Annual Hike?

The Camino de Santiago may be out for a few more years, but what about making our trips an annual thing?

On one of our recent hikes Loda, Amanda, and I decided that we needed to do this again next year. I'm sure if Blythe were there she would have agreed, too. Amanda suggested Resurrection Pass Trail/Historic Iditarod (Crow Pass) Trail, a 26-mile trail running from Girdwood to Eagle River. It takes only a few days to hike it. Maybe we'll even be able to get a few other people to travel with us!


Here is some very general information about it from the Chugach State Park website. There you can also find a historical guide and a map of the trail.

Historic Iditarod (Crow Pass) Trail 
Access: Eagle River Nature Center, or from Girdwood take Crow Creek Road to road end and Crow Creek Trailhead (managed by Chugach Nat'l. Forest).
 
Travel Means: Foot only.
 
Distance: 26 miles or 50 kilometers one way. See Special Features for shorter hike options along this trail.
 
Elevation Gain: 2500 feet or 762 meters to pass from Crow Creek Trailhead, 3500 feet or 1067 meters to pass from Eagle River Trailhead.
 
Difficulty: Easy to difficult.
 
Special Features: Trail follows historic Iditarod supply route. Mining ruins, spectacular views of peaks, glaciers. Much wildlife. Excellent day hikes from either end or spend a few days and hike trail length. Unabridged stream and river crossings can be difficult. Shorter hikes from Nature Center include: to Echo Bend (easy), 3 miles one way; to Heritage Falls (easy, large falls across river), 4.5 miles one way; Twin Falls (moderate, stream crossings, beaver ponds, waterfalls), 9 miles one way. This area closed to hunting, rich in wildlife - moose, beaver, bears, sheep, eagles. Hikes from Crow Creek include: to mine site (moderate, steep) 2 miles one way; to Crystal Lake and USFS cabin (moderate, steep, spectacular, reservations required for cabin) 3 miles one way; to pass and Raven Glacier (moderate, spectacular) 4 miles one way.
 
Winter: From Nature Center to Eagle Glacier or Ford site: Skiing on river surface, gravel bars up valley is often very good, avalanche free, overflow prone. From Crow Creek to Eagle Glacier or Ford Site: Very avalanche prone. Not recommended.