Eagle River to Bird

Traversing around the Beak (an easier route is approximately 300 feet lower)

Some of the widest skies you’ll walk through are right behind town, on the sheep-manicured ridgelines in Chugach State Park. Starting out from well-used trails, these skywalks stretch for miles, linking watersheds and and even coastlines.

 

One of the more accessible ridge walks through the park starts in the Eagle River’s South Fork valley, then crosses over Ship Creek to the Bird Ridge Trail.

Trails provide quick access to the alpine, and minimize bushwhacking. The Hiland Road trailhead is located near brushline, and the well-used South Fork trail quickly ascends to tundra. You can hop up to the ridge either at Hunter Pass, just west of North Bowl, or (for a little less up and down) turn right at the next trail marked “Rendezvous Ridge,” which is a little more than a mile from the trailhead. Rendezvous ridge is a delightful ramble, with a well-used informal trail that runs through endless rolling tundra. It provides birds’ eye views of Eagle and Symphony lakes, the Symphony tarns, and the lower Ship Creek valley.

Fast hikers may choose to jog up Triangle Peak from the ridge, but the route toward Bird departs the ridge a couple miles before Triangle. Follow a long ridgeline downhill toward the point where Ewe valley and Ship Creek valley converge. There is a portal through grass and wildflowers, on a well-used game trail, that avoids alder bashing into Ship Creek valley proper. Surprisingly, this section of the valley is pleasant hiking, on a game trail that is so well used it almost appears to be maintained by a professional crew. This part of Ship Creek valley is fairly dry, with occasional spruces growing amidst fields of berries and wildflowers. High peaks soar above Grizzly Lake miles upstream, and lichens glow in the alpine valleys to the south.

North Fork Ship Creek Valley

There are multiple ways to access The Beak, Bird Ridge Overlook, and Bird Ridge. One simple route is to ascend the valley that ends in a tarn located between Bird’s Eye Peak and Tail Feather Peak. There are many soft, scenic tundra campsites in this area, and it is only a moderately steep scramble up to the ridge between The Wing and The Beak. If you’re heading south, it’s only about a 20 minute side trip to summit The Beak from its north ridge. Unless you love exposed scrambling, however, the traverse is easier if you drop down and circle around the east side of the beak on scree. Ascend back to the ridgeline between The Beak and Bird Ridge Overlook. Alternatively, traverse through cliffs on a well-established sheep trail, which is passable but has exposure to long falls over cliffs.

Bird Ridge Overlook is a rocky but less exposed scramble, with the north ridge providing the most direct route. From here, it is a fairly obvious walk back down the meandering ridge line to the Bird Ridge trailhead. Note that there is no water between The Beak and Turnagain Arm from mid-summer on, once the snow patches have melted out along ridgelines.

Eagle and Symphony Lakes

If hiking this 25 mile or so route in one day, it makes sense to start at Bird Ridge, tackling the more difficult route-finding around The Beak earlier on in the trip. If ending late, Rendezvous Ridge is fairly simple to follow. For an overnight, Hiland Road may make more sense, as it starts at a higher elevation and with a fairly easy, undulating ridge walk. Either way, campsites among the many tarns around The Beak and The Wing have exceptional views of gentle tundra valleys surrounded by rugged peaks. This area, with additional peak destinations including Shaman Dome and The Sail, would be a great multi-day base camp.

Although it’s only about a day’s walk from most trailheads, the interior of Chugach State Park is rarely visited. That is unfortunate, because broad valleys, hanging glaciers on the high peaks, and tarns scattered like constellations provide an otherworldly place to go camping for the weekend.