Eklutna Lake, Chugach State Park, Alaska

March 8-9, 2025

The Plan

I was going absolutely stir crazy. I hadn’t been camping since getting back from the Kalalau Trail at the end of January and I knew I was becoming unpleasant to everyone I interacted with. The forecast was looking great for the weekend with daytime temps high in the 30s and nighttime temps ranging from the teens to low 20s, and although a front would be moving in Sunday night, I would be back at home before that materialized.

I thought about how I hadn’t been able to haul any firewood to stash in the woods for summer bikepacking trips, since the area hadn’t, and probably wouldn’t, open to snowmachines this winter due to lack of snow. I would make this a two-fer trip, get away to mentally reset and cut/stash some firewood for upcoming trips.

I called a couple of people to see if they were interested in joining me for a fat bike bikepacking trip to mile 8.5 on the Eklutna Lakeside, staying at a remote campground called Eklutna Alex. They were not. Over the years I’ve found that finding winter camping friends is not easy, but I didn’t mind. Honestly, I needed the alone time, and Goose would, of course, be joining me. I spend the last few evenings of the work week packing and prepping, installing a new rear rack on my fat bike, doing some basic maintenance, and collecting my gear, including a battery-operated mini saw.

Day 1

Eklutna LAke Trailhead → Eklutna Alex Campground

8.8 miles

When I woke on Saturday morning, I tried to relax with some coffee and read a book, but my mind wouldn’t let me. I started moving earlier than planned, but it wouldn’t matter, I had plenty to do out there with cutting and stashing firewood. I was at the trailhead, bike all packed up by noon, and off we went, riding southeast towards the head of the lake.

It was a sight to behold. Goose was hooked by bunjee line to the front of my fat tire bike, pulling me down the trail at speeds I was sure were nearing 20mph. I tried to balance my loaded down bike while simultaneously one-handed filming. Bikepacking-joring. I unhooked Goose at the mile 1 marker post, and, although he seemed strong and eager, I didn’t want to tire him out early in a long run. Plus, I was getting cold moving so fast!

I moved much slower under my own power, but it was a good pace to be able to take in the views. Bold Peak, a 7600′ hulk of a mountain, The Mitre with its jagged shoulder, and The Watchman, a proper triangle of peak, dominated the skyline. Chugach State Park’s tallest peak, Bashful, is right behind Bold Peak, although hidden from the lakeside trail, thus far. In the distance I could see Bounty Peak and the start of a massive icefield.

The miles clicked by, two, three, four, until I came upon a couple walking along the trail. One of them happened to be a hiking acquaintance of mine, so after a few pleasantries and chatting about our trail clearing efforts after the last windstorm, I set out again, eager to reach the end of the lake. I rode past Bold Creek at mile 5 and decided to use the downhill momentum to get up the other side, so I didn’t take my usual break at the bridge.

The trail came to one of its many forks, and I took the pedestrian/bike trail to the right, soon riding along a shelf, a dozen or so feet above the beach below. This section used to be almost completely washed out, narrow and covered in rocks. It was always exciting to see if you could make it the quarter mile or so along the treacherous path, but now it had been widened, making for much easier riding, especially while hauling a load.

I still hadn’t seen any bear sign, just rabbit tracks and squirrels, so far. It was probably in the high 30s, just on the cusp of bear waking weather, so I kept my bear spray close, on a chest harness, for easy access just in case. We were approaching mile 7 and the end of the lake. There would be much less traffic out here and more likelihood to encounter wildlife.

A short hike-a-bike up the last hill next to the lake and there it was. The Eklutna Glacier. Although it has receded significantly over the past couple of decades and is difficult and dangerous to reach (I had almost been the victim of a land/snow slide the previous year), you can still catch a glimpse of it from the top of this hill if the weather is right.

Not far ahead, a small foot bridge spans a swampy area, the location offering stunning views of the massive mountains I had seen from further back on the lakeside trail. Just beyond the mile 8 marker at the footbridge, the trail sweeps to the southwest and Thunderbird Peak rises nearly 6,000′ from the Valley floor.

We were nearly there. Only a mile and half to go. This section of trail is notorious for being bumpy, the summer wheeler traffic efficient at churning up loose rocks and augering out deep puddles. Weaving my way through the obstructions, as much as I could, my seat was starting to become uncomfortable, and I was glad I wasn’t riding all the way to Kanchee at mile 11. I realized it had been months since I had been on my bike, and I was starting to feel it.

Just past the turnoff for Bold Airstrip, I looked down and saw tracks that were not from Goose. Much too large. I had seen wolf tracks out here the year prior and was sure these weren’t from a dog. Much too large and going only one direction. I wasn’t too nervous, as wolves rarely threaten humans; plus, there was plenty of small game out here for a wolf to eat. I was grateful for my alarm system of a dog, though. I could depend on him to let me know if anything came into camp.

As I was investigating the tracks, a large group rolled up behind me and I pointed out the wolf sign. A handful of them were from out of state, friends bringing them on a fat bike day ride into the wilderness. They pushed on, I waited until they were out of sight to continue on myself, hoping to avoid any other human interaction for the day.

But my plans were foiled. As I rounded a corner, the sign to mark Eklutna Alex Campground was in sight, but so were more than half a dozen bikers, milling around and taking a break. I passed them silently, taking a right into the campground and choosing a site with a perfect view of Bold Peak, an old frenemy of mine.

I turned on the noise cancelling in my ear buds to drown out the sounds of people and began clearing the picnic table of snow and ice. Unloading all of my gear, I laid it out and began to organize everything. My tent was set up quickly, I had brought my old Kelty, a sturdy shelter that I had used for years before purchasing my Big Agnes ultralight. The Kelty isn’t a winter tent, but robust enough to hold up to the mild conditions I would face.

I stashed all of my food and odiferous items, including toothpaste, deodorant and my stove into the campground bear locker, a large brown box with a bear proof latch. Although it is a unit to be shared amongst everyone at the campground, I was the only one there, so I had it all to myself.

Now that my camp was all set up and organized, I could get to the project at hand, wood cutting. I had brought my little 6″ Ryobi battery operated saw with two batteries, and a hand saw for backup. Previous campers had done a good job cleaning up the deadfall around the campground, so it took me a while to find any dead or downed trees. I had to walk a little ways into the woods, but was able to find some dried cottonwood, spruce and birch to add to my collection.

In a short hour, I had gone through both batteries and collected a large stack of wood, plenty to use some for a fire tonight and enough to stash for next trip. I got started with building a fire, quickly realizing I had forgotten to bring firestarter of any sort. The mini-Duraflame blocks being my go-to, I hadn’t even brought toilet paper, just wet wipes. Besides my book, I hadn’t brought any paper products at all, and I wasn’t going to burn The Great Gatsby, so I improvised.

Lighting up my Jetboil Stove, I held it under the kindling until a small fire ignited and started to take off. I gingerly fed it larger and larger dry sticks, and soon I had the perfect campfire going. *I’m sure that Jetboil wouldn’t approve of my actions, so I won’t recommend it. Heating up the canister can result in an explosion, leading to severe injury or death. *

Then I swear I hear a wolf howl. I stopped dead in my tracks and listened. An owl hooted. Then another one hooted to my right. Maybe it wasn’t a wolf howling and I just misheard it. Or maybe it was a wolf howling and an owl hooting. The owls continued to call to each other throughout the evening, getting louder and closer to camp. I wondered if these two were calling to find mates. It was that time of the year for owls. Maybe I had witnessed a new relationship forming with my ears.

Although I had carried a liter of hot water in my thermos for me and a liter in my water bladder for Goose, I had also brought a large canister of winter iso-gas, plenty to melt snow for water. All snow is different and will melt at different rates. This light sugar snow took 32 minutes and 8 scoopfuls of snow to get 25 ounces of water to a rolling boil. I added it to my dehydrated Buffalo Mac & Cheese and started the process again for a cup of coffee.

By 7pm both Goose and I were fed, Goose choosing to go to bed in the tent while I sat by the campfire, taking in the heat and the peace and quiet of being the only person for miles. The owls were still calling back and forth, now more clearly than ever. Mars and Jupiter were visible in the sky, Mars tucked up next to the bright, waxing gibbous moon.

I joined Goose in bed at 830, excited to try my new Big Agnes Roxy Ann 3N1 sleeping bag. Although it is a 30-degree bag and the temperatures were going to be down in the low 20s and possibly teens, I wanted to test out its limits. I wore my jacket and down pants to bed and let Goose have my -20 bag. If I got too cold, I’d just swap with him. I read a page and a half of The Great Gatsby before falling into a deep sleep.

Day 2

Eklutna Alex Campground → Eklutna Lake Trailhead

8.8 miles

I opened my eyes at 5am, just like I do every morning, except it was 6. The time change had happened overnight and now the sun wouldn’t be rising until 830am. Ridiculous. I went out to use the bathroom and noticed it was pretty cold, I’d wager to say teens. The moisture that is usually in the air in the 20s wasn’t there. I was pleasantly surprised I had stayed warm enough while testing out this new 30-degree bag, although, to be fair, I did still have my huge puffy jacket and down pants on.

I crawled back into my bag and forced myself back to sleep until it was light. I woke up, again, and marveled at my new sleeping bag and pad combo, the bag not only warm enough, but also getting my approval because of the way it attaches to my sleeping pad, preventing me from rolling off of it in the night. The pillow holder was a bonus. No more searching for my pillow in the dark. My Nemo Tensor All-Season pad was a winner. I had used it in the Grand Canyon, but this was my first time using it outside in Alaska. With it’s 5.4 R-Value and lightweight, compact attributes, I had finally found my perfect sleep system.

Once the sun came up, the temperature rose quickly, the sky clouded over enough to suggest snow was imminent. I finally exited my tent at 915, a very late start for me, but a well-deserved rest. I melted snow and made my breakfast and coffee, doing my typical go home day multi-tasking. It started to snow lightly.

I was packed and ready to go by 1030, although I had one more job to do before I could leave. I needed to find a spot to stash this leftover firewood. It would be enough for one night and I could add to it next time. It took me a little while to find the perfect spot, but three huge armfuls later I had hidden the wood as best as I could, hoping it would be there when I got back. Some of my wood from the year prior was still stashed in a different location. I figured it was unlikely someone would find both stacks.

I mounted my bike and winced at the pressure on my poor, bruised crotch bones, though it didn’t take long to get back into the swing of things, soon forgetting about any discomfort. I rode past the wolf tracks, past Bold Airstrip turnoff, past the footbridge and out onto the ledge next to the trail. I looked back towards the head of the Eklutna Valley, never tiring of the view. Though the clouds were still thick and ominous, consuming the mountains and glacier, I was moving out of the snow and clouds the closer I got to the trailhead.

An uneventful and relaxing ride back, I made good time, reaching the parking lot and loaded up by 1pm. As I drove down Eklutna Lake Road, I kept my phone on airplane mode and hung onto the silence that had made me sane again.

Just The Tips:

1. Always carry some form of protection in the Alaska backcountry, even in the winter. Although bears are not often an issue during the winter months, moose and other wildlife can pose a threat in the right circumstances.
2. Remember that bear spray will freeze in cold temperatures and may become ineffective. I carry a small can of jogger fogger that will fit in my pocket to stay warm, and it has saved me from an aggressive moose. Firearms are permitted to be carried in this area. Refer to the hunting regulations manual for more information on harvesting in this area.
3. The Eklutna Lakeside Trail is shared motorized/non-motorized. Although there is a foot/bike only path closer to the lakeshore, the trail merges and shares the motorized trail intermittently. Once past mile 7.5, all traffic follows the same trail. Snowmachines are permitted once there is deemed to be adequate snow coverage (like this winter, sometimes there is not enough, and it doesn’t open at all for sleds). Four wheelers are only permitted Sunday-Wednesday, April 1 – November 30. A sign at the beginning of Eklutna Lake Road is updated with the status of the motorized trails.
4. Use the Bear Bins! Do not leave any food or odiferous items in your tent or unattended in camp, including your cooking stove, cups, cutlery, toothpaste, deodorant, etc. Alaska State Parks provides shared bear lockers at all three Eklutna Campgrounds: Eklutna Alex, Kanchee and Bold Airstrip.
5. These campgrounds are rarely used, although they are becoming more popular on holiday weekends. The only permit necessary is a daily or annual parking pass for State of AK Parks.
6. Leave No Trace! Please pack out what you pack in. And maybe spend 10 minutes walking around looking for micro trash that others may have missed.
7. Bring toilet paper. Although there are outhouses at Eklutna Alex and Kanchee (not sure about at the airstrip), there is rarely any adequate quantity of toilet paper, either because of use of the squirrels and mice. Better safe than sorry to bring your own roll.
8. Do Not attempt to travel out to the toe of the Eklutna Glacier without knowledge of glacier travel, or, at minimum, a helmet and an awareness of rockfall. As stated in the trip report, I had a close call myself with a large snow/landslide. Rockfall is common in the narrows leading to the toe of the glacier.

Eklutna Lakeside Trail AllTrails Link: