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Mountaineering | Chugach Range

Cummings, Bard, Maynard, Learnard & Lowell

Sep 7, 2024

The official slogan for town of Whittier is “The Gateway to Prince William Sound”. It’s an ideal slogan - the town is nestled into a small anchorage at the far western edge of Passage Canal and a short boat ride leads to lifetimes of mountains. That said – if you don’t have a boat (or lifetimes to devote to approaches) there are several easily accessible peaks that you can scramble up just above the town. This page is a collection of pictures and notes for routes up those five peaks: the Northeast Ridge of Cummings Peak, North Ridge of Bard Peak, South Ridge of Maynard Mountain, West Ridge of Learnard Peak and the South Ridge of Lowell Peak. The routes range from moderate ridgeline strolls with actual trail approaches, to bushwhack adventures and spicey glacier travel. Onboard the Contagious & departing Whittier on a fine day. In the background are Bard (left), Maynard (right) and the lower shoulder of Lowell (foreground right). Whittier Peaks map. GPX available here. First some Whittier tips: In general Whittier is not a fun place to be. Wind, rain, and heavy snowfall are common. The average annual precipitation is 196 inches (16 ft). Average annual snowfall is 241 inches (20... [ Read More ]

Recent Posts

Trekking | Chugach Range

Moksha Peak (Southwest Ridge)

Jul 22, 2023

Moksha Peak (6250’) lies southeast of Matanuska Peak, and when you climb Matanuska Peak it is the prominent peak you notice with a beautiful North Couloir that draws the eye. In recent years it has become a popular spring and fall destination due to a “decent” trail that departs from the Rippy trail on the […] [ Read More ]

Mountaineering | Chugach Range

3 Traverses in Chugach State Park

Jul 21, 2023

Throughout Chugach State Park there are a number of ridges that can be linked up to make for long day or overnight tours and where most of the travel is above treeline. Of course sometimes half the adventure is getting to that ridge (or getting back to the trailhead after completing said ridge) at which […] [ Read More ]

Trekking | Talkeetna Range

Jul 4, 2023

Chitna Basin refers to the area in the Talkeetna Mountains that is bordered by Caribou Creek to the north, Chitna Creek to the east, Hicks Creek to the south and Boulder Creek to the west. It is a high alpine zone with elevations ranging from 4500’ to 7000’. There is little vegetation and the mountains […] [ Read More ]

Mountaineering | Chugach Range

Punchbowl Glacier

Jun 15, 2023

This page is a collection of notes and photos from several trips to Punchbowl Glacier and the surrounding areas over several years. Included are notes and route descriptions for Nagoon Mountain (4,403’), Lingon Mountain (4,098’), Highbush Peak (4,669’) and Lowbush Peak (4,229’). Also includes are descriptions for Berg Peak (3,917’) and Hibbs Peak (4,423’) since […] [ Read More ]

Rivers & Waters | Yukon (Canada)

Yukon River (Whitehorse → Carmacks)

Jun 3, 2023

Our family summer float for 2023 was a mess of plans. A deep snowpack in Southcentral Alaska, combined with a cold spring meant that local rivers were bankfull at best – and full flood stage in several watersheds. Eventually, after hitting refresh on USGS stream gauges for the better part of a week, we switched […] [ Read More ]

Skiing | Chugach Range

Notch, A1, Mystery, Pipet & Yudi

Apr 24, 2023

North and east of Girdwood there are 5 prominent peaks that cap the Glacier Valley skyline. Sometimes referred to as the Skyline Peaks the peaks are (from south to north): Notch Mountain (3087’), A1 (4900’), Mystery Mountain (5300’), Pipet Peak (6000’) and Yudi Peak (6540’). From a climbers / skiers perspective they range from 3 […] [ Read More ]

Trekking | Chugach Range

Raggedtop (Traverse)

Sep 5, 2022

Raggedtop Mountain (5,215′) lies due north of Girdwood and is situated between Crow Creek (to the east) and California Creek (to the west). It has a distinct south facing bowl that can viewed from the resort and a craggy ridgeline. There are two distinct summits – North being the taller and true summit, although it […] [ Read More ]

Skiing | Alaska Range

Whale’s Tail (Ruth Gorge → Road)

Apr 14, 2022

This is a tale of two Tails: the Whale’s Tail – which is the ridge between the Ruth Glacier and Tokositna Glacier and features a classic ski trip where one traverses the Tokosha Mountains (Tokosha is a Tanaina word meaning “the place where there are no trees”) with breathtaking views of glaciers beneath your feet, […] [ Read More ]

Rivers & Waters | Arctic

Koyukuk River (North Fork)

Jun 15, 2021

These are photos and notes from a float down the North Fork of the Koyukuk in Gates of the Arctic National Park – a Wild and Scenic river that is entirely within Gates of the Arctic National Park. The standard section of this float is to fly into a gravel bar just downstream from the […] [ Read More ]

Skiing | Chugach Range

Learnard Peak (West Ridge)

May 1, 2021

Spring 1898 – Portage Glacier In the last vestiges of the 19th century America’s westward expansion, coupled with President McKinley’s embrace of expansionism, compelled the US to once again expand beyond established borders. Alaska was purchased in 1867, Hawaii was annexed in 1898 and that same year the United States mobilized to war with Spain […] [ Read More ]