Dick Eveson's Alaska Tour - Chugach Mountains and Lake Eklutna

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Dick Eveson’s Alaska Tour - Chugach Mountains and Lake Eklutna

A few days later we met Larry Tower at Eklutna Lake. High in the Chugach Mountains, Eklutna Lake is a glacier and snow melt fed lake that serves as the principle water source for Anchorage, some twenty five miles away. From the nicely appointed campground at the west end of the lake, a primitive road parallels the seven mile length of the lake. The road is used in the winter for skiing, dog mushing and snowmobiling. In the summer hiking and biking are popular recreations. Four days a week, Sunday through Wednesday, the road is also open to off road vehicles. On this particular Sunday it was a bit chilly and very rainy, a day when you carry your camera in a plastic bag.

Normally packed and busy, this day was quiet and there were few vehicles in the parking lot. We unlimbered the four-wheeler and after a bit of coaching, Dick and I were turned loose. Dick was driving and I was riding shotgun, acting as guide on the rear. The first mile or so of the trail is well maintained, flat with only a few puddles. Beyond, the trail is a bit rougher with some potholes, ruts and roots. All is easily negotiated at the posted speed limit.

It seemed all too quick that we arrived at Bold Airstrip at the end of the lake. Except for a stop or two to take pictures we went direct to the airstrip. We walked around the remote gravel airstrip to stretch our legs. We talked about the piloting skill needed to land a plane on the short and rocky airstrip. The trip had been pleasant. The midsummer foliage was deep green and glistening in the rain. The overcast skies made the granite on the mountains across the lake seem black and in sharp contrast to the snow on the higher elevations. The slight wind played tricks with the pale blue water. Sometimes there were ripples and sometimes the water reflected mirror images of the mountains across the lake. The only wildlife seen was a rabbit running across the road.

After the short break we saddled up and headed back. A few miles down the road, just after crossing the bridge over Bold Creek, a medium sized black bear darted out of the trees on our left and ran across the road. Quick as a flash it was into the brush and hidden from sight. All too quick, too fast, gone before I could get my camera out of the plastic bag. A rainy day? Yes. A sometimes cold and windy day? Yes. A fun day? A very emphatic yes.

We arrived back at the parking area and turned the four-wheeler back over to Larry Tower. He and my wife, Janis, went for a short trip down the lakeside trail. When they returned, we all agreed that it had been a fun day, and we also agreed that there was plenty of mud, enough to share the clean up.

For additional information about Lake Eklutna, the park and the trail system, go to http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/chugach/eklutna.htm .

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Photos

On the trail
Dick on the four-wheeler on the Lake Eklutna Lakeside Trail. It was a rainy day and everyone was decked out in their finest raingear.

Bold Air Strip
Bold Air Strip, a gravel runway, is at the far end of the lake. It was a convenient place to dimount and stretch our legs and take a photograph or two. It was still raining.

Janis and Larry Take a Spin
Larry Tower and Janis departing for a short trek on the Lakeside Trail. Yes, it is still raining.

Lake Eklutna Aerial View
The campground and auto entrance is at the top of the photo. The lakeside trail follows the right hand side of the lake. The small vertical line in the bottom is Bold Airstrip. The delta on the bottom left is the melt water braided stream from Eklutna Glacier.

Chugach Mountains Ice Field
It is always winter back in the Chugach Mountains. This ice and snow field is the origin for several glaciers including the Eklutna Glacier.