Hiking - Winner Creek Trail (updated summer 2016)

Dappled Light in a Temperate Rainforest

Stats

Distance:  5.5 miles (round trip)                       Difficulty: Easy                           Time:  Full-day

Summary

Blueberries

The winner creek trail is one of the best kept trails we’ve ever found in Alaska.  It’s also one of the prettiest

Winter Adventure - Arctic Circle Tour with Ronn Murray Aurora Tours

Aurora around the moon

Stats

Difficulty: Moderate                                                                                   Time:  Full-Day

Summary

This is a “bucket list” trip of a lifetime!

Ronn Murray and his wife Marketa run Aurora Tours out of Fairbanks, AK.  We chose to go all out and took their Arctic Circle Tour on 10 Mar 2014; this was the next to last of these

Hiking - Byron Glacier Game Trail (Not Recommended)

Byron Glacier Game Trail

Summary

On 24 Jun 2013 we decided to go to the Portage Glacier and take the boat to the glacier front.  Our timing was off due to road construction on Sterling Hwy and we missed the boat.  However, on the way to the cruise loading area, we passed Byron Glacier.  It was lovely, so we decided to stop and take photos at the last scenic viewing area before the Portage Glacier Cruise parking lot.  That scenic viewing area had the best view of Byron Glacier from the road.

At the edge of the parking area was a large rock.  We saw a group of people come out from behind it talking about the trail they took, so we decided to investigate.

After exploring the trail, we came to the conclusion that this was a moose game trail and NOT an actual hike.

Opinion

We don’t recommend this hike.  Although it is interesting, it is just a game trail.  The alder forest it runs through is wild and low and you spend most of the time bent over weaving through the trunks and branches.  In addition, the game trail breaks in several directions and it is easy to get lost coming back.

Hiking - Byron Glacier Trail

Stats

Distance:  1.0 miles                                    Difficulty: Easy                                          Time:  1 hr

Summary

On 24 Jun 2013 we decided to go to the Portage Glacier and take the boat to the glacier front.  Our timing was off due to road construction on Sterling Hwy and we missed the boat.  However the trip wasn't a total loss; on the way to the cruise loading area, we passed Byron Glacier.  From the road, it looked beautiful so we decided to check out the Byron Glacier Trail.

The trail is part of the Chugach National Forest.  The official web site is http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/chugach/recreation/hiking/recarea/?recid=6606&actid=50.  The trail is a 2-mile round trip and a very easy hike.  It brings you quite close to the face of the glacier and provides a very pleasant hike with a beautiful glacier at the end.


Opinion

This is the best easy glacier hike we’ve found so far.  The highlight of this trail are

Hiking - Exit Glacier

Stats

Distance:  3.0 miles                                  Difficulty: Easy                                          Time:  1.5 hrs

                                                                         Summary 

Exit Glacier

It was 12 Jun 2013 when we decided to try the Exit Glacier hike near Seward, AK. This hike is in the Kenai Fjords National Park Alaska. The link to the official web site is http://www.nps.gov/kefj/planyourvisit/exit-glacier.htm. This is a useful site that provides directions to the site, a description of the hiking options, and park alerts.

There are four hikes from only a mile to over eight miles that can be taken from the trailhead: Glacier View, the Toe of the Glacier, the Edge of the Glacier, and the Harding Ice Field. The trails are clearly marked and the distances for each are shown on each trail sign.  We hiked to Glacier View through the Cottonwood forest and from there to the Edge of the Glacier. 

Opinion

This is an easy, short, and very pleasant hike. It has good views of