COMMENTS DUE MARCH 31st, 2026

COMMENT HERE: https://publicinput.com/l2316

The 2026 Anchorage Recreational Trails Plan is a strong step forward for trails across Anchorage and Chugiak-Eagle River. Chugach Mountain Bike Riders supports the plan’s emphasis on improving connections between communities and access to recreational opportunities.

There are just a few days left to weigh in before the March 31 deadline. Two small but important additions would make the plan stronger.

What We’re Asking For

1. Make Parallel Singletrack a Standard Design Tool

The draft recognizes the need to separate faster riders and pedestrians on busy corridors, including the addition of a new Class 6 paved trail type with separated bicycle and pedestrian lanes. However, it stops short of fully adopting a model that is already working well in Anchorage: parallel singletrack.

This approach—adding a narrow dirt trail alongside a paved or gravel multi-use path, as seen along Chester Creek Trail—improves safety, increases capacity, and provides a better user experience without requiring full corridor widening.

The plan should:

• Explicitly support parallel progressive soft-surface singletrack alongside existing and future multi-use paths.
• Treat this as a standard design option for new corridors and upgrades.

Suggested comment: “Please include parallel progressive soft-surface singletrack as a standard design option alongside multi-use paths, consistent with existing Anchorage trails like the Chester Creek Singletrack.”

2. Add MTB Singletrack to existing Ski Trails at Eagle River High School

The draft includes an excellent plan for a multiuse trail to connect Eagle River campground to the Lower Eagle River Trail. This trail would follow existing ski trails at Eagle River High School and continue parallel to the Eagle River Loop Rd to connect back to the river trail at Briggs Bridge and the Eagle River Greenbelt Access trail.

Current Chugach State Park plans include new nordic ski trails and new mountain bike singletrack at the Eagle River Campground. It makes sense that this proposed combined nordic-MTB trail system continue from the campground through the existing ski trails at Eagle River High School.

The plan should:

• Add MTB singletrack to the existing ERHS ski trail system.

Suggested comment: “Please add mountain bike singletrack to Project ID 63 at Eagle River High School, consistent with Chugach State Park’s singletrack plans at the adjacent Eagle River Campground.”