March 1, 2025

With the snow this winter being a bust, Jason and I decided to continue to up the mileage and elevation gain in preparation for a summer of big goals. I had yet to traverse the ridge between Wolverine and Rusty Point, so we decided to fill in that gap. The prospect heights parking lot was surprisingly empty for a Saturday, even mid-morning when we started up at 1030am.

The massive bowl created between Wolverine and Rusty Point is a fixture view from Anchorage, Wolverine’s high point easily visible from just about anywhere in town. The approach is a long one, even without adding in the ridge to Rusty Point; round trip to Wolverine is 9 miles with a 3500′ elevation gain. During the summer, you can easily drop down the backside of the northwest ridge and connect Near Point and Long Lake Trail. You could do the same on the southwest ridge, dropping to Williwaw Lakes Trail. The east ridge is accessible from the summit and leads all the way to Mt Elliot, but this segment is reported to have some scrambling and infamous crumbling Chugach Choss. I have to yet to travel this ridge, but it is definitely on the list!

The first two miles wind along the South Fork of Campbell Creek, sometimes glaciated, but mostly packed snow. At the intersection with Near Point Trail and Basher Trailhead, there is a wooden post with signage directing Wolverine hikers to take a hard right.

For mile and a quarter, the trail climbs 1,400′ out of the trees and up into alder country, this section notorious for holding punchy and/or crusty, icy snow. Microspikes come in handy on this stretch. Aiming for a low center ridge, this section of trail is relentless uphill and feels like the hardest part of the whole climb. The snow was like walking in mashed potatoes, hard to get a flat footing and a bit greasy, but the effort is worth it. We crested the low center ridge, rocky and windblown. A giant rock cairn welcomes you to the mountain.

We took a short break, eating and drinking, before following the low ridge to the east, eventually ascending 1,100′ over a mile to the summit ridge. Windblown and relatively snow free, the ascent here was easier than our earlier uphill walk, and we made good time to the summit ridge. By now there was quite a bit of traffic on the route, as many trail Anchorage trail runners use this mountain for regular training trips, and one of the parties descending warned us of a collection of Dall’s Sheep not too far ahead. To avoid any conflict, I put Goose on a leash, and we continued on along the summit ridge, now only 400′ above us.

Sure enough, one then two sheep appeared on a high point on the ridge, inquisitive and unbothered by our presence. One was clean and bright white, while the other appeared to have just woken from a long winter’s nap, hair disheveled and discolored. The summit was so close, although a couple of lingering snow patches remained.

The snow conditions variable, either icy or punchy, I still hadn’t put on my spikes and mentioned to Jason I was going to do so for the last stretch, but it was too late… my feet slipped out from under me and went face first to the snow, my 2-liter water bottle slipping out of my pack side pouch. I watched in horror as the majority of my water started sliding down the icy slope. I usually clip it in but hadn’t this time. How could I be so careless! I held hope it would stop on a grass patch, but I wasn’t so lucky… I watch the water bottle skitter 1,000 feet down. No chance of recovering it today with the icy snow in the chute, but I promised myself to return and retrieve it in the near future.

My frustration quickly turned to excitement as we crested the last snow patch and up to the summit of Wolverine. Views for days!!!!

Wolverine has some of the best views from the front range of the Chugach Mountains, including almost the entire Long Lake to Williwaw traverse. Near Point, Snow Hawk, Kanchee, Knoya, Tikishla, West and East Tanaina, Koktoya, Williwaw, The Ramp, Hidden and O’Malley create a horseshoe around Wolverine and the east ridge to Mt Elliot. I reminisced about the ones I had climbed already and daydreamed about the ones I still had on my list. Although it was variably cloudy skies with patches of blue, we could identify peaks far in distance, beyond the Front Range.

We had been relatively protected from the wind until we reached the summit, but upon summitting, the full force of 20-30mph gusts hit us from the South. We snapped some photos, added a layer and promptly headed down towards Rusty Point along the Southwest ridge. The walking was outstanding, with very little snow to navigate. I was shocked to not even find a faint boot path, although there were some old footprints in the small snow patches here and there.

Although it seems like the backside of this ridge falls precipitously, it is actually very safe walking. From easy tundra walking to some very easy, low-exposure scrambling, this ridge is a pleasant 1.5 mile walk to Rusty Point. Overall, from Wolverine, we gained about 600′ of elevation, never once feeling the leg burn of the earlier ascent. Every rock outcropping we navigated around or over brought us to another herd of sheep, some with large rams directing their families away from us, some watching us inquisitively, some totally disinterested in our presence.

It didn’t take long to get to Rusty Point from Wolverine, and I wished that this ridge was longer, but the wind was starting to be a nuisance, so we decided it was time to complete this lollipop loop. We dropped down between Rusty’s two high points, a steep, snowy and icy face, Jason always quicker on the downhill made good time. I took my time navigating the slope, zigging and zagging along the ice until I found some good snow to plunge step directly down the hill. Before we knew it, we were on the center ridge again, looking back up at our most recent mountain accomplishment.

Connecting back to our ascent route, we made great time to the parking lot, where we determined that we had attained just over 4,000′ of elevation gain in 10.2 miles. Definitely a day to remember.

Just The Tips:

1. Parking is usually available at Prospect Heights. Do not leave valuables in your vehicle.
2. No permits are required for this area, but an Alaska State Parks parking pass is required for trailhead parking.
3. Be Bear Aware. Carry bear spray. Bear bells are a nuisance to other hikers and have been deemed less effective than talking.
4. Give wildlife a wide berth. Harassing wildlife is against the law. Sheep and moose can be aggressive. Sheep and goats are known to purposely kick rocks down onto hikers and moose will charge if provoked… sometime when not provoked.
5. Wolverine is frequented by hikers throughout the year, but the area can still be prone to avalanches in the right conditions. Check the local avalanche forecasts before heading out.
6. In the winter and spring, microspikes are highly recommended. The snow can be icy and dangerous on some of the steeper sections. A slip probably wouldn’t be fatal, but you could potentially slide for a long way and be injured.
7. If you are unfamiliar with the area, it is good practice to download tracks and follow them. The trail system through here is expansive and it would be very easy to take a wrong turn.

Wolverine AllTrails and Peakbagger Links: