New Features Help Mat-Su Parks Visitors

New interactive websites and ways to pay at Mat-Su Borough Parks will help visitors plan their trips. Public access to lakes is a regular request for Borough staff, according to Recreation Services Manager Hugh Leslie. He says the interactive website went live last summer and shows visitors the access points, as well as amenities and who owns the site. Lakes with access issues or concerns, like Benka Lake in Talkeetna, are not included on the map. Though Leslie says once those issues are resolved, the map can be updated.

The most recent addition is the interactive trail grooming website, which, Leslie says, is an offshoot of the Borough snow plowing maps. The map shows where trail grooming is happening in near real-time. Leslie says the Talkeetna area is the only one that’s really been operational because of lack of snow elsewhere. 

Online campground registration for Jim Creek and Matanuska River Parks is now available. Leslie says that site allows visitors to input parameters like dates, what kind of site, and that visitors can even pay a little extra to book a specific site. This feature is being introduced at these parks because of their high usage. Electronic kiosks will be installed at some other sites, which will eliminate the need for cash. Smaller sites, like the campground in downtown Talkeetna, will still operate on a cash basis.

Leslie says that annual Borough park pass sales have increased from 700 in 2012 to more than 4,000 now. Since staff have been enforcing the payment requirements, there has been an 80 to 90% compliance rate in most parks. Borough parks and campgrounds in the Talkeetna area brought in more than $36,000 in revenue last year. Beginning July 1, the cost for annual park passes will increase from $40 to $45. Residents may purchase online or at the Talkeetna Library. Daily parking rates will increase from $5 to $6 in July.