Section 36 Comments

Comments are being accepted for the Section 36 Master Plan until Nov. 30. You never know who will come out of the woodwork, so it doesn’t hurt to get out the vote. If you haven’t done so already, please go to this link and write a few sentences for trails!

Click here to comment.

Want more singletrack?

A public open house will be held for the Section 36 Master Plan on Tuesday, November 10 from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at Goldenview Middle School.

This meeting will be to gather input from members of the Anchorage community on the type of use and level of development for the 640-acre park in southeast Anchorage, known as Section 36.

A Master Plan is being prepared for Section 36 by the Municipality of Anchorage’s Parks & Recreation Department. The Master Plan will be based on a conceptual level, determining the type and level of use, facilities, and access to be provided by the park.

For more information, contact Alison Lohrke, Public Involvement Planner for Dowl HKM. (907) 562-2000.

(Note: Singletrack Advocates has already submitted comments on this issue, and encourages everyone to attend this event to speak up for the development of singletrack in Section 36.)

Autumn on the trails

Late-season riding on the new trails
has been beautiful.

Pretty soon, all the fallen leaves will
make it difficult to see the trail tread.

The log bridge is getting a lot of use
by riders bold enough to try it ...

and from a few who probably shouldn't.
Fortunately, the landing is (sort of) soft.

Go ride before it snows.

Bikes in Chugach State Park?

We’re trying hard to get mountain biking factored into the Chugach State Park Master Trails Plan! If you want to see trails built and other trails opened up to mountain bikes, please be sure to attend Tuesday’s (Sept. 22^nd) open house at 6:30 p.m., at the Campbell Creek Science Center.

This will require an effort of the same magnitude that got the new STA Trails! Please take an hour to show your support, and at the very minimum, comment on the Master Trails Plan by Friday, October 16^th.

Here is the link to the Master Trails Plan.

Happy riders

Mountain bikers are loving the new trails! Here's what a few of told us via e-mail:

Had my first opportunity to ride the new trails yesterday -- many thanks to all of you for your efforts in getting them established. I had a terrific time riding the trails; even though I’m definitely not a good mountain biker (I’m a triathlete, road biker). I definitely felt challenged throughout the ride, yet safe at the same time -- can definitely see you’ve put a great deal of thought into the design so it appeals to bikers of all abilities.

Again, many thanks for your efforts in putting together a fantastic trail system!

Thanks
Jeff

Hi - I just wanted to let you know that I recently had the opportunity to ride these trails. They are fantastic! I am really impressed by the quality of the tracks and I appreciate the hard work that you (and others) obviously put in. I will be signing up post haste.

Thanks,
Russ

I can't remember if I have said it before so I'm saying it again! Thanks for bringing those single track trails to us, we rode them today and with the Fall colors it was fun! Thanks and hope you are well!

Kim

Yesterday I went out mountain biking for the first time in way too long, and I decided to try out some of the new trails. They are amazing! I just wanted to say that the trails are really fun to ride!

Thanks,
Eric

Thursday trail maintenance

The Parks & Rec Youth Employment in Parks (YEP) Crew will be doing maintenance on the entire network of singletrack this Thursday, June 25th. Please steer clear until after 5 p.m.

Ribbon Cutting and Work Party

Acting Mayor Matt Claman cuts the ribbon
at the bottom of Drone Lane.

On June 6, 2009, a special celebration took place in the Hilltop Ski Area as part of the National Trails Day events that took place within the BLM Campbell Creek and Far North Bicentennial Park and resulted in more than 115 volunteers working on local Anchorage area trails for three hours each. Many youths of all ages came out and actively joined parents to help maintain the local trails.

Singletrack Advocates celebrated the grand opening of 7.5 miles of new, sustainably designed singletrack mountain biking trails. The NPS-Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program provided consulting and project assistance on the effort for four years. Janice Tower, STA's leader (also known as the "Queen Bee") was honored by all her drones, 40 or so community-wide trail volunteers and agency partners.

Municipality of Anchorage Parks and Recreation Department planner Holly Spoth-Torres was on hand to open up the ceremony. Acting Mayor Matt Claman thanked Janice and STA for taking a leadership role in helping the municipality provide for recreation opportunities that the agency could not afford. Sue Masica, NPS, Alaska regional director offered her thanks to Janice for her leadership, and shared with the crowd the role NPS has in communities across the state and America.

James King, director of Alaska State Parks shared his teams quotes, praising Janice for being the ultimate partner and for managing her end of the State Recreation Trails and Alaska Trails Initiative grants more efficiently than anyone has before. King presented Janice her very own "Queen Bee" Pulaski—white bow included—which she plans to hang over her fireplace. Claman then cut the broad yellow hazard tape and proclaimed the trails officially open! The crowd cheered and quickly broke into trail crews to head out and help repair the tread that was so badly damaged by more than 100 trees falling in last fall's high-wind event.

The most satisfying moment for Janice and her team of now-trained volunteers, was seeing the high quality of work that happened very efficiently. Problems of what to do with difficult water control issues, best ways to move around rock obstacles and re-establishing tread were solved creatively with successful solutions. Four years ago Anchorage trail volunteers could not do this. With great thanks to the International
Mountain Biking Association and Alaska Trails, Anchorage now has a host of trained and qualified trail crew bosses and volunteers.

Watching the crews work fast and efficiently, while applying proper trail construction methods and knowledge, was very satisfying to all involved. We've come a long way in improving our ability to build, construct and now maintain sustainable trails. Happy Trails, to all of you! We'll see you out on Drone Lane, Janice's Jive, the Hive, the Stinger or the Hornet's Nest.

Ride on!

Best of all, when the work was done,
the volunteers went for a ride on the new trails.

(Thanks to Lisa H. for this writeup.)