Tunnel Fee Information:
Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel - Fee $12

Guided Hike Information:
The Forest Service Interpreter offers a guided hike option at Portage Pass. They meet every Sunday at one p.m. weather permitting. Call 783-2326 for more information.

Trail Location & Information:
Rating: Somewhat Easy
Trail: Established with maintained gravel until you reach the top.
Length: 1.5 Miles
Best conditions: May through September
Trail location: As you enter Whittier from the tunnel, drive towards Whittier the first right after the railroad tracks onto a gravel road that says “Forest access”.

Directions:

View Larger Map

Hike details:

• 4.5 miles one way
• 1,850 foot elevation gain from trail head to upper Reed lake.
• A solid pair of hiking shoes or boots with good ankle support are required for this hike.
• Hiking poles good, but not required.
• Varied terrain. Trail is very well established and in good condition generally speaking. First two miles is flat wide and maintained trail, from there you gain elevation quickly navigating boulders and at times slippery mud. It’s a good hike, take your time and it’s worth the rewards!

Directions:

View Larger Map

I really like the new Yeti 600i Boots, these are just another example of why I keep coming back to Hi-Tec for backcountry footwear. As of today the Yeti 600i boots are performing quite well and have exceeded my expectations, in both performance and weight. Keep an eye out in this season of Alaska HDTV for the boots in action, and I’ll be offering a followup to this review.

The weight of my gear is a big deal. Hiking through wilderness, over mountains and through other varied terrain with camera gear – every ounce matters!  Without giving up quality and durability, my compliments to Hi-Tec gear for their attention to what’s really important!

Wet is Dry my friends and Hi-Tec ion-mask technology is pretty amazing, which you can learn more at http://www.hi-tec.com/ion-mask/

Happy Hiking!
Scott

Disclosure:  With few exceptions, I only review products that I’m interested in purchasing, and I feature products as news items that are a) exciting to me, b) innovative, c) overwhelmingly newsworthy, or d) entertaining. If you think your product fits in this category, you can email me.

The Resorts shares its backyard with the Chugach National Forest, which is the world’s northern-most temperate rainforest. So it shouldn’t surprise you that both Alyeska and the Chugach National Forest share a labor of love in making the trail systems sustainable and accessible.

Local facts: Located in Girdwood, Alaska – Alyeska Resort is approximately 50 miles south from Anchorage. Part of the Chugach mountain range Mt.Alyeska is the biggest ski mountain in the state of Alaska. The ski area was founded in 1954, and its first chair lift and day lodge were opened in 1959. Today, remains a popular destination and Alyeska operates six chair lifts and a the Alyeska tramway, which is a high-speed tram located on the North Face.

All of us here at Alaska HDTV are fans of Mt.Alyeska! The resort brings it all together a perfect mix of rustic atmosphere with a topping of four start treatment. It’s a heck of a playground just minutes from Anchorage, and I’m hoping they’ll have us back for some winter adventures to share!

Thanks to:
Alyeska Resort
Chugach National Forest

Previous Alyeska Episode:
Alyeska Resort Hike for Kids!

Thanks for watching the show!
Scott

Hiking in Alaska can sometimes be unpredictable, especially in the mountains. This early spring hike was a mix of snowy trails, mud, rocks, dust and lots of high winds. Getting out and summiting a local hill can still be a great time, despite the spring conditions.

On this hike, we’re just 20 minutes from downtown Anchorage on a very popular local mountain known as Flattop. During the summer months, this 1.5 mile (one way) hike is often busy with hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, families and even tourists.

The appeal of Flattop is its close proximity to town and the amazing view you get at the top. While it is an easy hike for the first half, I would highly recommend a good pair of hiking boots for the upper portions of the hike. Once you get past the saddle portion of the hike, the terrain becomes very rocky and eventually becomes a bit more like mountain climbing than hiking.

No matter your ability, Flattop is a great place to get out and gain some elevation for some spectacular views. So, without further adieu – enjoy the show!

Resources:

• Flattop Mountain Shuttle
  Roundtrip from downtown Anchorage for $22
• Large Map of the Flattop Trail System
  (5.9mb JPG image)

Every once in a while, we see very beautiful spring days like we did on this hike. It’s early in May and we’re heading out for a light hike (or a walk in the park) around Anchorage’s Campbell Tract. This time of year it’s not uncommon to have face to face encounters with bears, so we were definitely on guard!

This hike began at the park entrance to the Far North Bicentennial Park via Abbott Loop Community Park which is right in the heart of Anchorage. From this entrance you can connect with the Campbell Tract trails run by the BLM or Bureau of Land Management. So, that’s a mouthful of parks and acronyms…basically, we’re taking a mild hike inside Anchorage’s “central park” which can be accessed from many points around the city.

Our end goal was the parking area near the BLM Learning Center – where we only two months previously we captured dog teams and mushers passing through. The BLM/Campbell airstrip is the finish line for the ceremonial start of the Iditarod.

The bottom line:
If you’re looking for an easy hike or a really great place to ride your bike, definitely check out these trails!

Download shows:

• Medium Format (640 x 480)
• Large Format (1280 x 720)

More information
BLM Campbell Tract Official Site
Anchorage Municipality Website “Healty parks, healthy people”

Summer is just around the corner, and spring is a great time to begin planning your summer hikes and adventures! Join Scott and his Son Coleson as they introduce hiking at Mount Alyeska located in Girdwood, Alaska. Mt. Alyeska is a popular local mountain offering great summer hikes for everyone at any level. We took the Tram from the Alyeska Prince Hotel and began our hike from the historic resort Roundhouse.

In this episode, Scott takes a short hike up Rainbow Falls trail in Wrangell, Alaska. This trail is not very long, but the temperate rainforest feeling is amazing and you’ll definitely get a little workout on the many wooded steps that take you to the Rainbow Falls waterfall.

Rainbow Falls is part of the SEA (South East Alaska) trails system in Alaska. You can search the trail system here on www.seatrails.org.

Season Greetings,

Welcome to the Winter edition of the Hike of the Week! This hike takes us just outside the city of Anchorage on upper hillside to the Silver Fern Spur Trail. This trail system is your connection to a variety of incredible hikes into the Chugach Park System. Silver Fern Trail is a 1.3 mile trail that connect with Gas Line trail, which if taken will lead you up to Powerline trail, Flattop Mountain and beyond!

We’re taking a short loop today, which totals at 2.6 miles long. To sum up this hike: Close to town, scenic, not strenuous, but has potential if hiked at a faster pace, and never very crowded!

Music from today’s show:
Jack Erdie
“Winter Wildflowers”
www.jackerdie.com

Making travel plans for Alaska?
If you’re interested in visiting Wrangell or taking an Alaska adventure of your own, be sure to contact our friends at Explore Tours and let them know that Alaska HDTV sent you!

Visit our local Apple Specialist
We’re powered by MacHaus, which are Alaska HDTV’s trusted Alaska Apple Specialist and local Apple store. Special thanks to Ben for providing us with some great Apple technology! If you’re in Alaska, be sure to visit MacHaus in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Wasilla.

Happy Hiking!
Scott

Greetings Everyone!

A few weeks ago I was invited to come see Kodiak again by Scott McMurren, this time we had much better weather conditions than our previous Kodiak adventures last year. I like to think of Kodiak as Alaska’s secret playground! There is only a hundred miles of highway on the island, but triple that for the sea and land trail systems!

I’m kicking off my series of Kodiak shows with a Hike of the Week joined by Marion Owen, a good friend, and a friend of the show!

Fort Abercrombie is indeed a place on Kodiak I could literally get lost in weekly if I lived on the island. The trail system is maintained, and bear activity is low to zero on this part of the island – still good to keep your wits about you though.

Naturally we all know weather varies on Kodiak, and while non-rain day is always good for hiking, rainy days in Fort Abercrombie are not much of a problem since trails are mostly sheltered by a large temperate rainforest canopy. Depending on the weather you could get away with tennis shoes, or light hiking shoes. This is one hike I don’t care seeing the end of the trail, and once you go… you’ll completely understand!

A little about Marion Owen
Marion and her husband Marty hosted us during our stay at their Galley Gourmet’s Cliff House B&B, which overlooking the entrance channel to Kodiak’s largest boat harbor. If you’re visiting Kodiak and you get a chance to stay at their B&B, tell them I said “Hi!” Marion is a total evangelist for Kodiak Island, and there probably isn’t a corner of that island she doesn’t know! She’ll be happy to point you in the right direction and always good for recommendations!

Marion also Co-author of Chicken Soup for the Gardener’s Soul, and a serious gardener whom knows her organics. You’ll get more of this geeky side of her at her website www.plantea.com. On a closing note… If you’ve never put a dash of Cardamom in your Coffee while it brews TRY IT! I’m hooked!