The trails report is provided by Park Specialist Eric Clarke.
General information and announcements
Please contact park staff to report problems or to file complaints or compliments at 907-235-7024 or 907-262-5581. Email eric.clarke@alaska.gov and jason.okuly@alaska.gov.
Advisory: Trails in Kachemak Bay State Park are rough, with steep grades in places, and in some cases only marked routes. It is advisable to add 1/3 to your average hiking time.
Leave No Trace: Please practice Leave No Trace ethics while hiking and camping. Pack out what you pack in.
COVID-19: Follow CDC guidelines while hiking in the park: Social distancing, wearing face coverings, and using hand sanitizer. All latrines and trailhead registers are not cleaned, disinfected or sanitized. Use them at your own risk.
Grewingk Tram: The tram is not cleaned, disinfected, or sanitized. Use at your own risk. Staff suggest a minimum of two people in the hiking party, with one assisting by remaining on the platforms to pull on the rope, and reversing process when first person across completes trip. Gloves are recommended.
China Poot Lake Trail: The trail is currently flooded in the China Poot Lake Valley at mile 2 for 500 feet and is impassable. The water has receded to various channels up to 15 feet wide and thigh deep water is. Depths and spread will increase during rain events. Chest waders are recommended. China Poot Lake Cabin is not in the flooded area and is accessible by float plane or hiking via Moose Valley to Poot Peak, south route to Wosnesenki River Trail back to China Poot Lake. This is an additional 11 miles. Moose Valley Creek has changed course permanently and until the new channel is entrenched and stable, continuing flooding is expected.
Black Bears: Multiple individual bears have been sighted in the Grewingk Valley along the Glacier Lake, Grewingk Tram, and Saddle Trails, and at Grewingk Lake on the southern end where people camp. Please be bear aware. Keep food in bear-proof containers or with you. While hiking, give them their space if encountered. They are becoming more human habituated and large groups do not scare them off, especially if cubs are involved. Staff ask the public to back away in the direction you came until out of sight, and wait until they move off the trail and away. This could take 20-30 minutes and possibly longer if there are cubs involved and they show signs of stress with human activity. These signs are moaning, huffing/woofing, jaw popping, stomping and following. Please be bear aware while hiking and report all stress related and aggressive behaviors and/or encounters at 907-399-2054 or 907-435-7595. If contact is from a charge and/or mauling, call 911.
Brown Bears: Brown bears frequent the Humpy Creek drainage, especially during the pink salmon run in July/August.
Bear reports: A bear was reported at the Saddle and Glacier Lake Trails on June 1. The black bear was hanging around the junction of Saddle and Glacier Lake Trails, not moving off the trail and inhibiting people from passing. The bear is human habituated. Please give all bears in the area space and time to move off the trail before continuing. A second report was made at Kayak Beach, also on June 1. A young black bear was banging on the Kayak Beach Yurt with users inside. The bear then walked around checking the bear box and outhouse for the yurt. The bear is exhibiting behavior of human habituation leaning towards food habituation. All campers please use the bear boxes provided for storing your food and use the outhouses that are provided. A black bear sow with two yearlings has also been seen along China Poot Lake.
Trails report
Alpine Ridge: Difficult. Many trees down across the trail.
Blue Ice Trail: Difficult. This trail is a spur off from the Emerald Lake Loop Trail.
China Poot Lake Trail: Passable to mile 2. The trail is flooded for 500 feet at mile 2 and is impassable. A black bear sow with two yearlings seen along China Poot Lake.
Coalition Trail: Passable
Coalition Loop Trail: Difficult. Impassable to the falls; do not hike to the falls. (Trail adopted by Boy Scout Troop 555)
Diamond Creek Trail: Passable. Portions of the trail have sloughed away in the slide area above Diamond Creek. Please take caution when hiking with pets and children. Conditions can worsen after a rain event. Please park at the top of the road and walk to the trail during break up. This will help keep the integrity of the road for the summer.
Emerald Lake Loop Trail: Impassable. Not recommended to hike at this time. Impassable from Humpy Creek to Blue Ice Trail via the Grewingk Tram. Many large blowdowns on Roen Ridge and between Humpy Creek and the Grewingk Tram. Difficult to impassable from Humpy Creek to Emerald via Portlock Plateau and between Grewingk Lake and Emerald Lake.
Estuary Trail: Clear
Glacier Lake Trail Clear. A few minor trees across the trail. Bears are active in the area. Please be bear aware.
Goat Rope Trail: Difficult.
Grace Ridge Trail: Passable to difficult. Expect snow patches in the alpine areas.
Grewingk Tram Spur Trail: Clear. Bears are active in the area. Please be bear aware.
Grewingk Tram: Open. Suggest two people and gloves for operation.
Lagoon Trail: Passable to difficult. There is no bridge across Halibut Creek. Ford at your own risk. Trail is difficult from Alpine Ridge Trail junction to Halibut Creek. Trail is passable from Halibut Creek to Halibut Cove Lagoon Ranger Station.
Mallard Bay Trail: Difficult
Mallard/Emerald Connection Trail: Impassable
Moose Valley Trail: Passable to difficult. Passable to Moose Valley Cabin. Difficult from the cabin to Poot Peak South Route.
Poot Peak Trail — North Route: Difficult to impassable. Expect Snow patches.
Poot Peak Trail — South Route: Difficult to impassable. Expect Snow. Impassable from Moose Valley Trail to Summit route. Do not hike this portion.
Poot Peak Trail — Summit Route: Difficult to impassable. Expect Snow patches. Steep climb up scree slope and there is a short climb to the actual summit. Rock is unstable near the summit.
Saddle Trail: Clear. Bears are active in the area. Please be bear aware.
Sadie Knob Trail: Difficult to impassable. There are 50-100 trees down across the trail.
Sentinel Ridge: Closed until construction is complete.
Tutka Backdoor Trail: Passable from Tutka Bay to the upper valley past Lunch Mountain. Difficult to impassable from the Northwest end of the valley past Lunch Mountain to Taylor Bay. Expect route finding and river crossings. For more information contact Ground Truth Trekking at groundtruthtrekking.org/tutka_backdoor/
Tutka – Jakolof Trail: Passable. Trail traverses through an old forest clearing and can be obscured on the Jakolof Bay end. Expect snow in shaded areas.
Tutka Lake Trail: Passable to difficult. Snow in shaded areas.
Woznesenski River Trail: Difficult to impassable. An overflow channel has made the Woznesenski River Trail impassable from Mile 3 to Mile 9 from Haystack Rock. The main channel has moved along the north side of the river and is partially being diverted. Very brushy and many trees down from China Poot Lake (Mile 11) to Woznesenski River Valley (Mile 9).
