Trail Notes

Notes from the Trail

April 17, 2008

“Due to the excellent snow conditions and continued good weather, the wands marking trails in the South Denali area will be left in place the weekend of April 19^th & 20^th. It’s still winter in the South Denali area so come up and enjoy just a bit more snowmobiling before it melts away. The CRR doesn’t have a scheduled ride but you can follow the trail to some untouched swamps at the north end of the loop.”

Weather as of Thursday

Clear, cold and calm. -2 degrees this morning. Temps warmed above freezing
yesterday but no significant snow melt.

April 11, 2008

The CBT, North Loop, Tokasitna and E/W east of the reflector tree were
groomed Thursday and are all in great shape. Due to warm temps Thursday
afternoon, grooming was postponed until Friday morning when the E/W was
groomed from the 121.5 parking to the swamps above Moose Creek and then back
to the CBT and MP 129.

All creek crossing are still in very good shape although Moose Creek does
have some water flowing over the ice but under the snow bridge. The snow
pack is the best it has been all year as are the above trails.

Temps were -3 this morning and are currently 38. No wind and mostly clear.

This is the last grooming of the season and Thank You all for making it a
successful winter.

Randy

April 8, 2008

The trails in the South Denali area will be groomed for the final time this
week and trail markers will be removed and stored the weekend of the 19th
and 20th. Those of you wanting to help with the wand removal, send an
e-mail or leave a message on the hotline and we'll contact you with
particulars. The snow is in good condition in the South Denali area, with a
good base that has consolidated over the last week. Temperatures have been
well below the freezing mark since last weekend so don't park your snogo
yet. Come up and enjoy the good weather and smooth trails.

Temps were +8 this morning and it has been cool all day. The snow depth is
3'7" and I am able to walk on top with no post holing. There is about 2" of
fluffy powder on top and conditions are about as good as they get this time
of year. Get it while it's hot, er cool!

March 14, 2008

All of the trails which are normally groomed were groomed again this week, and are in good condition. The weather has cooperated (cooled) and the fear of washed out creek crossings has abated, at least for now. Enjoy the snow and ride safe.

March 8, 2008

The North Loop is complete!! Today, Saturday, March 8, 2008, a small crew of Curry Ridge Riders completed the clearing of the North Loop trail, connecting the Tokositna/Safari Lake Trail to the Chulitna Bluff Trail. This allows for a 48 mile loop that can be done from any point on the South Denali Trails. You can start at MP 121.5, MP 127, Mp 131 of the Parks Hiway, Mp 12 of the Petersville Road or the Kroto Creek parking lot and ride a complete circle route. This will give you access to the north swamps and Quill Hill, as well as a fast way to the Tokositna River. It’ll be groomed this week, and will be a smooth, fun route to check out and enjoy. This is development of trails with your snowmobile registration money and a TON of volunteer hours. Have a good time and let us know what you think.

March 6, 2008

The ride last Saturday was a huge success! A troupe of 15 hardy snowmobilers cleaned and widened the north loop trail to the first Tokositna River crossing, making way for the snow cat to get through. The path is smooth and very ridable. Even as we were trimming and clearing, riders, starting from all points on the trail system, “making the loop” passed, in both directions. More wands have been added and the trail is easy to follow. We have to clear one more crossing of the Tokositna, to the west, and clean up some stickers near Bunco Creek, also to the west. If any of you who weren’t able to make it last Saturday would like a chance to help finish the loop (really), be at the MP131 gravel pit at 10 am Saturday, Mar 8^th. It’ll be a short session and we’ll probably have a chance to do a bit of fun riding. There’s still plenty of firewood along the trail, too, so come out and load up. The trail’s marked and groomed to the spot where we need to finish cutting so if you don’t make it by 10, just follow the trail markers to the north.

Feb 26, 2008

The next Curry Ridge Riders event will be this Saturday, March 1^st. There is some cleanup and finish work needed to complete the widening and clearing of the north loop connector. We’ll have the snow cat out there to make sure there’s room to get through when we’ve finished. We also need people to bring their sleds, trailers and whatever else they have to bring out some of the cut trees to the mile 131 gravel pit. Anyone who wants some excellent firewood, please come and take it away. It’s about 5 miles by good, solid trail to the cut wood. The main crew will leave the MP 131 gravel pit at 10 am but you can come out any time you want. Just leave the gravel pit, make a right turn and follow the groomed trail and the orange wands. You’ll find us. If you have questions, e-mail us or leave a message on the hotline.

Feb 22, 2008

We could use some help this Sunday the 24th in assisting State Parks Staff in widening the North Loop Trail. Take off at 10 am from the MP 131 parking lot or just ride north on the CBT and follow the markers until you find us. Bring saws, gloves, lunch and water.

Feb 9, 2008

The North Loop is in and ridable !!

A small cadre of hardy CRR members put in a hard days cutting to open the North Loop route, connecting the Chulitna Bluff Trail to the Tokositna/Safari Lake Trail. This completes the circular route that can be run either way from any point on the trail system. It’s marked with orange trail wands and is ready for traffic. Please stop and trim the alders that are sticking out of the trail here and there, to make the ride more enjoyable. Whichever direction you take, the views of the Tokosha Mountains, Quill Hill, Mt McKinley and the Curry Ridge are spectacular. Snow conditions are good, with most of the north end swamps nearly untouched

Feb 7, 2008

Trails in the South Denali area are in great condition. All have been groomed and smoothed, with little traffic this past weekend.

The Curry Ridge Riders will host two events this Saturday, February 9^th.

We’ll be clearing the north loop trail, through Denali State Park, to connect the Chulitna Bluff Trail with the Tokositna/Safari Lake trail. This will allow for a complete loop ride from any point on the trail. We’ll start at the MP 131 gravel pit at 10:30. That’s exactly MP 131, on the west side of the Parks Highway. If you get there late, leave the gravel pit, turn right on the trail and follow the orange wands until you find us. Bring a lunch, water, hand saws or chain saws and be ready for some spectacular views and nearly untouched swamps. You can also leave from MP 121.5 or MP 127. Just get on the trail and head north.

The CRR will also be leading a ride in the South Denali/Petersville area from MP 121.5, leaving at 10:30 am. The ride will be intermediate level, but not too difficult. We will travel about 50-60 miles. Bring lunch or snacks, water, sunscreen (hopefully needed), and dress warm. The ride is open to CRR members, and Anchorage Snowmobile Club members. New members can sign-up at the start. For those of you leaving from other points on the trail system, be at the Reflector Tree at 11 AM and join us there.

For the latest information, check the ride schedule and check the hotline Friday evening.

Feb 1, 2008

The Super Bowl Sunday ride is cancelled, due to the trail not being cleared enough to ride.

Conditions on other trails are excellent. The Petersville Road, the Chulitna Bluff Trail, the East West Express and the Tokositna/Safari Lake trails are all groomed and very smooth. The trail from MP 121.5 on the Parks Highway to Talkeetna is in, staked and in good condition. Snow conditions to the west, near the Peters Hills, are good to excellent and the recent winds have consolidated the snow and made for good traction conditions. The north loop of the Chulitna Bluff Trail, connecting to the Tokositna/Safari Lake Trail, is ridable but has not been cleared sufficiently for an easy ride. We’re hoping to get some help next week, to clear it so leave a message on the hotline or email us here at the website if you’ll come up Saturday, February 9^th.

Jan 28, 2008

Our trail session last Saturday wasn’t as successful as we hoped it would be. We were able to clear and clean up only a portion of the north loop through Denali State Park. The new section of groomed trail from the previous ending point to the crossing of Bunco Creek was cleared of limbs, logs, trees and bush by a crew of three. There has been traffic through the area so it is ridable, at least to the Tokositna River. It’ll be a great family trip when it’s complete, as well as an excellent way to quickly get to the “hills”.

Jan 24, 2008

The Curry Ridge Riders needs you to assist in cleaning up the new section of trail that loops through Denali State Park and connects the Tokositna/Safari Lake Trail to the Chulitna Bluff Trail to form a fifty mile loop. Leave the 121.5 Parking Lot and take the East West Express Trail to the Reflector Tree, then turn right (north) and follow the Tokositna/Safari Lake Trail until you find us. Most of it has been groomed and orange wands have been set to mark the route. We’ll be starting at 11 am but you can come out and catch up with us any time on Saturday, January 26^th. We’ll see you there.

Jan 21, 2008

WOW! Lots of new snow all over the South Denali area. Anywhere from 15 to 24+ inches over the weekend. Many of the open creeks and ponds have been covered but riders should still be aware that it’s water underneath. The trails are well-covered with new snow and will be groomed again this coming week. Temps have increased, to about 30 degrees, but the forecast is for cooling by the end of the week.

We’re still trying to get a crew together to open up the north loop through Denali State Park so please leave a message on the hotline or e-mail us at www.curryridgeriders@hotmail.com if you’ll be up Saturday, January 26^th. We haven’t determined the route of the Super Bowl Sunday ride as yet but we want to include the north loop as part of the ride.

Jan 18, 2008

We don’t have a club ride this weekend but the Anchorage Snowmobile Club does. Check their hotline, at 566-0272 or go to www.AnchorageSnowmobileClub.com for details. We’ll be clearing the north loop connector on Sunday to connect the Chulitna Bluff Trail to the Tokositna Trail. We could use some help and you are welcome to come out. Please leave a message on the hotline or e-mail us to let us know if you’re coming. We’ll start out from MP121.5 at 11 am and ride the East West Express to the Reflector Tree, then up to the location of the brush. Make sure you leave a message or e-mail.

The Super Bowl Sunday ride will happen on February 3rd, although we’re not yet sure where we’ll go. It’ll be in the South Denali area, of course, but the exact route has not been identified. We hope to roll up about 60 miles or more and see some new country, if snow conditions allow.

Jan 11, 2008

We don’t have a ride scheduled this week, but we’ve groomed the Petersville Road from Kroto Creek parking lot to Jin Mar road, the East West express, the Tokositna/Safari Lake trail, the triangle trail and the Chulitna Bluff Trail. The snow is somewhat thin in areas, so please go easy on the throttle and keep the trail in good condition. The trail from MP 121.5 to Talkeetna via the Chulitna River is open and staked, too. It’s likely we’ll have a ride next week if there is interest, so let us know, and check the hotline for the latest update.

Jan 2, 2008

Hi all and happy New Year.

Grooming took place for the first time this season over the New Years weekend.

Sunday Dec.30th, the CBT was groomed from mile 129 north up and over nice view to the State Park boundary.

Monday Dec.31st, the CBT was groomed from mile 129 south to mile 121.5 and then west on the East/West to the Petersville Road. The P-ville Rd. was then groomed south to the Kroto Creek parking lot.

Tuesday Jan.1st, The P-ville Rd. was groomed north to tree line about 1.5 miles south of the Petersville town site, then south back to the East/West. The E/W to the Back Trail and then north to the Safari/Tokasitna Trail and then south to the Safari Lake Trail Head.

All creeks were filled in and are in good shape. There are some alders which I plan on cutting this weekend and next week if necessary.

The area received between 6"-2' of new snow over the weekend and temps were in the mid teens to the low 20s.

I plan on getting most of the wands placed this week.

Randy

Jan 1, 2008

The South Denali area received between 14 inches and two feet of new snow this weekend and conditions are excellent. The Chulitna Bluff Trail, the East West Express Trail and Petersville Road have been groomed and are ready to ride. All crossings of creeks are in good condition but there are a few alders sticking up here and there. Please take five minutes and use your hand saw to cut them below the trail surface. We'll be setting markers next week and could use some help from riders.
Check the hotline for more details on Thursday.

Dec 29, 2007

The conditions in the South Denali area are improving, with another foot of accumulation in the last week. Temps are holding at around 20 and most creeks are frozen up. The Chulitna Bluff Trail and the East West Express are open and ridable but be careful at the creek crossings-some of the sides are a bit steep. The trails are bumpy but should be smoothed out by next weekend. Reports of waist-deep snow on the west side of the Peters Hills have not been confirmed yet but the reporters are reliable. Some of the swamps north of the Reflector Tree are still soft in spots, as are the swamps to the north of the Denali State Park Boundary. Denali State Park IS open to snowmobiling. The “No ATV” sign on the Peters Hills is for summer ATV closure, not snowmobiles. Please send us pictures of your rides so that we may post them on the website. Tell us where and when and we’ll show them. The Super Bowl Sunday ride is likely to happen if there is interest so leave a message on the hotline or e-mail us and let us know you’ll be coming.

Dec 17, 2007

The first CRR “ride” happened Sunday, Dec 16^th. We packed and widened the Chulitna Bluff Trail from MP 121.5 north to Niceview, then about a half mile west, into the swamps. The creek crossings are a bit narrow and off kilter but the first grooming will smooth them out. We cut up and removed three big trees on the trail that came down after we went through with the dozer earlier this year. We lunched at Niceview and had a leisurely ride back. We got everyone back to the parking lot at 4PM. Not a rip-snortin’ ride but everyone had a chance to carve a bit of powder in the swamps west of Niceview. It’s pretty nice out there. We haven’t gotten a report on the creek crossings on the East West Express yet, so anyone who was on the EWE please send us an e-mail or call the hotline and let us know how it is.

Dec 12, 2007

The Curry Ridge Riders will have a recon and packing ride on Sunday, Dec 16, starting at 11 AM, at the parking area at MP 121,5 of the Parks Hiway. The Chulitna Bluff Trail is ridable, with some narrow creek crossings but lots of new snow. We’d like to pack and widen the trail so that the SnoCat will have a good base when we start grooming about the first of the year. This will also extend the life of the trail in the spring. There are three trees down in the trail and we need to cut them up and remove them but it won’t take much to do it.

Leave a message on the hotline or e-mail us if you will be there. Hope to see you on Sunday.

Dec 6, 2007

We will have a trail session on Saturday, Dec 8^th at MP 131 of the Parks Highway, at 11 am. That’s MP 131. Turn off the Parks Highway into the gravel pit at the MP 131 marker. Our plan is to finish cleanup of the Chulitna Bluff Trail south of the Parks Highway crossing and set a snow depth gauge at Nice View. Bring water, something to eat and whatever hand tools you want. We also need swampers, to toss cuttings off the trail so if you don’t have a saw or a chain saw, come on out anyway. A few inches of snow have fallen since last week so conditions are a bit better. Let us know if you’ll be there-and check the hotline Friday afternoon for updates. We’ll see you Saturday.

Hotline numbers: Valley 352-3669 or Anchorage 689-7669

Dec 2, 2007

A recon of the Tokositna and East West Express Trails was conducted on Dec 1^st. The Tokositna Trail, from MP11.5 to Bunco Lake, is ridable but quite hard, with areas of frozen overflow from last week’s warm weather. All creek crossings are negotiable but there is still some thin ice here and there. The outflow of Bunco Lake to the Tokositna River is NOT ready for traffic, with dark streaks indicating thin ice. The Tokositna River is not flowing but the ice is also quite thin, with dark streaks mid-channel. North of the Reflector Tree the swamps have 4-6 inches of recent snow to provide lubrication and cooling but the snow under it is hard.

The East West Express is also hard, from the Reflector Tree to Petersville Rd, with creek crossings frozen and bumpy. To the east, the creek crossings are barely usable, with running water in spots. I only made it to the big hill above the middle fork of Moose Creek. There is little snow in the creek bed and the steep sides prevent a safe and easy crossing. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the east end of the EWE is ridable from MP121.5 but the creek are still wet. The swamps north and south of the east end of the EWE are ridable but snow cover is quite thin.

The Chulitna Bluff Trail is ridable in “pieces”, as the creek crossings are open and not safe. Riders are departing from the CBT, going out to the Parks Hiway to bypass the crossings, then back to the CBT. The trail is in fair to good condition from MP 129 to the State Park boundary. A reminder: Denali State Park remains CLOSED snowmobiles, although the snow cover is very near ready.

Riders coming from the Peters Hills report much the same conditions but the Dutch Hills are reported to have “good” snow, albeit a long way away. Petersville Rd is described as “awful” to “not bad for Iron Dog practice”. It is likely that grooming will not commence until the end of December, given low temps and decent snow fall.

Nov 30, 2007

Anyone interested in doing a RECON of the EWE and CBT with Joe Gauna on Saturday, Dec 1, give him a call at 244-6775. He'll be doing trial assessments and checking the snow conditions. This is not a club ride but a RECON and you are welcome to come along.

Nov 22, 2007

There will be no trail work this weekend, due to wet, sloppy conditions. Keep checking back, as the weather is going to cool off soon.

Nov 20, 2007

If there is interest, we’ll do some more trail cleanup on the north end of the Chulitna Bluff Trail on Saturday, November 24^th, at 11am.

We’ll meet in the MP131 gravel pit and ride snowmobiles south to the cleanup area. We need to cut and remove roots and small limbs left behind by the dozer but it is not the thick alder we’ve dealt with in the past. E-mail the CRR or call the hotline and leave a message if you’ll be there. Call the Hotline Friday evening to get the latest update and trail conditions. If time permits, we can do a short tour of the new route to Niceview and the swamps beyond.

Nov 14, 2007

The Curry Ridge Riders will meet to clear brush and dead fall from the Chulitna Bluff Trail on Saturday, November 17, at 11AM. Be at the gravel pit at Milepost 131 of the Parks Highway. That's MP 131. You'll turn left off of the Parks Highway if you're heading north. Snowmobile are recommended, as snow cover has improved in the area. Bring a lunch, water, loppers, chainsaws or handsaws and gloves. If you don't have a saw, we need people to throw cut brush from the trail, so come on out and get it ready for grooming.

Nov 7, 2007

Due to marginal conditions, the trail work party this coming Sunday is postponed until Saturday, November 17^th. The trail surface is still too soft to support ATVs or snogos so it’s best to not cause ruts and holes. Keep checking the hotline and the website (curryridgeriders.com) for the latest information

Nov 4, 2007

We have for sale Survey Maps of the Petersville Area. These maps are approx 4' x 4' and cover the area from Petersville Road in the South to the State Park Boundary in the North. From the Parks Highway in the East to the Peter Hills in the West. The cost is $12.00, contact Joe Gauna at 244-6775 for more details or purchase of the maps.

Oct 20, 2007

As the 07-08 season approaches, the CRR is anticipating a good year for trail development and grooming. We’ll be doing major cleanup and preparation on the weekends of November 10^th and 11^th and the 17^th and 18^th, due to the generosity of the Odom Corporation and United Rentals in Wasilla. We hope to complete the section of the Chulitna Bluff Trail between MP121.5 and Trapper Creek and will continue work on the East West Express near Moose Creek. Many of you have asked about a loop route to the north and we are planning on staking it as soon as conditions allow. Watch this site and call the hotline for information about trail clearing parties early in November, too.

Hotline numbers: Valley 352-3669 or Anchorage 689-7669

There are a number of non-related plans in progress that could affect our access and trails. The Alaska Railroad is planning a new rail line from Pt Mackenzie to the Willow area that could limit trail access to the west, the Mat-Su Borough is considering a Fish Creek road access plan to the west of Big Lake and the state and the borough are working on a preliminary Regional Aviation System Plan that could recommend sitting airports in the South Denali area. These plans may affect our traditional access routes and they bear watching. We've put up links to these plans so that you may review them and make comment about your concerns. Please don’t wait-do it early and keep a close monitor on them.

last updated 04/17/08