New trail construction underway in Talkeetna Lakes Park

By Sondra Porter–The warm, cooperative fall weather has been a blessing to trail builders, who are working on new sections of the Talkeetna Lakes Park Trail.  This week, they are hoping the weather holds as they continue to blaze a new 5K track.

Howard Carbone, chairman of the Talkeetna Parks Advisory Committee, is excited about the project. “ This is a major project,” he said.  “And it is being done right so the trail won’t require much maintenance in the future.”

The section under construction is primarily designed as a Nordic ski track, but it will be well suited for other purposes as well.  The wider trail will be seeded, and the center is designed to double as another biking and hiking route in the summer according to Chris Mannix, former chair of the local Parks Committee.

The new 5 K adds even more options to the 3.5 mile loop of existing trail, which has become a local favorite for hiking and biking enthusiasts. The current loop was rough-cut in 2007 by Jon Underwood of Happy Trails Inc.  Underwood  is also working on the new Nordic section.  In 2008, a Youth Conservation Corps crew finished the trail with help from community volunteers.

The existing loop has created increased use of the area, but much of the park is still inaccessible to most users, particularly in the summer due to dense vegetation. A bit more will be opened up by the 5K ski track.

The new development has been on the drawing board for some time.  It continues the work first envisioned in the Talkeetna Comprehensive Plan, written in the nineties. The plan advocated providing and developing an area for non-motorized, low impact recreation.

Planning for the park has followed the 2004 Talkeetna Lakes Park Management Plan adopted by the Assembly.   Almost a year ago, the Upper Susitna Soil and Water District commissioned Bill Spencer, a well-known Olympic skier and runner, to make recommendations for the next phase of development.  Spencer’s recommendations have led to the groundwork currently underway.

The project includes several contractors, loggers, and plenty of heavy equipment.  The new route attempts to use the best terrain available, avoiding bogs and wet areas, while taking maximum advantage of view sheds and other interesting features. The routes Spencer and Underwood have designed also attempt to follow breaks in the forest in order to reduce tree cutting and to follow natural breaks in terrain, minimizing cut slopes. Felled logs are being removed by local loggers and sold by the Borough to offset the cost of the construction.

And when will the new section be done?  The key could be all in the weather, but it should be in a useable state by snowfall.  According to Carbone, the trail will ready for skiers this year.  Hikers and bikers, however, will have to wait a year for access since seeding will take place next summer, making it fully operational in 2013.

Carbone also says plans have been made to build more trails; however, no timeline has been established, and no funding for other sections is available.