Goat Trail Hike

Today I went hiking with Don and Scott on the Goat Trail, an old wagon trail that begins across from Bridal Veil Falls in Keystone Canyon. The trail began in a willow forest, where willow branches arched over the trail beautifully. Most of the trail was wooded, but there many small clearings from which we got some amazing views. The first half mile of the trail climbed gradually before leveling off for the remaining mile or so. Several small waterfall flowed over sections of trail, but they were all easy to cross. There were lots of interesting and lovely plants along the trail. We hiked the middle section of the Goat Trail, which ends at a beautiful scenic lookout at Snowslide Gulch, which is exactly what it sounds like - a deep gulch filled up with snow from winter avalanches. The weather continues to be gorgeous here in Valdez, and that made today a great day to be outside enjoying the scenery.

Willow trees framing the trail

A nice view from an early section of trail

One of many waterfalls cutting across the path

A nice view through a small clearing

One of many interesting plants along the way

A mossy cliff wall

New fern

Mossy waterfall

Devil's Club - Very sharp!

A nice view along the cliff edge

Snowslide Gulch

Me in Snowslide Gulch

Bridal Veil Falls from the trail

Bridal Veil Falls

Shoup Bay Hike

Today I went for my first hike in Alaska! I went with Scott and Don, who I met earlier this week at a program at the Maxine and Jesse Whitney Museum about hiking and backpacking in nearby parks. We hiked the Shoup Bay Trail, which begins in Valdez and goes to Shoup Glacier. We didn't go all the way to the glacier but went about 3.5 miles to Gold Creek and explored the area, seeing a waterfall, a beach, and some old machinery left over from miners many years ago. We started hiking around 10:30 a.m. and spent the entire day in the beautiful Alaskan wilderness.

The first mile or so of the trail went through a thick Alder forest. The path was flat and we quickly made it to an area of grassland which gave us nice views of mountains behind us, with several waterfalls running down the sides. We took a short side trail to a beach. The tide was low, and boulders were visible in the water.

Waterfalls running down the mountain

Grassland clearing

Waterfall

Beach at low tide

After spending some time on the beach, we headed up the steep climb along the side of a mountain towards Gold Creek. There were several waterfalls running down the mountain that crossed the trail. I had to put on my sandals to cross. The currents were strong, and some of the crossings were a little scary, as one wrong move could have been a disaster.

Flowers along the trail

One of several waterfalls we crossed

View of Gold Creek beach from the trail

Looking back towards Valdez

After hiking a couple of miles along the side of the mountain, we started a steep descent. The trail led to the Gold Creek Bridge, which was recently repaired after being washed out a few years ago from heavy flooding. The water flowing under the bridge was a soft bluish gray color due to the heavy amounts of glacial silt flowing through it. We crossed the bridge and got partial views of a large waterfall. There weren't many places to get a clear view of the water because of trees in front of us.

Gold Creek Bridge

Forest on the other side of the bridge

Waterfall

Taking a break

From there, we cut through the woods to the Gold Creek beach. We crossed a couple streams before realizing the water was flowing too quickly to cross all the way to the beach. So we headed back towards the Gold Creek Bridge to take the trail to the beach. On the way, we found a very old backhoe, once used by miners to dig for copper and gold. The machine was completely covered in rust, and the metal was twisted and mangled from the weight of snow and ice over many winters. Nearby, in a stream, was a truck axle with four tires sticking up out of the mud and water.

Exploring near Gold Creek

Scott and Don walking along Gold Creek

Old backhoe

Truck axle

After exploring this area, we headed to the beach, where we ate some food and walked near the water. It was incredibly beautiful!

Glacial water flooding a section of trail on the way to the beach

Looking toward the beach

Views from the beach

After a nice break, we started the hike back to Valdez. With all our side trips, we probably hiked about 8 miles. I had great company and had a wonderful time, and am looking forward to another hike on Monday!