide is always
there riding sweep to offer assistance and
reassuring words of encouragement. Our
adventure isn’t just about experiencing all
the beauty Alaska has to offer from the seat
of a bicycle, it’s about believing in yourself
and your ability to perform. Whether
you’re a 70-year-old or a teenager, this is
extremely valuable.
We fly into the parking lot where
Tony is waiting by a table heaped with
plump juicy strawberries, homemade
brownies, and a cooler full of iced drinks.
He is smiling too. He knows we have just
experienced one of the best rides of our
lives.
Most of Alaska Backcountry’s rides
average 20 to 30 miles a day, consuming
about four to nine hours each day. On a
four-day adventure, Tony offers a day off
(Day Three) to rest our cycling muscles, if
we want, and the options for Day Three are
so exciting that riders rarely pick cycling.
A short drive into the pocket-sized port
town of Seward is today’s destination. The
town sits on a sparkling bay surrounded
by snow-capped mountains dripping with
glaciers. Right on its doorstep is the Kenai
Fjiords National Park which offers one of
the most magnificent boat rides on earth.
It gets you up close and personal to calving glaciers, seals, sea lions, and a slew of
marine wildlife. Or you can take it easy
and see the wildlife in the world-renowned
Seward Sealife Center.
Another choice is to hike up to Exit
Glacier in the national park and continue
on to the amazing Harding Ice Field (our
choice for the day’s activity). This prehistoric giant encompasses 300 square miles,
has 36 frozen digits, and feeds more than
35 glaciers. It caps a section of the Kenai
Peninsula 50 miles long by 30 miles wide.
The seven-mile round-trip trail skirts the
glacier before climbing to the ice field.
We gaze out over the flat expanse of
ice, broken only by the “nunataqs” or lonely peaks that act as a refuge for plant and
animal life. This is what our planet looked
like during the last ice age, some 15,000
years ago. Today, the ice is thought to be
thousands of feet thick. As an added treat,
we get to observe half a dozen black bears
chomping on the pithy, deep-blue crowberries that cover the alpine floor.
Johnson Pass/Bird-Gird Trail
On Day four, our group split’s up
partway through the day. We begin by
heading down the historic Johnson Pass
Trail, where we see remnants of half-buried
telegraph wires that once carried the news
across the Chugach Mountains. At that
time, dog sleds raced medicine over this
trail on its way to villages in the interior.
After a few miles, half of us decide to turn
back and hop on the glass-smooth, blacktopped Bird-Gird Trail that parallels the
Seward Highway.
Racing through a half dozen miles of
exquisite mountain scenery, we are able to
drink in the views without any concern for
our safety. Although we love the thrill of
the singletrack, after four days, we are ready
for a relaxed pleasure-ride.
When we rejoin the rest of the group
in the parking lot, Tony lifts our bikes to
the roof of his van for the last time. We
turn in our borrowed helmets and other
gear and, sadly, say our goodbyes to our
cycling comrades and this phenomenal
state. The thing about Alaska is you’re
always left wanting more. There are more
trails, more mountains, glaciers, and wildlife to feast your eyes upon. You can’t get
enough. And we’ve found that mountain
biking is the best way to experience this
magnificent land. We will return.
Cindy Ross has written about family cycling trips for
Adventure Cyclist in the past. Her story “Chained
Together, Riding with Family” appeared in the
January/February 2003 issue and “Adventure Cycling
the Erie Canal” appeared in the September/October
2006 issue.
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