Willow Trails Committee
Mission Statement: To provide safe, enjoyable and legal recreational trails for Willow residents and visitors.
Goals:
- Identify historic and currently used trails.
- Obtain public use easements for recreational trails and trailheads.
- Maintain trails for safe and enjoyable use.
- Provide information to the public on trail safety and etiquette.
- Provide a forum for trail related issues.
Trail News
The State’s SnowTRAC grant board has approved the Willow Winter Trail Maintenance Project to the tune of nearly $15K. This will provide the committee with a Yamaha 4 stroke snowmachine and grooming drag. The committee has applied to the State Grooming Pool for funds to pay the gas and maintenance of the machines to the tune of $15K.
The WTC hosted a second “summit” of trail organizations, officials from borough and state land management agencies on October 15. The subjects were a proposal to have a groomed and signed winter trail from Big Lake to Denali State Park by February of 2009 as well as discussions concerning the SnowTRAC and Grooming Pool Grant Programs. By the end of the meeting, an alignment for the corridor trail and signing standards were tentatively decided upon. There will need to be some brushing and clearing in the Little Cow Lake area but this should not prevent us from opening up the entire corridor by this February. Another “summit” will be held in early January.
Many Willow residents have expressed an interest in pedestrian trails around residential areas and tying in with the existing ped trail on the Parks Hwy. Members of the Willow Health Organization and the trails committee have been talking with land design firms to develop a master plan. We would like your thoughts and ideas for pedestian trails around the community. If you are interested in being part of this project, please contact Nina at 495-1112 or Steve, 495-6368.
If you would like to be placed on the WTC email list or have questions, call 495–6368. The Willow Trail Committee meets the third Wednesday of each month.
Willow Area Trail Plan
The June 2006 edition is available both as a downloadable PDF and as
text indexed by section.
Trail History
We hope to document early uses of our various trails, both for their historical
value and to preserve precedence.
Trail Links
A nice Frontiersman article can be found here for those who may have missed it (Sep 12, 2006) (reprinted in the News-Minor and the Juneau Empire).
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Recreational Trails Project Facts can be found here.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough Trail Guide and Trail Conditions page can be found here.
Alaska recreational trails, state grants and trail resources can be found here.
Mid Valley Trail Club (Susitna Landing) have maps (for download) of Trapper Lake
area trails on their web site http://www.mvtrailclub.org
Willow Trails Committee
Steve Charles, Chair
Phone: 6368 Email: trails@waco-ak.org
Meets: 3rd Wednesday/Month, WCC, 7PM
