Bridges? How Dull.

For our second day of operations out of Girdwood, we made use of a trail located mere steps from our temporary place of residence. Although the Winner Creek Trail does not directly connect to where we were, we were able to take an easily accessible spur to join up with the trail proper. There was some initial confusion, since part of the spur had the appearance of a sidewalk, but once that was resolved, the trail was straightforward (figuratively, not literally).

This was another trail in a temperate rain forest sort of environment. Mostly, it was composed of black, granite gravel. Where this coating was not present, boardwalks had usually been erected, since these regions tended to be exceedingly muddy. Although there is some up and down, Winner Creek Trail is pretty easy: I would be very comfortable running it at speed.

Besides being so local, which is always a benefit, Winner Creek Trail offers views of some impressive burl (you can read more about burl in the Redwoods post, although these trees were not redwoods), enormous granite boulders, and a rushing river. The water of this river is so aerated that it has a brilliant blue color that you don’t commonly see. If you don’t feel the terrestrial perspective is sufficient for your view of the river, you can take advantage of one of the more unique parts of this trail: the hand tram.

When I was told that the Winner Creek Trail had a hand tram, I was envisioning one of those old fashioned railway cars, where one person stands on one side of the lever, and another person stands on the other side of the lever, and with a sort of sea-saw motion, you propel the vehicle along the track. In reality, the hand tram was more like a slow motion zip line. You step into a green cage, which is suspended from a wire, and draw yourself along by a rope (you can also have your companions on the platform haul for you). It’s the only way to get to the other side from that location (though you don’t have to cross in order to complete the trail), and offers some unique views of the gorge. I wouldn’t say the hand tram is reason enough to do the trail, but it is a rather unique feature.

This is an out and back trail, not a loop, so after we ventured forth on the hand tram, we ventured back the way we had come, along the boardwalks, past the avalanche scar, and back to our Girdwood base of operations. Winner Creek Trail would be a great hike for less experienced hikers to get a glimpse of Alaska’s natural grandeur, and offers a pleasant morning stroll for more experienced adventurers. If you’re in the area, consider checking out Winner Creek Trail.

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