Whether you are a hardcore back country hiker or just want to take a stroll, Crow Pass Trail is a trail anyone can enjoy. It’s quite a long trail that ends at Eagle River Nature Center that can be hiked in its entirety by experienced hikers over a period of several days. Those who want a day hike will enjoy this trail as well. The first mile is forest, waterfalls and good for berry picking in late summer. At Mile one the scenery changes dramatically to talus(rocky debris beds) with a sweeping panorama of the mountains. At this point cell service goes bye bye. At Mile 2 you find abandoned mining equipment and mile 3 is a glacier. So a round trip of 2, 4, or 6 miles will be rewarding to hikers of all abilities. If you are a back country hiker and want to do the full trail(I think it’s 22 miles) you have the option of reserving cabins in advance at various points along the trail or packing a tent of course. You’ll need to know how to ford glacial rivers, deal with wildlife and purify water of course. And a satellite phone would be a good idea because after the first half mile you won’t have service. This trail is only accessible in summer, unless you have a snow machine. Crow Creek Road is not maintained from September through June. Be sure to wear good boots, bring a walking stick and bear spray, even if you’re going for a short walk. DIRECTIONS: for some reason map applications have a hard time locating this trail… it’s actually easy to access when it’s open. Take Seward Highway to the Alyeska Highway in Girdwood. About a mile down the road you will see a sign that directs you to a soft left onto Crow Creek road. Take Crow Creek Road to the end. It starts off paved but eventually becomes an unpaved, unmaintained road. You’ll pass through a small cluster of off grid houses and a cool waterfall. Toward the end of the road it’s very narrow and only one car can pass at a time. I DONOT recommend attempting this road with a large RV unless you have balls of steel. The road ends at the trailhead parking lot.
