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| Hiking | 14.21 Miles |
4,022 AEG |
| | Hiking | 14.21 Miles | 7 Hrs 52 Mns | | 2.22 mph |
| 4,022 ft AEG | 1 Hour 28 Mns Break | | | |
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| partners | | The plan for the day was to hike up to Static Peak Divide, time/weather permitting. We parked at the end of the paved portion of the road into Death Canyon Trailhead and walked the last mile...signs said 4x4 recommended, but that was unnecessary--other than some rough spots and puddles near the parking area, most cars wouldn't have much trouble getting back there. We got started ~7:30AM, with cool temps in the 30s on the road walk.
There were other people on the trails, but it wasn't overly busy, even in the early miles. The route starts on Valley Trail and climbs gently through the trees over the first mile up to Phelps Lake Overlook before dropping down toward the north end of the lake and into heading Death Canyon. We saw a few deer along that stretch and some small waterfalls up on the cliffs on the way to the intersection with Death Canyon Trail.
From there, the trail enters dense forest and starts a steady climb, and we continued to occasionally see other hikers on the way up. That section had some great views looking down into the canyon, Phelps Lake behind us, impressive cliffs on Prospector Mountain, and fall color, especially up higher. I'd read that water can be hit or miss depending on the time of year, but there were plenty of small falls and a steady flow in the creek along the way.
[ youtube video ]
The views opened up more over the last half mile approaching the patrol cabin. After a short break there, we turned onto Alaska Basin Trail to start climbing toward Static Peak Divide. It quickly became clear that weren't going to have time to make it, but we continued up the switchbacks and turned around at a small waterfall, still miles short of the divide. It looked like the fun part was just ahead, with some of the steepest sections of trail below Albright Peak. But the views at our turnaround point were nice, with a narrow ribbon of falls cascading down Prospectors Mountain on the other side of the canyon and more fall colors around us.
[ youtube video ]
On the hike out, we detoured down toward Phelps Lake and explored around there a little, though we didn't get particularly close to the water before turning around. We saw three or four small snakes on the hike out, along with a lot more people between the lake overlook and the trailhead.
Back at our parking spot at the end of the pavement, a guy in a Wildlife Management SUV warned me that I should park "correctly" next time or I might get ticketed...odd in an open area with plenty of space and no lines or markings to designate "correct" parking  . Anyway, it was a really enjoyable hike despite the disappointment of coming up well short of Static Peak Divide. The crowds weren't bad, scenery was top-notch, weather was comfortable, and we saw some wildlife along the way. |
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Death Canyon |
Medium flow |
Medium flow |
| | | Consistent flow of water along Death Canyon Trail from Phelps Lake up to the patrol cabin, with multiple pools above the cabin | | | |
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