Alyeska Resort - North Face Trail

Alyeska Resort - North Face Trail
Trailhead Elevation: 3,923 ft.
Distance: 2.4 mi.
Elevation Loss: 2050 ft.
Start Time: 12:48pm
End Time: 1:36pm

Trip Report:
My brother David, my oldest son Luke and I set out from the slopeside building atop the Alyeska Tram to hike the north face trail back down to the main lodge. We had an hour to accomplish it before the rest of the group would meet us at the bottom riding the tram. The trail lists at roughly 2.4 miles so we figure we would have plenty of time if we moved well.

Chilkoot Trail Start

Chilkoot Trail Start
Historic Chilkoot Trail, Dyea Trailhead
Trailhead Elevation: 38 ft.
Distance: 2.46 mi. (my Forerunner 230)
Elevation Gain: 414 ft. (my GPS)
Start Time: 3:47pm
End Time: 5:15pm

Trip Report:
The Chilkoot trail trailhead has signage and primitive bathrooms and starts at the bridge over the Tarya River. We carried very little with us expecting a short hike and, being on a cruise, we simply didn't have any special gear along. I had a light backpack with a few basic snacks and a nalgene. The kids didn't carry anything. We set out along the trail figuring we'd do 1-2 miles round trip just to get a taste of the Chilkoot. I had honestly been expecting a little more open scenery with views of the river and the landscape ahead but we had almost none of this. We were in the thick of the coastal rainforest for the entire trek.

Mendenhall Glacier - Photo Point Trail + Nugget Falls Trail

Photo Point Trail + Nugget Falls Trail at Mendenhall Glacier
Tongass National Forest
Trailhead Elevation: 83 ft.
Distance: 2.10 mi. (my Forerunner 230)
Start Time: 9:31am
End Time: 10:18am

Trip Report:
We set out from the parking lot and followed the signs for the Photo Point Trail. Its no more than quarter mile walk down a paved path to a looped end of the trail. There was a nice viewing area of Mendenhall Glacier. It was evident how much the glacier had receded since we visited 20+ years ago. While we were there a ranger showed up and was showing off pictures from the 60s when the glacier was even bigger.

Yakutania Point, Smuggler's Cove (Skagway, AK) (6/12/13)

Route Name: Yakutania Point Trail
Start Elevation: 18 ft.
High Point: 115 ft.
Distance: 2.0 mi.
Elevation Gain: ~200 ft.

Start Time: 1:24pm
End Time: 2:43pm
Duration: 1 hrs 19 mins

TRIP REPORT:

Sarah and I stopped in the trails office in Skagway to ask about a good hike that the two of us could do out of Skagway. One of their recommendations was the Gold Rush Cemetery and Lower Reid Falls hike. This involves hiking along city streets to the northeastern part of town and then through the cemetery. It would be a short forest trail beyond there to the falls. We opted out on this as a long walk through town wasn't as enticing as option 2. The second option was the hike to Yakutania Point and potentially Smuggler's Cove. The hike to Yakutania Point was easy access from our cruise ship dock and was only a half mile each way with less than 100 feet of vertical. The hike on to Smuggler's Cove adds around another half mile each way with 100-200 feet of up and down vertical along the way. This was our choice.

Upper Dewey Lake (Skagway, AK) (6/12/13)

Route Name: Dewey Lakes Trails
Start Elevation: 36 ft.
Lake Elevation: 3,083 ft.
Distance: 5.6 mi.
Elevation Gain: 3,155 ft.

Start Time: 7:39am
Upper Dewey Lake: 9:10am (spent 10 minutes)
End Time:10:19am
Duration: 2 hrs 40 mins

TRIP REPORT:

This hike begins on the edge of Skagway, Alaska. I was on the Norwegian Jewel cruise and we had about 10 1/2 hours in port this day to have some fun. I had done some research in the past few days on hiking around Skagway and found that the Dewey Lakes Trail system made a lot of sense. There was a simple trail leading up to the lower lake and from there several options presented themselves. One could hike southwest along the lower lake all the way out to Sturgill's Landing, about a 7 mile roundtrip hike from town. One could hike northeast and head towards Icy Lake and Upper Reid Falls, about a 6 mile roundtrip hike from town. One could also take the loop hike around the lower lake. I opted for the elevation climb. A trail heads up the slope towards Upper Dewey Lake and that was my goal.