This trail is something of a secret. Ask most Anchorage-ites about this trail and they’ll look at you quizzically and think you mean Ship Creek outlet down by the Port of Anchorage, which is famous for summer time combat salmon fishing. No, this trail is at the other end of Ship Creek, high in the mountains closer to where it starts. Well, I say high, but it’s actually below the tree line, but potentially below the low clouds that stick to the mountains in Arctic Valley like thistles in a dog’s fur. This makes for a very moist and potentially magical hiking experience. There were times I felt like I was in some mystical realm when the clouds would come and kiss the mountains. It’s very surreal and dreamy at times. I say that, but it also isn’t my favorite trail by a long shot. I hike here for one purpose, watermelon berry picking in late summer and early fall. I’ve never seen them as abundant anywhere else as here. I hear that somewhere in the Arctic Valley there is also the mother lode of blueberries, but I couldn’t find a single one. Anyway, about the trail. It’s not highly used and not maintained. But enough locals use it to keep the first few miles of weeds squished down so that the trail is easy to follow. It does fork off into 2 trails about 1.5 miles in. I take the left fork that follows Ship Creek because we like to play in the water. Someday I will scope out the right fork… I understand that this trail is favored as a cross country skiing trail. It’s gently sloped downward for the first few miles. I turn around and hike back after the trail gets harder to follow. I hear you can actually hike it 22 miles to Indian if you like bushwacking and mud. We just go as far as this cool old abandoned bridge that had trees growing out of it and turn around. At one time this must have been an unpaved auto road because there are several abandoned cars along the trail. Nice little trail. I wouldn’t make a special trip for it, but if you live in the area and want to experience new, check this neglected trail out.
