August 10, 2024 – AK, USA (elevation: 1,750 ft)
Most weekends of Summer ’24, I couldn’t stray farther from Salcha than Fairbanks, since various groups were renting out the camp where I was working. However, mid August was slow and provided a chance to explore someplace new. I read about Angel Rocks in a guidebook on hiking in Alaska. An 85 mile drive sounded like just the right amount of distance for a Saturday morning drive that wouldn’t sap my energy.
Preparation
“Chena River State Recreation Area is a park for all seasons, with 397 square miles of forests, rivers, and alpine tundra” (Alaska DNR). It’s also bear country, so my first safety precaution was asking my boss to let me borrow a can of bear spray. Two other invaluable bits of gear I took along were trekking poles and a mosquito net. I also threw a pair of rock climbing shoes into my daypack on the off chance that I’d make friends with climbers at some point along the way.
Internet research made it clear that I’d also need to pay $5 for a parking pass. Conveniently, there was a payment kiosk right at the trailhead. The machine wouldn’t accept American Express, so I paid with Master Card to pick up some airmiles for the airline I use less often.
The Hike
The first part of the trail was mostly flat, ran parallel to the North Fork of the Chena River, and muddy. At about 0.8 miles, the trail forked into its loop portion. I opted for the boardwalk on the right hand side that ran uphill.
At the first major rock formation, I slipped on climbing shoes and did a brief free solo. Eat your heart out, Alex Honnold! OK, I confess, it was an easy climb, equivalent to a V0 or V1 back home in a bouldering gym …except that a fall could result in hospitalization since there were no ropes or crash pads. Mantling and chimneying were the primary techniques used beyond scrambling. As I got down and returned to my gear stash, I heard another hiker exclaim “choose your own adventure!”
On the downhill leg of the loop, I ate a lingonberry (low bush cranberry) along the trail, but it fell short of the expectations set by the cafeteria at Ikea. Locals told me the berries taste best when harvested after the first frost, but I was about a month too early for that.
How hard was the hike? Well, according to the AllTrails app, I hiked 3.65 miles with 1,227 feet of elevation gain and burned 1,010 calories in about two hours. The catch is, my phone turned itself off for mysterious reasons–leaving a quarter mile or so dead zone–before I noticed and turned it back on.
Though statistics suggest it was strenuous for a short hike, it felt easy. Two factors, I believe, skewed my perception: (1) whereas my previous hike was at about 13,000 ft in Colorado, altitude was not an issue in this part of interior Alaska; (2) for the previous three months I’d been walking 5,000 to 17,000 steps per day (according to my phone) chasing children around a summer camp with some steep hills! My legs were probably at their strongest in about 15 years.
Epilogue
Following the Angel Rocks hike, it was a short drive to the Chena Hot Springs Resort. Soaking in the springs for $20 (including in-and-out privileges) was so worth it. I also enjoyed a fantastic dinner of clam chowder and scallops at the resort restaurant.
Now, if I were to return, I’d like to do two things differently: (1) travel with friends and hike the longer route from the Angel Rocks trailhead to Chena Hot Springs, with return transportation waiting at the resort; and (2) pick a different time of year with a chance of catching the Northern Lights while soaking in the springs.
Lessons Learned
- The kiosk for parking passes at Angel Rocks does not accept American Express.
- Early to mid-August is not the best time to visit Alaska, since the sky never gets dark enough to see the Northern Lights.