Bike Trails In Alaska

Although I've traveled lots, I've never been to Alaska - even though I've always dreamed about it. You can imagine, then, how happy I was to suddenly be corresponding this afternoon with Tim of Bicycles and Icicles.

Tim is a fellow bicyclist in Alaska. He's discovered some epic rides and shared info with me about 2 of them: The Resurrection Pass Trail (near Anchorage) and the Lost Lake Trail (outside Seward). Based on his info, it sounds like the Lost Lake Trail will be the bike ride that I do in Alaska next summer for the Great Places To Ride tour series. Here's what he had to say:

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If you want to include an Alaska trail, Resurrection Pass is one of the most accessible. It is remote in the sense that cell-phone service is all but non-existent in those mountains, and rescuers aren't nearby once they're finally notified that someone needs help. Reaching the trail, though, is easy. Hope is only an hour to 90 minutes from Anchorage on a good highway, and the last couple of miles of dirt road to the trail head are passable by any car. There are small communities at each end where gas and food are available.

The end-to-end shuttle is a pain in the rear. You basically need enough people for two cars. Some people pass off keys with friends when they meet on the trail and then meet again later to swap cars. Other options are riding up to the pass and back from either end, or dropping down the Devil's Pass trail and riding the highway back to Hope, with eliminates the Cooper Landing side of the trail.

Another great ride that's easily accessible is the Lost Lake Trail, which begins right outside Seward (125 miles south of Anchorage by highway, and visited by some cruise ships) and climbs into beautiful high country. You can drop back down the trail to Seward, or descend Primrose Trail to the north and then ride the highway back to town. I've done this ride by parking at Primrose Campground, riding 15 miles south on the highway, and then climbing to Lost Lake and and descending Primrose Trail back to the car. That's a 30- to 35-mile loop with awesome scenery and beautiful trails.
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Perhaps you may also know of a great Alaskan bike trail that is accessible to a major point of entry into Alaska. If you have any input regarding bicycling in Alaska, please share it with me. I'd love to hear from you!

By the way, here's a map showing the location of the 2 Alaskan trails that Tim wrote about. I'll be using this map to show the locations of trails that readers point out to me. For trails that I end up riding, I'll also have links from this map to local trail maps including photos and other data.

Many thanks to Tim @ Bicycles and Icicles and to BikeTownBlogger; reading your comment on my blog dear lady led me to your blog and the excellent cycling links on it (some of which I've already added to my del.icio.us links). When I decide which trail that I'm riding in Wisconsin, I'll definitely give 'ya a holla' so we can go cyclin'.