Resurrection Ridge Walk

Other than the well-known Skyline Traverse near Cooper Landing, I haven't heard a lot of people talk about ridge walks on the Kenai. But after visiting the Twin Lakes/Palmer Creek mine area for kid hikes with family, a ridge walk up toward the Summit Creek trail area seemed very appealing.

So in late summer 2021, Charlie Procknow and I set shuttle and set out for a walk.

It is a surprisingly quick, easy walk up into some high (for the area) peaks that cap the ridgeline running from Turnagain Arm to Cooper Landing.  Access is easy and brush-free starting from Palmer Creek mine area.  There is a surprisingly large glacier back above the mine:

The ridge is not continuous all the way up to Summit Creek, but dropping down into one of the high valleys for water is necessary for a walk of this length anyway.  The final lake is a sweet one right up above the pass to the south of Summit Creek trail, and this would make an amazing campsite:

After climbing over the low saddle, just head downhill and east until finding Summit Creek trail for an easy egress back to the Seward Highway. 

This is one of my favorite ridge walks in Southcentral, every bit as good as Pepper-Pioneer, except with more alpine lakes. Although not particularly far from the road, it feels wilder and (unlike Penguin Ridge) is not affected by road noise. With numerous lakes and high valleys, this walk would be delightful however long you want to take, whether one day or several. I was surprised at the relative lack of game trails following the ridge lines, but we did see caribou in one of the valleys so it's certainly possible to see wildlife along the way.