05 Jan 07, 11:47 pm
I'm not part of AO, and I cant make this, but I would like to put my .02 in there...
First off, the Stampede is a well known area. Maybe by the locals alone, but a lot of people know it's there. Currently, it's open to just about anything. There is very little private land back there, and the little there is, the owners arent too picky as long as you respect them. I read a post that said it's a way to wheel into the park without anyone knowing? Thats BS. I lived on the Stampede for nearly a year, and I know that the park boundries are patroled by rangers. I have seen them on ATV's, trucks, helicopters, and planes. If you are caught within the defined park boundries with a motor vehicle, they will arrest you, and impound your vehicle. Even though the Stampede goes quite a ways in before you hit park boundries, it does cross into the park near the airstrip. This is marked off, and they do patrol it. I dont like the idea of the road being developed as another access for the park, but I also dont like the idea of restricting use to it. There are quite a few good places to wheel. As for the make-up of the trail...
Mile 1 - Mile 4 = Pavement
Mile 5 - Mile 8 = Hardpack
Mile 8 - Mile 12 = Easy 4x4 trail. Can get tricky when extremely wet.
Mile 12 - 18 = Moderate 4x4 trail with creek crossings, rocky sections, and side trails.
Mile 13 - 14 = Mud Bogs. AKX wouldnt attempt it with 44" boggers. I have only seen hikers, ATV's and moose buggies past this point.
Mile 15 = Teklanika River. Deep and fast in Spring, medium and fast in the summer, shallow and slower in the fall.
Mile 16 - 18 = Pretty flat, not much to look at. Easy going.
Mile 19 = Savage River. Deep and fast all the time. You can hike (not drive) about a mile up or down stream and find where it braids out, but you still need to be roped off, and use the buddy system.
After the Savage, the trail turns into beaver ponds for a few miles. Unpassable by anything but well built buggies, ATV, hikers, things like that. Then the trail flattens out to a small country road, minus the pavement. I havent been that far back yet, but I am told that it's easy to hike. My miles could be off, but thats a pretty good rundown.
As far as side trails branching off, everything loops back to the Stampede because it's surrounded on all sides by the park. (Again, dont try and wheel in the park.) There are a lot of bogs, a LOT of muskeg, and a lot to explore. There is only one road in, one road out. There is one air strip back there owned by AKDOT, maintained by the state. Alaska Travel Adventures runs a Jeep tour out to mile 12.3. They also set up a remote camp out there to feed guests, and house one idiot. (That was me for a year.)
All in all, it's a great place to explore, and developement will kill that. The locals dont mind people going out there, but they dont want any crap in their neighborhood. There are a lot of good people out there. Most of them hate the Jeeps, but I have become good friends with a lot of them. I can see both sides of the fence, but when you are dealing with people who move to these remote locations to get away from it all, you are fighting a strong group of people. And again, dont try and wheel in the park. If I were to see someone out there, I dont care if they had an AO, AKX, Ak4x4Net sticker, I would call them in, because they know it's wrong, and they still did it. The Stampede is a very delicate topic with the locals, and losing access is a lot closer than people might think. Anyhow, good luck at the meeting guys, I wish I could be there for this one. I love that area more than anywhere I have been in Alaska.
First off, the Stampede is a well known area. Maybe by the locals alone, but a lot of people know it's there. Currently, it's open to just about anything. There is very little private land back there, and the little there is, the owners arent too picky as long as you respect them. I read a post that said it's a way to wheel into the park without anyone knowing? Thats BS. I lived on the Stampede for nearly a year, and I know that the park boundries are patroled by rangers. I have seen them on ATV's, trucks, helicopters, and planes. If you are caught within the defined park boundries with a motor vehicle, they will arrest you, and impound your vehicle. Even though the Stampede goes quite a ways in before you hit park boundries, it does cross into the park near the airstrip. This is marked off, and they do patrol it. I dont like the idea of the road being developed as another access for the park, but I also dont like the idea of restricting use to it. There are quite a few good places to wheel. As for the make-up of the trail...
Mile 1 - Mile 4 = Pavement
Mile 5 - Mile 8 = Hardpack
Mile 8 - Mile 12 = Easy 4x4 trail. Can get tricky when extremely wet.
Mile 12 - 18 = Moderate 4x4 trail with creek crossings, rocky sections, and side trails.
Mile 13 - 14 = Mud Bogs. AKX wouldnt attempt it with 44" boggers. I have only seen hikers, ATV's and moose buggies past this point.
Mile 15 = Teklanika River. Deep and fast in Spring, medium and fast in the summer, shallow and slower in the fall.
Mile 16 - 18 = Pretty flat, not much to look at. Easy going.
Mile 19 = Savage River. Deep and fast all the time. You can hike (not drive) about a mile up or down stream and find where it braids out, but you still need to be roped off, and use the buddy system.
After the Savage, the trail turns into beaver ponds for a few miles. Unpassable by anything but well built buggies, ATV, hikers, things like that. Then the trail flattens out to a small country road, minus the pavement. I havent been that far back yet, but I am told that it's easy to hike. My miles could be off, but thats a pretty good rundown.
As far as side trails branching off, everything loops back to the Stampede because it's surrounded on all sides by the park. (Again, dont try and wheel in the park.) There are a lot of bogs, a LOT of muskeg, and a lot to explore. There is only one road in, one road out. There is one air strip back there owned by AKDOT, maintained by the state. Alaska Travel Adventures runs a Jeep tour out to mile 12.3. They also set up a remote camp out there to feed guests, and house one idiot. (That was me for a year.)
All in all, it's a great place to explore, and developement will kill that. The locals dont mind people going out there, but they dont want any crap in their neighborhood. There are a lot of good people out there. Most of them hate the Jeeps, but I have become good friends with a lot of them. I can see both sides of the fence, but when you are dealing with people who move to these remote locations to get away from it all, you are fighting a strong group of people. And again, dont try and wheel in the park. If I were to see someone out there, I dont care if they had an AO, AKX, Ak4x4Net sticker, I would call them in, because they know it's wrong, and they still did it. The Stampede is a very delicate topic with the locals, and losing access is a lot closer than people might think. Anyhow, good luck at the meeting guys, I wish I could be there for this one. I love that area more than anywhere I have been in Alaska.
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