Ptarmigan Valley Trail

Dogs Unknown

No toilets are available at the trailhead; however, a nearby park (Loretta French) has restrooms.

The trail surface is well-maintained for Alaska standards. The trail gets obscured later in the season when the grass is chest-high, especially the higher portions of the trail. Lots and lots of brush on the trail reducing visibility for the surroundings.

The summer trailhead starts at a parking lot right off the Old Glenn Highway. Head up the road around the locked gate to a larger parking area used for snow machine access. The trail is wide enough for a 4-wheeler and reasonable grades climb for way too long through the alders and low brush. It seems to take forever to get out of the trees; there are no views to keep motivated while ascending the long drainage.

Eventually the alders give way to grass and spruce. About halfway up the mountain, find a post that marks a singletrack summer trail. Later in the season, the grass gets quite high and obscures the trail in many places. The summer trail avoids some bogs. Eventually, the trails merge with a sign at the junction. Continue climbing and finally find the surrounding terrain visible. Come to a pedestrian-only bridge where the snow machines are allowed to go off trail.

I added this trail to provide a navigation mark for traversing from Mount Baldy -- best done as a shuttle.

Moose, bears, ground squirrels, loads of berries (blueberries, cranberries, watermelon, etc.) during the end of season.