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THIS
HIKE WAS SUBMITTED BY ROSS TIMM |
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Photos
Map
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Photo by Ross Timm
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Last Updated:
July 07, 2010
Please help this site! Since I no longer live
here, it is important that users verify the data. If this date is
longer than a year ago please email me and let me know the information
below is still valid. If I don't get verification on this trail, I
may remove it from the site. |
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Difficulty
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Relatively easy-- lots of gentle incline, no
route finding, no real scree, short steep areas. |
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Connects
With
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Campbell
Creek Canyon Trail
Tainana Lake
Tikishla Peak
Kanchee Peak
Knoya |
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Miles
One
Way
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5 miles |
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Miles
from
Anchorage
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In Town |
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General
Vicinity
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Chugach State Park |
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Season
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All year |
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Description
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The trail has lots of spruce bark kills,
which is opening up the views a bit. The gradual trail goes through the
trees and some grassy meadows then finally starts to climb steeply until
you get to the lookout below The Dome proper. From here you can just
trudge up to The Dome, following along an old, very eroded jeep trail.
The "top", or The Dome, is actually just an extension of the
front ranges, leading to bigger and better things. It would make a nice
alpine campsite, or a picnic area. Its appearance is like a large,
mellow Flattop with more tundra than rocks,
and less people typically than at Flattop or Near
Point. The elevation at the Dome is about the same as Near Point.
From The Dome, head to the highest point on the right, a few minutes
further along. From there (2985ft) you can still see the very
approachable saddle and ridge trail leading to Knoya Point (4669) and
Kanchee Point (4393ft), saying "come on-- its early, keep
going". I look forward to doing the pair later this summer, on a
sunnier day when I have more time! |
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Important
Information
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This Hike is well described in hikes #23 and
#24 of the 50 Hikes in Alaska's Chugach State Park book. However, the
big difference is that the beginning of the trail as described in the
book is WRONG since a landslide wiped out a portion alongside the
creek. I went the way described in the book two years ago, after the
landslide, and it sucked-- very muggy and muddy, transversing the
mudslide in areas, and adding twenty minutes, all in alder and boggy
areas. Another hint not talked about in the outdated book descriptions: the
parking area is at the END of the road as described-- NOT
at the new parking area further down Basher (about where the nice
pavement ends) That is the parking area for the new Basher
Trail. The parking area for the Dome hike is an unmarked
dirt area on the North (left, if headed uphill) side of Basher, across
the street from the "Near Point Knoll" subdivision sign.
Park there, however, instead of going left down the Powerline like
the book says, go right and stick next to the nice new chain link fence
the adjacent landowner put up (he tried to fight access and has lost, so
far.) A hundred yards down the fence you will see a rough dirt trail
head down the bluff. This is the new route. It is steep and rough, but
joins up with the established trail at the creek, where you go right.
The directions in the book are decent from there.
The areas with trees (most of the hike) seems "bear
friendly", although we saw no signs. There are usually semi-regular
numbers of hikers, so maybe bears avoid it, but there are blind corners,
and the gradualness of most of the path encouraged me to jog coming back
down most the
way, which could have surprised a bear along the path (and me.)
From the webmaster, September 28, 2009:
The Dome is in military lands. You will need to get a permit to
hike there and let them know. Link
here for more information. |
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Etc.
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No parking fee because the trailhead is
unofficial. Keep it clean so that the new "Mountain McMansion"
owners still will not have a legal leg to stand on when it comes to
restricting access. |
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