Anchorage Daily News

Blink and you'll miss it. OK, autumn in Alaska isn't quite that short, but today is Sept. 14 and nobody would be surprised to find snow in the lowlands in a month.

Colors are starting to peak, so if you can catch a stretch of dry weather, now is the time for a bicycle ride though some fall colors. And even with rain, you can still get your fill on paved trails like Bird to Gird.

Below are 10 ways to catch the colors. And if it's too wet off-road, consider heading up Hatcher Pass Road from the Little Susitna River bridge or, closer to town, Hiland Mountain Road. The autumn displays there are just as nice.

1) BIRD TO GIRD: DOWNHILL AT THE END

This 12-mile round-trip features one moderate hump. The good news is that you'll always end up with a long downhill, no matter whether you start at Bird Point or Girdwood. Picnic area pullouts with interpretive signs along the paved trail offer a respite, and before long you're well above the sounds of the Seward Highway. Replacing the rumble of vehicles is the gentle sound of brooks and rivulets cascading out of the mountains. The expansive view across Turnagain Arm is fabulous, especially with a splash of autumn colors. Stop along the way to check out a retired avalanche gun on display.

Getting there: Head south on Seward Highway to Bird Point parking lot at Mile 96.5. Parking fee is $5 for those without a state parks sticker. The paved trail begins at the northeast corner of the parking area. Riders pass under the highway and up a hill to the intersection with the main trail.

2) POWERLINE PASS: WILDLIFE BOUNTY

The full 13 miles from Glen Alps to Indian is a taxing ride -- and only experienced riders will want to tackle the steep, rocky portions beyond Green Lake. In late fall, though, it's regularly a wildlife spectacle. Rutting moose are regularly seen on both sides of the South Fork of Campbell Creek toward the junction with the Middle Fork Loop trail and the pass.

"I had moose to the left of me, bears to the right of me and sheep straight ahead," retired Anchorage firefighter Roy Reich said in 2006. Wildlife biologist Rick Sinnott with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game uses the words "world class" when describing the wildlife viewing opportunity in this valley.

There's a creek about four miles into the Powerline Pass trail, and the trail gets rougher once you're across. Powerline Pass is at Mile 6. You can turn back or keep going down the steep, rocky, switchback descent to Indian, but once snow flies beware of avalanche danger at the pass. The trail ends at Indian Valley Trail Head, and a short hike to the Turnagain House Restaurant.

On Saturday, runners will contest the Powerline Pass Trail Run from the Indian Valley Trail Head to Upper Huffman at 10 a.m. The benefit for the UAA ski team is also sponsored by Alaska Mountaineering and Hiking.

Getting there: Take Upper Huffman Road, turning right onto Toilsome Hill Drive. Big parking lot at the trail head. There is a $5 parking fee if you don't have a state parks sticker.

3) LEKISCH LOOP AT KINCAID: GREAT VIEWS IN TOWN

Tough back-to-back-to-back hills are leavened by some exceptional views on this little over seven-kilometer trail. Look out at one point and see the waters of Turnagain Arm with Fire Island in the distance. Dense greenery is interrupted by a couple of multi-color flower beds along the route. In the fall, tall grass gives some sections a single-track feel. Relax with a soda afterwards at Kincaid Chalet.

Getting there: Head to Kincaid Chalet. Ride through the tunnel at the south end of the stadium infield and follow the signs once you're through the tunnel. The seven-and-a-half-K loop is the longest -- and most scenic.

4) KEPLER BRADLEY-CREVASSE MORAINE: USER FRIENDLY

Crevasse Moraine has nearly seven miles of trails built on ridges and depressions formed by glaciers. There are some steep sections, and trail markers describe the difficulty -- ranging from novice to expert -- of various sections. Those user-friendly signs at junctions along the trail system pinpoint where you are on a complete map of the area. The Long Lake Trail connects Crevasse Moraine Trail System to the Kepler-Bradley State Recreation Area trail system, but it can be hard to find, so go with someone who knows the area your first time.

Last month, Darren Mattingley of Girdwood won the inaugural Moose Berry Stampede race along a challenging 11-mile figure-eight course that featured about 900 feet of climbing. "I enjoyed it," Mattingley said. "It's a pretty run, but you've got to keep your eyes glued in front of your tire." The course included trails within the Crevasse Moraine system, Kepler-Bradley Lakes State Recreation Area and the open fields of the Matanuska Experiment Farm run by UAF. After leaving the Crevasse Moraine trail head, it entered the Moose Berry Mesa trail, a singletrack trail recently built by the Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers, a local nonprofit trail advocacy group.

"It's really beautiful there in the fall," said Greg Matyas of Speedway Cycles. "It seems like it's not as muddy as other places."

Getting there: To get to the Crevasse Moraine trail head from Palmer, head west on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway for two miles and take a left on Loma Prieta Drive. Continue half a mile to the trail head.

5) JOHNSON PASS: COLORFUL 23 MILES

Turn-of-the-20th-century miners paved the way on this trail originally built for pack horses and dog teams moving from Iditarod to Seward. Both the forest and alpine portions can be colorful this time of year, but the trail is rough much of the way. Expect lots of roots. It can get brushy about five miles in, but the bigger concern in fall is muddy conditions.

There's a pretty waterfall at Bench Creek, and Johnson Pass (1,450 feet) is 10 miles into the 23-mile route that ends at the Upper Trail Lake trail head along the highway at Moose Pass.

The last several miles of the trail parallels Upper Trail Lake, which shows off fall colors well.

Getting There: Trail head at Mile 64 of Seward Highway, not far past Turnagain Pass.

6) LOST LAKE: ALPINE VISTAS

On a clear day, few trails offer more sweeping views than this 16-miler. The views of Lost Lake, Resurrection Bay and Mount Ascension are worth the long uphill. Marmots are often about.

"It's always a favorite of mine," Matyas said. "It gets you into that rolling alpine tundra and is always gorgeous this time of year."

Getting There: Best to start at Primrose Landing Campground trail head at Mile 17.1 of the Seward Highway, which starts uphill and ends in a subdivision at Mile 5.3 near the Bear Creek Fire Department.

7) EKLUTNA BY THE LAKE: FAMILY FUN

An old gravel roadbed up high and a single-track bike trail beside turquoise Eklutna Lake makes this trip perfect for families -- if they don't go too far. In addition to the fall colors, Dall sheep roam the surrounding mountains, and towering 7,522-foot Bold Peak looms over the landscape.

"The fall colors are spectacular," says Richard Larson, author of "Mountain Bike Alaska." Larson recalls that when his family moved to Anchorage in 1966, "we just drove in with campers and trucks to the Eklutna Glacier." The glacier has since retreated far up valley but remains visible if difficult to reach.

No more. Only hikers, bikers and four-wheel all-terrain vehicles (Sunday-Wednesday only) can use the trail, and the first seven and a half miles often has two trail options -- one for motorized and one nonmotorized.

Past Mile 8, the road gets a little rougher and narrower with some hills. Not all kids can do that section. For a view of the glacier, hike the Eklutna Glacier Trail for less than a mile from Mile 13 on the lake-side road.

"I prefer to go later in September when the colors are in full bloom," Larson said. "It's so close and accessible it's perfect."

At Mile 3 is Yuditna Cabin, a great family destination that can be rented from the state division of parks and outdoor recreation.

At Mile 11.8 is another state parks cabin, Serenity Falls Public Use Hut. Another quarter-mile and across the West Fork Eklutna River, you'll get a view of Serenity Falls. Past Mile 12.7, riders can park their bike and continue on foot to see the glacier.

"Yesterday my wife and I rode Eklutna," Tony Berberich, who runs Alaska Backcountry Bike Tours, said last week. "The oranges and yellows were all out -- and so were some sheep. It's not a hard ride or anything, but it has a big payoff."

Lifetime Adventures (1-907-746-4644 or www.lifetimeadventures.net) has bikes for rent. There are outhouses at the trail head.

Getting there: Drive 26 miles from Anchorage on the Glenn Highway to the Eklutna exit and head 10 miles up Eklutna Lake Road to the trail head.

8) PETERS HILLS: SYDNEY LAURENCE VISTAS

Legendary Alaska painter Sydney Laurence painted some of his large canvasses of Mount McKinley in the Peters Hills, and this trip lets you see the vistas that inspired him. "It's high country, and a lot of it is above tree line," Larson said. "Keep your eye out for a lot of berries this time of year."

Getting there: At Mile 114.8 of the Parks Highway, take Petersville Road 19 miles to the Forks Roadhouse (1-907-733-1851). This can be a good place to start riding. Park near the Forks Roadhouse and ride the old mining road 11 miles north to Petersville, then swing east on the tracked-vehicle trail heading up into the foothills of the Alaska Range. Watch out; it can be muddy this time of year.

9) WINNER CREEK TRAIL: BEYOND ALYESKA

Best after a stretch of dry weather, which has been all too rare this summer. Beginning at the Winner Creek Trail Head below the Alyeska Tram, this trail is open to mountain bikers beyond the 3/4 mile mark. You are required to carry your bike from the trail head to signs that say bikes allowed. Later on, you'll be carrying your bike over rocks a lot anyway, so count this opening section as a warm-up.

Upper Winner Creek Trail ascends the valley along the south side of the creek for approximately eight miles of memorable views. After leaving old-growth rainforest, riders find a thinner hemlock forest before bursting out onto an open alpine slope.

Mattingley loves the views -- and the convenience. "It's right out my front door," he says. "I have a rule -- I don't like to drive more than I ride."

Our cool summer has left snow up high at about 2,000 feet, Mattingley said. He thinks it may be gone by late September. Still this is steep terrain, often with big mud holes, and best left for advanced riders.

Getting there: Park in the free portion of the Alyeska parking lot in Girdwood. Look for the tram cable. The Winner Creek Trail sign is about 50 yards uphill from the tram terminal.

10) GOLD MINT TRAIL IN HATCHER PASS: NICE FLOW

Berberich said that Mark Gronewald, owner of Wildfire Designs Bicycles in Wasilla and a co-founder of the Valley Mountain Bikers and Hikers Association, "did a ton of work up there this summer, and the trail is phenomenal. It used to be techy, but it flows real nice now."

The trail goes about nine miles to the head of the Little Susitna River valley.

Getting there: Head up Hatcher Pass Road. Trail begins across the road from Motherlode Lodge.

Find Mike Campbell on line at adn.com/contact/mcampbell or call 257-4329.

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