HOW DIFFICULT IS TO HIKE OR GET TO SKWENTNA or EVEN FURTHER UP BY ATV? (Anchorage: club)

[Justinet]

I want to know how feasible or difficult is to go by ATV to Skwentna or even further up from Anchorage? Is it really uphill?

Are there any bridges to cross the Susitna river?

I have been checking out the place with Google Earth but it is not enough to get an idea of the place. From Anchorage, crossing the Susitna river (are there any bridges to cross? ) and going up to Skwentna and even further up towards Talachulitna Lake.

Talachulitna Lake seems to be a lake in a valley surrounded by mountains. Are there any mountain roads or trails to get there? How hikable are these places?

Thank you

[warptman]

In the winter yes, summer no.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by Justinet

I want to know how feasible or difficult is to go by ATV to Skwentna or even further up from Anchorage? Is it really uphill?

Are there any bridges to cross the Susitna river?

I have been checking out the place with Google Earth but it is not enough to get an idea of the place. From Anchorage, crossing the Susitna river (are there any bridges to cross? ) and going up to Skwentna and even further up towards Talachulitna Lake.

Talachulitna Lake seems to be a lake in a valley surrounded by mountains. Are there any mountain roads or trails to get there? How hikable are these places?

Thank you

You can't get to Skwentna by ATV during the summer. Access is by either boat or plane. As warptman posted, winter access is possible, but I would recommend a snow machine instead of an ATV.

Talachulitna Lake is a good 30 to 40 miles southwest of Skwentna. There is also no fish in Talchulitna Lake. Although there have been reports of Lake Trout in Judd Lake, about two miles east of Talachulitna Lake.

The area where Talachulitna Lake is located is the beginning of the foothills for the western part of the Alaskan Range, it isn't in the mountains itself. The western side of the lake is a large musk keg, but the southern and eastern side are drier, more elevated, and treed with birch and spruce.

There are no roads or trails to Talachulitna Lake. The only access during the summer is by plane. Hiking to Talachulitna Lake is out of the question unless you have at least 3 months, maybe even longer, just to get there.

By late-May the snows are finally gone, but the alder, fiddle-head ferns, and devil's club are growing so thick that progress is very slow and difficult. There is no level ground anywhere, so plan on only getting about two or three miles per day, if you are lucky.

The only bridge that crosses the Susitna River is the Park's Highway, somewhere just after the Talkeetna Junction.

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Justinet

I want to know how feasible or difficult is to go by ATV to Skwentna or even further up from Anchorage? Is it really uphill?

Are there any bridges to cross the Susitna river?

I have been checking out the place with Google Earth but it is not enough to get an idea of the place. From Anchorage, crossing the Susitna river (are there any bridges to cross? ) and going up to Skwentna and even further up towards Talachulitna Lake.

Talachulitna Lake seems to be a lake in a valley surrounded by mountains. Are there any mountain roads or trails to get there? How hikable are these places?

Thank you

Something think about: since quite a lot of creeks and streams in Alaska are declared as "salmon-bearing," be very careful about crossing any stream or creek with any vehicle. You just won't believe how steep the penalties are for doing so. Check the rules carefully. For trails, check with BLM and F&G first.

[Marty Van Diest]

Originally Posted by Justinet

I want to know how feasible or difficult is to go by ATV to Skwentna or even further up from Anchorage? Is it really uphill?

Are there any bridges to cross the Susitna river?

I have been checking out the place with Google Earth but it is not enough to get an idea of the place. From Anchorage, crossing the Susitna river (are there any bridges to cross? ) and going up to Skwentna and even further up towards Talachulitna Lake.

Talachulitna Lake seems to be a lake in a valley surrounded by mountains. Are there any mountain roads or trails to get there? How hikable are these places?

Thank you

Assuming you aren't LT in disguise I'll add to the answers you already recieved.

In the winter by snowmachine it's easy, if you can call a long snowmachine trip easy.

In the summer it's impossible without causing a lot of damage and ending up in jail. A huge tracked vehicle might make it by cutting down a lot of trees and bringing a monster winch with about 600 yards of cable to get you out of the swamps. In other words...forget it.

In the summer you go by boat or plane to Skwentna and fly in to Talachulitna.

[rotorhead]

Access is a piece of cake...provided that you have a helicopter or your own plane, or a jet boat in the summer, or snowmachines in the winter (sometimes, if the ice is OK). Access by ATV...not really feasible, unless it's an Argo in which case good luck getting there by the next millenium.