Alaska! It started a couple years ago when I explained to my friend John I was no longer leading Sierra Club trips in the Sierra Nevada. "Would you like to lead trips with me in Alaska?" he asked.
"Let me think about it -- Yes!" I quickly responded. After lobbying the Alaska sub-committee with a bunch of emails and attending their Spring Meeting, I found myself driving south on Seward Highway into the heart of the Kenai Peninsula. In a few days, I would be leading a Sierra Club service trip to Denali National Park, but for now I was on my own -- to bike in Alaska!
Through my Internet research I had discovered a small fishing hamlet, Cooper Landing, boasted a number of mountain bike trails and an outfitter that would rent me a mountain bike. I also discovered a lot of disturbing information when googling "mountain biking alaska bear attacks."
There are lots of grizzly/brown bears in Alaska. The best prevention for bear trouble is bear spray and traveling in a group of four or more. The uninformed may think carrying a gun is a good idea, but studies have shown bear spray (an amped-up pepper spray) is far more likely to stop an attack than trying to draw, shoot and kill a charging grizzly bear. Note that bear spray is not like insect repellent -- you don't spray yourself, you spray the bear. Misguided greenhorns have been to known to treat their tents with bear spray which probably results in a flavorful peppery aroma.
The benefit of traveling in a group is not only a bear is less likely to challenge a pack of humans, but larger groups make more noise and are less likely to surprise a bear. And that's really the issue, as grizzly bears are not vicious man-eaters but more like cattle peacefully grazing the bounty of the wild Alaskan landscape. When their breakfast is rudely interrupted, grizzlies are apt to provide a polite mauling for violating bear etiquette.
After staying at the Sunrise Inn (not bad, small showers), I drove to the location of the bike rental, but all I found was an parking lot and a billboard, "Adventure Guru Bike Rental, call ..." WTH? I called the number. Yes, this is the bike rental. Yes, my bike is ready. Yes, here's directions to his house a couple miles away. Turns out the Adventure Guru renting bikes out of his garage is like most Alaskan fishermen working multiple gigs to make a living. Except sometimes the tourists are the salmon, to be harvested every way possible while we are in season.
I decided to start with a less risky route on Snug Harbor Road which follows the shore of Kenia Lake and then ascends to Cooper Lake.
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| Warning sign on Snug Harbor Road |
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| A bear on Snug Harbor Road |
Paved for the first few miles and paralleled by a new paved bike path, Snug Harbor Road quickly turns to gravel and what the little traffic there was disappeared.
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| Cooper Lake, Alaska |
The climb to Cooper Lake is short but steep and I was rewarded with a view of a pristine Alaskan lake. This same road leads to the start of the Russian Lakes Trail, so I explored the single track a couple of miles too. As it's late summer for Alaska, the undergrowth is thick and tall. One plant dominates the landscape. It features huge leaves the size on my head and large flowers that resemble Queen Anne's Lace. It's so thick, it strikes my arms, legs and helmet as I ride.
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| Russian Lakes Trail |
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| Snug Harbor to Cooper Lake and Russian Lakes Trail |
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| Sign you'll find only in Alaska |
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| Start of Crescent Creek Trail |
On my return to Cooper Landing in 2018, I biked the Skilak Wildlife Refuge. The main road through the refuge is a gravel road with some spur roads to various lakes and campgrounds. I rode the entire length. The route from the eastern entrance to Engineer Lake is rolling and pretty. The western section is forgettable.
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| Western section of Skilak is not very scenic |
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| "Due to recent bear incident all tent camping closed until further notice" |
For lunch, I stopped at Lower Ohmer Lake. While I was there a ranger pulled up and asked if I had seen any bears. I had seen the brief news item and had noticed the signs noting the refuge campgrounds had been closed to tent camping, but no bears. "Hey, so what happened?"
The ranger gave me the details. Four days earlier, a woman on a solo multi-day bike trip camped here -- at my lunch spot. As she was in a tent, she wisely stored her food in another camper's pickup. Despite the precaution, later that night a black bear tore open her tent and bit her on the foot. She wasn't severely injured because, apparently, she wore shoes while she slept. After the the brief attack, the bear left the area. The women cancelled the rest of her bike trip. I don't blame her.
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| The perfect spot for lunch (unless the bear comes back) |
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| Route through Skilak WRA |
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| Russian Falls Trail |
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| Driving in mist shrouded moose country ... |
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| ... near the Exit Glacier ... |
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| ... cool! |
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| Salmon jumping at Russian Falls |
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| Kenai River Canyon |
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| Russian Falls route |
Days later as the Sierra Club group drove to Denali, I used my opportunity in the front seat to learn what I could from the bus driver. A common theme in Alaska, he had an interesting back story of jobs and adventures.
"So why did you give up leading backpacking trips?" I asked.
"I got tired of rolling up wet tents." Alaskan wisdom in a nutshell.
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| Cow Parsnip, has a nasty photosensitive irritant |
When I discussed my riding adventures with the driver he interrupted me. "How many days ago were you biking?" he asked.
"Ah, five days ago." I answered.
"Yea, you should be OK then." Turns out the giant Queen Anne's Lace is called Cow Parsnip, a relative of Devil's Club, and grows everywhere in the rainy Kenai Peninsula. The leaves produce a nasty photosensitive sap that generates huge itchy blisters on skin and can even cause blindness. Much worse than Poison Ivy. Luckily, it had been overcast on the days of my exposure, so I avoided the repercussions of my ignorance.
- State: Alaska
- Date: 2017-07-19
- Route: Snug Harbor Road to Cooper Lake and Russian Lake Trail
- Distance: 29 miles
- Date: 2017-07-20
- Route: Sunrise Inn to Crescent Creek Trail
- Distance: 16 miles
- Date: 2018-07-25
- Route: Skilak National Wildlife Refuge and Russian Falls Trail
- Distance: 43 miles
