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Ship Creek Hill

THIS HIKE WAS SUBMITTED BY MATT T.

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3 Moose Hoofs Rating

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Ship Creek Hill
(Photo taken from Arctic Valley Road)

Last Updated: January 07, 2007

Difficulty

Somewhat difficult (experienced hikers only! Must be able to read a topo map)

Connects 
With

Temptation Peak

Miles One 
Way

4

Miles from
Anchorage

In town (off of Arctic Valley Road)

General Vicinity

Chugach State Park

Season

All year (snowshoes in winter)

Description

To get here you must hike part of Snowhawk Creek Trail starting on Ft Richardson. From there follow the trail past the first cabin. The hill is aprox. 1 1/2 miles past where you can observe 2 hills to the left. From there it's off trail. You will need to descend to the creek and into the saddle between the two hills. This is a fairly easy hike up the saddle and along the south eastern side. If you wish to prolong the hike like I did you can also hike to the other peak about 1 mile south across the saddle. Being off the main trail and on Ft Richardson means very few people in the area and none were observed anywhere around the hill.

Important Information

Other then the usual restrictions regarding Ft Rich, this area is awesome. It is a fairly easy hike (I did it in March with snow shoes) however there is some bushwhacking involved. Once on top of the saddle there is a rim which makes it an easy ascent up the southern, higher hill (elevation 3990). The northern edge of Ship Creek Hill is very steep and is one of the dominating hills that can be seen from the Ship Creek area. It is one of those hills that screams "climb me". Land navigation is fairly easy however you must be careful not to overshoot Snowhawk Creek Trail on the way back or else you will have to do some backtracking (the best bet is mark the trail on your GPS). This is a great first "off trail" hike to test your back country skills without a lot of the worry.

Etc.

Webmaster Note: I was a little confused when Matt mentioned the Snowhawk Trail.  I didn't realize he meant Temptation Peak.  I also wanted to be clear on Military rules.  As well, I was also hoping he had some pics, so I emailed him.  It was a while before he replied (with good reason):

"Sorry its been so long getting back. I was back in the States when I sent up the hike and now I'm back over in the desert compliments of Uncle Sam. As to answer your 3 questions, as of right now all my pictures are at the house and I won't have access to them for another 8 months. Sorry about that. I highly recommend calling the base before hiking there (range control or the MP's) because you never know when there may be something happening on the range. I had to cancel my first trip because I didn't call range control and when I showed up there was an active range which closed the access road leading to the trail head. As for the trail leading to the cabin. On most topo's, it will show up, however it doesn't show up on a military map for some reason. While the trailhead is not marked, it is pretty obvious when you walk up to the top of the road. The trailhead is located about 20 meters on the right before the dam gate. From there the trail seems to follow the fence for about 20 feet before heading left. If you have any further questions please reply".

 

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©Alaska Hike Search
-A Guide to Hiking in the Anchorage Area
By Chugachman

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