Plan your journey with this gorgeous printed map. Our picks for the best tours and experiences during your Alaska Cruise. It is steep; however, wherever you stop, you will have a gorgeous view of Anchorage and Chugach mountains, from Flattop far on the left to peak 2, 3, and Ptarmigan Peak. Several days before the Assembly meeting, Pugh had sent Nancy Pease a letter titled Order to Stay Away from the Pugh Property. The Assembly, mayors office, RCCC, Senator Cathy Giessel, and others were ccd. Traveling safely in the outdoors requires experience with routefinding, gear selection, emergency response, weather assessment, etc. Car, train, or group tour. According to a 1996 article in the LA Times, the couple was woken during their honeymoon camping trip on Kodiak by American soldiers who mistook them for Japanese spies. Few crowds and fantastic views. Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. Follow the ridgeline 1.5 miles over the top of Ruby (the west summit of McHugh Peak) and then on to the summit of McHugh Peak itself. Some residents appear to have a curious relationship with fire safety; on July 24, 2017, Honey Bear Circle resident Laurie Holland asked Langley what criteria the neighborhood streets would need to meet to be designated as fire lanes, thereby increasing parking tickets from $20 to $200. . It can be overgrown so stay bear aware in this area. Potter Trailhead (Seward Hwy mile 115) McHugh . A tentative trial date had been set for June 22, 2020. 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! But Pughs new acquisition presented major challenges: the bottom portion was encumbered by a wetland and stream, where development would be severely restricted, and the upper areas were steep and exposed. Location:18691-18699 Seward Hwy, Anchorage, AK 99516, USA. Difficulty: Class 2+(c4). However, it was clear that the RCCC meetings under Pughs leadership had accomplished one thing: a resistance had crystallized. This is one of the steepest hike we do. Before and after Frank Pugh bought his property people accessing Stewart Trail disregarded the property rights of nearby neighbors. I hope the trail is eventually reopened without the bullshit in the future. Make noise, carry bear spray, and follow other best practices for traveling in bear country. Book entire boat for your family or group, or opt to bunk with other guests. how about your hoa removes the rocks that yall put in snow bear (a PUBLIC street) so people can park on it? thats why the city originally made it apart of the development of the neighborhood to create and maintain the honey bear access in the first place- now I do believe that additional funds to expand the parking perhaps should be granted. 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. Portage Glacier: The Main Attraction Difficulty: Moderate Distance: 9 miles Elevation Gain: 850 feet Rarely do two lakes lie within a few feet of each other. On August 18, 2018 he posted a photo of himself on the Stewart Trail on Instagram wearing a chest-mounted Glock 20. We had been told that the HOA occasionally plowed snow into the trailhead cul-de-sacs fire truck turnaround to discourage parking by hikers. The classic Alaska Cruise, offered by such companies as Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. Either way, public access would remain. This trailhead has many route options. More recently, local residents have used the trail for recreational purposes. Greetings to Alaska from a German journalist! To enjoy a scenic drive just a few minutes from downtown Anchorage, head north to mile 6.1 on the Glenn Highway. 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). A man answered the door. ADN Reporter Devin Kelly asked the Traffic department that exact question in July 2017. The hike is excellent and goes through to McHugh Peak, and can connect to other trailheads from there. Which one is right for you? Welcome to Rabid Creek, he said. Highlights plus less visited destinations. Problems with public access have proliferated across Chugach State Park, from the South Fork Eagle River Trailhead to Mt. Turnagain Arm: Potter Trailhead. Then came the confrontations and the cameras. Great views. Given all of that, its tempting to call Pease the Queen of the Mountain, but that would be shortsighted. Take left on Snow Bear Dr.. His points are well taken and he is just the kind of neighbor one wants to have living adjacent to a park access point. The Stewart Trail is far from the only prescriptive easement in Anchorage, where many trails and roads were built with little regard to official property lines. After a third of a mile from the parking lot, the trail enters open tundra. Now on a busy day the road can honestly be blocked for fire engines. 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. Wildlife Viewing. The classic Alaska Cruise, offered by such companies as Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean. In the April 2017 election the measure was overwhelmingly approved by voters in the current park service area, but was rejected by residents of the upper Hillside. I bought into the club and should have special privileges but I dont want to pay dues or let anyone else in. And yet again, wealthy white male landowners chose a path prioritizing their greed, assertion of exclusive rights,Read more . Secondly, to say that the homeowners are somehow at fault for creating the situation of littering and illegal parking is asinine. From here, you can head up the steep and winding, Arctic Valley Road. Map showing area made inaccessible by the Pugh gate. 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. The information I share here is based on my research and limited personal experience. In a September 24, 2018 email to Anchorage Assemblymember Christopher Constant, Pugh states this belief explictly: As for Ms. Stewart, based on your comments and the many discussions that I had with people on my property, it is evident that she granted permissive use to many people thus making claims of prescriptive easement null and void.. I was up there in the 60s. This site is not currently open to the public, but history buffs and others still visit it. In the fall of 2018, Pease applied for a position on the municipal Board of Adjustment, an obscure but powerful board that can override land use decisions made by other municipal boards and commissions. The City of Anchorage considers the Stewart Trail a public right-of-way and has repeatedly demanded that the Pughs remove the gate, without success. come on, admit it,you know who did that. 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. Looking down the east ridge of McHugh Peak toward Rabbit Lake and the Suicide Peaks. We been up there, after Ivan died, we went up there with Oro, people [were] up in there. 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. Before Pugh bought the property nighttime parties and litter were a constant problem. Bear Valley route (North Ridge): 5.4 miles round trip, 2,300 ft. elevation gain. 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! 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. Starting in the late 1950s McHugh was typically accessed from the Stewart Homestead Road (also called the Stewart Trail), which leads to the peaks northwest ridge. Weddleton added, that traffics coming anyway. Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. Book entire boat for your family or group, or opt to bunk with other guests. In her will, Oro Stewart divided her homestead tract between two beloved local organizations, the Alaska Botanical Garden and the Alaska Zoo. The Bear Valley area is a hikers paradise! The trail begins about a quarter mile ahead. Winner Creek Winner Creek Trail (map point 8) runs through the Chugach National Forest and has very little elevation gain. These include difficulty communicating with those of more pedestrian aptitudes. After a while we turned our backs on Pughs gate and headed up the Stewart Trail. 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.. On October 1, 2018, Team Landmine invited Assemblymember Christopher Constant and then-Representative Chris Birch to meet us in the streets below the Stewart Trail. Cavanaugh seems to have become particularly frustrated by the Anchorage Police Departments refusal to cite Stewart Trail users for trespass, and started taking matters into his own hands. This piece tries to set the impression that landowners in the vicinity of Stewart Trail endorse open access. Difficulty: Class 2+(c4), McHugh Creek route (West Ridge): 7.8 miles round trip, 4,300 ft. elevation gain. The man in the audience grilling Pugh about his handling of the re-zoning issue was Bert Lewis, an Anchorage fisheries biologist who had already begun organizing a neighborhood effort to reopen the Stewart Trail. 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. Highlights plus less visited destinations. In the end, the current land owners affected by the prescriptive easements have a wonderful opportunity to establish a positive legacy for themselves and their heirs by working nicely with the community. He identified himself as a longtime former coworker and friend of Pugh. A public prescriptive easement exists when there has been continuous, hostile, and open use by the public over a 10-year period.. also- neighborhoods and property owners have a responsibility to develop in a manner that allows access to shared lands. If Pughs purchase were simply a long-term investment, there would appear to be little incentive to alter the status quo. Cruises and land tours are great ways to see Alaska. Best Vacation Value 1,048 Recommended Bus Tours 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 . Find the best bear viewing spots by season. hiking area There is one section of the trail that becomes singletrack. category. 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. Shed stopped using the Stewart Trail after Pugh erected his gate because she found the situation depressing. US. 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. Anchorage, Our old homestead is now Mountainside Village, which we developed and lived on until a dozen years ago. The Chriss hadnt met before and occupied opposite sides of the political spectrum, but nothing encourages bipartisanship in Alaska like the prospect of an interesting hike. Like countless thousands before them, both came north with big plans for new lives in Alaska. With the closure of the StewartRead more . The room hummed with quick, whispered conversations. Back inside, Team Landmine asked Whitehead whether Ivan or Oro Stewart had ever been concerned with granting permission to traverse the Stewart Trail. The Bear Valley Trailhead is a popular place to begin a hiking, biking, or horse riding adventure in Point Reyes National Seashore. But in the case of the Stewart Trail, evidence of historical use seems to be overwhelming. Looking for another hike in Anchorage? The Rabbit Lake trail uncoils a little into multiple paths, though it remains easy to follow. After a brief discussion, the Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to confirm Pease. Some residents began openly wondering whether the situation could tip into violence. And there are so many stories of hikers and berry pickers being harassed by residents up there. Take your route going up to the ridge. There was an audible gasp in the room. At the front of the room, Friends of the Stewart Trail attorney Tom Meacham nodded. There is only one trail originating from the trailhead. Thats my final thought.. 2-5 day small ship explorations. Focus on Denali & Kenai Fjords. Residents were forbidden from turning the neighborhood into a gated community because the streets are public, but the camera-studded gateand its message to visitorsremains. Flattop is arguably Alaskas most popular (and therefore, most crowded) mountain; Rendezvous is far less crowded and offers better views from the summit. The trail was one of my favorites as well and I miss it. Features: Kid Friendly, Bicycling, Skiing, RunningDirections: To access the trail head, take Peters Creek exit from the Glenn Highway, then turn right on Ski Rd. But there is a problem with this characterization: the Anchorage Police Department (APD) is a department of the MOA, and the MOA had determined that the Stewart Trail was public. Locations of several Stealthcam game cameras operated by Pugh. But in a May 7, 2018 email to a member of the public, Langley writes that, despite the No Parking signs, parking would still be legal if a driver could find a way to leave 20 feet of roadway clear: According to Langley, Honey Bear Lane was a public street open to the appropriate legal use by any person, and parking on the shoulder was no more or less illegal than parking on the shoulder of any Anchorage road of equivalent width. Big ship or small ship? He did things right.. I think its cruel and thoughtless. Photographed at Stewarts Camera, November 27, 2019. Now on a busy day the road can honestly be blocked for fire engines. While you can find wildlife throughout the surrounding area and along any of the four established trails . Weekly hike Locations; Archives; 2022; Welcome to the Alaska Outdoors; 2021; Trailhead Direction; Photo Album; 2020; residents in mountain view, muldoon, downtown, midtown, etc. Turn left onto the Glen Trail and begin climbing up the side of a ridge. Signage on the Stewart Trail posted by Christopher Matthew Cavanaugh, photographed October 14, 2018. Direction to the Golden View Trailhead. Some speakers were furious, while others expressed bewilderment at how the situation had dragged on for so long. Nobody wants crime in their neighborhood, but it persists across this city nonetheless, regardless of the stringency of parking rules. From the summit either retrace your steps or drop off the ridge to the south for a cross-country downhill to the McHugh Lake Trail. After another 0.4 miles (0.6 km) keep left to stay on the Glen Trail. Note the line of old fenceposts visible right below the rainbowthese are a good landmark for when you might consider crossing the valley and heading up McHugh. The net climb from the trailhead to the summit is 2200 feet. After another mile of switchbacks and four-wheel-drive road, youll arrive at the top. Choose a round-trip Inside passage or one-way Gulf of Alaska Cruise. Some trail users declined to engage with Pugh, while others began carrying copies of the MOAs letters stating the trail was public. There is certainly exposure, and a fall from the summit rock could be severely injurious or fatal. Plan your journey with this gorgeous printed map. I made sure to make a lot of noise due to the numerous sightings of bear scat. On September 17, 2012, Frank Pugh and wife Oksana Pugh purchased a 120-acre lot in upper Potter Valley formerly known as the Earl Hutchings Homestead. Pugh took the mic and, in a thick southern accent, began. 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