Best Hikes Anchorage by John Tyson

Author:John Tyson
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9781493034352
Publisher: Falcon Guides

Continue on Powerline Trail for several hundred yards until you reach a trail junction with a signpost. Turn left onto Middle Fork Loop Trail and head abruptly downhill. After approximately 0.25 mile cross South Fork Campbell Creek on a footbridge followed by a long boardwalk. Continue for another 0.25 mile to a T in the trail. There is a post, but no signage. You have a choice of traveling left or right. The route to the left is the continuation of the Middle Fork Loop Trail, which will go through some wet muddy areas and then cross a bridged stream after 1.8 miles. At about 2.2 miles you will come to a signpost. Follow the path to the right. Directly after this junction, follow the fork to the left. From here on, the entire route is fairly easy to follow, with little elevation change as the trail goes through the valley, following Campbell Creek, and then directly to the lakes.

Option

The right-turn option at the fork and signpost is rugged and steep and follows a narrow, loose-stone path up O’Malley Peak and then across a wide-open area, eventually ending with a steep descent to the alpine lakes. Following this option, the path heads immediately uphill and increases in steepness and difficulty along the way.

At the top of the ridge is an area called the Ballpark. The large, expansive area is full of small hills resembling craters and provides ideal habitat for a large community of Arctic ground squirrels. The size of the area is quite misleading because of the ups and downs of the topography.

The stony path follows along the south side of the plateau. At the far end you need to hike down past Black Lake and to the Williwaw Lakes. Hiking down to the lakes can be very challenging. The only way is to descend an extremely steep, unmarked cirque. Try to stay to the side of the loose scree as you head downward. Just keep hiking toward the lakes. Once you reach the bottom, the Williwaw Lakes Trail, which can be an optional loop trail back, becomes evident as it follows the creek bed westward. This trail joins the Middle Fork Loop Trail, which will take you back to the Glen Alps trailhead where you began. You can also head north on the Middle Fork Loop Trail to the Prospect Heights trailhead.

Miles and Directions

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