Hanging Valley (Ski)

Our glacially carved backyard, the Chugach Mountains, hold a multitude of secrets: Elusive couloirs, remnant ice, and alpine lakes. The landscape’s fingerprints, crows feet, and palm lines aren’t visible from space or from distant valleys, but must be discovered up close.

The Chugach are vast, and there are mountains that have not and may never be skied, that have yet to be climbed. There are also valleys in the Chugach that will reveal their secrets to skiers or hikers who are out for a day trip. Hanging Valley, just a couple miles from the end of the South Fork Eagle River road system, is one of these.

The South Fork has a new trail that begins near the end of Hiland Road, approximately thirty minutes from downtown Anchorage. It is an exceptionally popular trailhead, and the wide, graded trail zig zags, then gently climbs uphill before descending to a sturdy footbridge two miles away. Past this bridge, the trail narrows but continues to lead up valley toward Eagle and Symphony lakes. A smaller, unmarked trail veers off to the left just a few hundred yards past the footbridge. This is the summer trail up into Hanging Valley, which is located east of Harp Mountain and is a tributary valley of the South Fork.

During the winter, skiers park at the end of Hiland Road at the base of Harp Mountain, taking care not to be in the fire lane part of this large turnaround. A very small sign denotes an informal trail that accesses state park land, passing to the north of the two houses located at the end of the road. Be sure to stay up on the hillside and out of their property. This is the old trail up the South Fork, and it is an easy skin or cross country ski mostly along a low bench above the South Fork. Often, the south slopes of Harp are bare from sun and valley winds, but if they did have any snow this old trail route would be in the runout zone of avalanche slopes. Within a mile, this trail intersects Hidden Valley, just uphill and to the north of the newer South Fork trail.

After departing the South Fork, skiers and hikers will find a broad, moraine-studded valley arcing north, then east, then south. Hidden Valley’s floor is alpine, with scree slopes around it. At first it looks unremarkable, if pastoral. Only after turning the final corner does the valley’s headwall reveal itself, looming nearly vertical above several old lateral moraines. A diagonal couloir on the left and a Y-shaped twin couloir on the right demarcate the steepest rock. Great snow aprons descend from the bottom of the chutes toward the valley floor.

These are among the most convenient couloirs near Anchorage. It only takes about an hour and a half for efficient skiers to skin back to the base of the climb, and there are several choices of lines. A fairly wide, moderately steep chute is on the right, and tops out on the ridge. As always, assess conditions as you climb for wind loading, being aware conditions can change with elevation and proximity to the ridge. Approximately three quarters of the way up, a tiny couloir breaks off to the left. This skinny little chute also climbs to the ridgeline, but up much steeper terrain with vertical rock walls that close in from both sides. For a couple hundred feet, the couloir is approximately 10 feet wide.

In the middle of the cirque’s headwall, several couloirs rise from the apron but terminate in cliffs before reaching the ridgeline. The only other one that touches the sky is the angled couloir on the left, and its top portion is quite steep and sometimes does not have sufficient snow. Regardless of whether that line tops out, there are more lines than most people will be able to ski in a day. It only takes about 45 minutes to ski back to the trailhead from the base of the slope, cruising back on your skin track with a few short sections of side stepping and skating. Hanging Valley also is a good destination for cross country skiers--the valley is so flat that waxed or scaled skis easily could make it back to the circque without skins.

Assessing avalanche conditions in Hidden Valley can be difficult because it is not covered by any avalanche forecast and because wind and snow conditions can be very different from surrounding areas. It is wise to dig pits, assess the snowpack, and follow safe travel protocol in order to minimize avalanche danger. Hidden Valley definitely gets less snow and is drier than Turnagain, so it is possible for weak layers to persist in the snowpack for longer than you might expect. In addition, winds can swirl from several directions and mean that slightly different slope aspects have different degrees of stability.

Skiers will have plenty of activities to keep them busy back in the valley during the winter and spring.  In the summer, hikers will want to linger below the headwall, or even carry in camping gear and spend a weekend. There are short out and back destinations, including a mellow climb up to the ridge that divides Hidden Valley from the next valley north, which contains Eagle River. In the autumn, blueberries and fall colors should make Hidden Valley a festive hiking destination.

With its snow-filled couloirs and relaxing summer hikes, Hanging Valley is a destination for all seasons. Few places close to town are so mysterious yet accessible, with vertiginous terrain secluded at the end of a valley that seems designed to hide it.