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| 123 |    Photos Map
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| Last Updated: June 28, 2007 | ||
Difficulty |
Easy for most of the Trail. Somewhat difficult if heading up the pass to Eagle River Overlook. Be careful climbing around and exploring. The Trail is sometimes hard to find but the destination is obvious. | |
Connects With |
Eagle and Symphony Lakes | |
Miles One Way |
6 miles | |
Miles
from
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About 25; on the outskirts of the town of Eagle River. | |
General Vicinity |
Chugach State Park | |
Season |
June to September (too much snow before then) | |
Description |
I have known about this hike for about 3
years now but never ventured over from my usual route to Eagle
and Symphony Lakes. The lakes are such a great destination and it
seemed like a waste to sidetrack to what I thought was a basic, seen it
before, glacial valley. But since I started this site, I decided to do
it so I could add to the number of hikes already online. Well! I'm glad I started this website because I would have never discovered this really cool valley if I didn't. It's a small valley but it has quite a few gems. The entire place is so ripe for exploring. The valley is dominated by Hurdygurdy, a mountain that looks to be gouged out by 2 different glaciers causing it to seem twisted and spiraled. One of the glaciers has left an incredible lake set on top of a lush tundra plateau in which a waterfall flows down to the valley below. This is where I set my camp up the first time I visited; an ideal spot. ***** The Following was submitted by Micah McGuire (Chugachpics):*: The lake is spectacular, one of many sandy-bottomed lakes above tree line in the Chugach. This particular lake is about 15-20 feet deep in the middle, about a half-mile of surface area, and of brilliant yellow sand on the bottom, giving the lake a very light-blue appearance. At the back end of the lake is the tiny corpse of a rock glacier, rising like a pimple from the flanks of Mt. Hurdygurdy. This summer I am going to explore the bottom of the lake with proper cold-water gear, then I'm going to name it (if that doesn't give me the right, I don't know what does). Until then, it remains nameless. * Micah gave this hike a 2 moose hoof rating and a difficulty rating of "Easy" ***** The moraine is really cool. What looks from a distance to be a perfect circular mound is a hodgepodge of deep crags and gouges. My guess is that this glacier receded and advanced repeatedly in its waning years-its last gasping breath. On the other side of the valley is the trail that leads to the saddle of Harp Mountain and to the Eagle River Overlook. I was all set to do it the next morning but a dense fog rolled in and made the trip superfluous. The next time I go, and I will, I will definitely make the trek. June 12, 2004 Well! After reading Ross' description below, and needing a short place to hike into Friday night after work, I decided to head back to Hanging Valley. I spent the night in the tiny peninsula of the main lake in the main valley. The next morning, I headed up to the Overlook. The saddle is easy. Last year I thought I saw switchbacks but I was wrong. They were just small dry "creeklet" beds. But it wasn't hard and if you sort of diagonal it and head to the small outcrops, you'll be at top in no time. The hard part is from the top of the saddle to the actual overlook. On the map, they have you going straight up near the creek (which may be dry depending on when you go). I veered at a 45° angle instead towards the northern summit and it was pretty easy going. It's worth the time to spend a minute on the saddle and think carefully where and how you want to make your ascent. The view of Eagle River is pretty cool. I also got great views of Denali and the Alaska Range as well as Hanging Valley below. If the clouds hadn't come in fast portending the chance of heavy rain (it did just as I got back to my tent), I could have spent a couple more hours walking the entire ridgeline back toward Hanging Valley and checking different sections of Eagle River. ***** The following was contributed by Ross Timm on Hanging Valley and climbing to the Eagle Overlook: I recently did Hanging Valley trail, with side trips, on a warm early June day. It still had some snow and wet spots, but pretty dry for such a wet winter. I want to add info on extending the hike up to Harp Mountain. Once I got to the end of the Valley (as described in the guidebook) I hiked up to the tarn (lake) described. It took a lot of checking to make sure I was in the right place to head up to the lake, but it turned out to be just as described; very pretty, but it was mostly ice-covered. In the Valley the views of Hurdy Gurdy Mountain are great (although at first I thought maybe that was the Overlook described. I believe the book "55 Hikes.." calls the Overlook 'Point 5130') Anyway, the book was unclear, until I realized it looked way to technical compared to what they were describing.) After further guidebook deciphering I decided to hike up to the saddle between the Harp Mountain ridge and the Overlook ) However, I saw no real trails, so I just kind of side-tracked up Webmasters note: Ross has a lot of experience on mountains. Please do not attempt the following if you have any doubt as to your skill on such terrain. I had decided to not go to the right and up to the Overlook. Instead, I went left, where, as the book describes, you can parallel the Valley trail along the ridge line. It is like a new view of where you just came from, while still kind of getting you back to the start of the Hanging Valley trail. After many false summits and 2 miles, you get to Harp Mountain, which is a rocky pile along the ridge. There are great views of Eagle River and the Alaska Range. You feel like you are in some serious backcountry from the time you enter the Hanging Valley until you actually get to Harp Mountain, when you suddenly realize how close you really are to civilization. The guide book says descend via a gully from the mountain top, and you will eventually hit the Hanging Valley Trail near its origin at the intersection with the South Fork Eagle River Trail. Sounded good, but the scree was too large and shallow to "ski" down most of the time, so it was a potential ankle breaker effort, and it was a very tiring effort, once I was back in thick alpine ***** Two more routes: 1) Along the ridge at the end of Hanging Valley, up and over the peak #1 (north) that takes you to the saddle, pictured, where we ascended. 2) From canyon beyond Eagle Lake leading to Flute Glacier, a very large gully takes you, gradually, ALL the way to the saddle between 5710 and what I call peak #1, where we ascended to. Maybe the MCA folks don't list this route because it is TOO easy, but it's the way I would go from now on after looking at it from above. Seems to be one of those Mountaineering Laws of Physics: Guys 35-years-old and younger seek the hardest way they can find up a mountain; guys 60 and older, like me, look for the easiest route. Frank |
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Important Information |
Until you get to the
bridge down in the valley, you are on private property. Stay on
the trail and respect the owners. Be aware that the trail into the valley can fade away in places as you crest the ridge after the bridge. At the trail intersection shortly after, take the one that heads straight up. You should be heading toward the next ridge and not the creek. Once you get over this ridge, it's easy to spot the trail slicing through the valley. At the plateau where the nameless lake is, use the left side of the moraine to access the top. The sides are quite steep with scree. I had to slowly slide down on my butt on my return. The mountains in this valley look very inviting to climb but are quite steep when you actually do. Be careful and don't bite off more than you can chew. If traveling with your pooch, keep a jug of water and a bowl in your vehicle. There are no water sources (except boggy stuff), from the bridge to the trailhead. If it's a hot day, your dog will thank you. ***** The Following was contributed by Micah McGuire: There are always a few people in the area, though the lake itself is hidden from sight when you are in the valley, so it gets less traffic. The lake area is always a bit chillier and windier than the lower valley. Plan on putting on a couple extra layers when you access that area. The elevation of the lake is 3,406. Bears frequent the area, so be careful. Once outside the main South Fork Eagle River Valley the terrain becomes much less bear-friendly, so one need worry about it less the closer one gets to the lake. Easiest access to Hurdygurdy Mountain can be found on this hike. ***** |
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| Etc. | If you go to the Eagle & Symphony Lakes Photos Page, the first picture is the other side of Hurdy Gurdy Mountain. It's an interesting contrast between the two sides. | |
