Friday afternoon saw a dramatic increase in traffic on the Richardson Highway near Paxson. The majority of the vehicles were towing some type of alternative to the highway system, either a boat or a side-by-side.
Valdez-bound travelers were in the majority. Pickups and motor homes towing boats loaded with fishing poles dominated the roadway. The traffic was a stark contrast to the previous week when I drove from Delta to Glennallen, a distance of 150 miles, without meeting a car.
I can only imagine the Seward Highway with its Memorial Day, Kenai-bound fishermen.
The folks who headed to Kenai and Valdez missed out. No one truly knows how many people head to the Kenai Peninsula during the last week of May, but here are a few thoughts: There will be at least 50 people for every king salmon that enters the Kenai River during the month -- not salmon that are caught, just those that show up. In Valdez, less than one person in a 100 will hook a halibut.
The fishing odds don’t look so good. It might be better to practice fly-casting in the backyard, where you have about the same chance of a fish.
There were a few folks on the road who thought of a better use of their weekend. A couple dozen vehicles were pulled off near the Richardson Highway lakes in the Paxson/Summit Lake area, and others were parked in the mountains north of Isabel Pass with the most spectacular vistas in Alaska.
Paxson Lake still has ice. It is rare for Paxson to be ice-free in May, but the north end is open for nearly a half-mile. Lake whitefish were visible near the shoreline at a couple of the pull-offs. Anglers targeting this species will be rewarded with good-sized fish that readily strike gold-, silver- or copper-colored spinners. Expect lake trout fishing in the Paxson area to pick up beginning now and continuing through the middle of June.
Meiers Lake is open with grayling near the shoreline. Dick Lake, with char and grayling, is also free of ice. Summit Lake, 10 miles north of of Paxson, is still tight. Paxson Lake will be out before the end of the month, but Summit is solid enough to walk on, albeit carefully, with no guarantees of remaining dry.
Tangle Lakes on the Denali Highway traditionally has grayling available by the end of the month. The inlets and outlets of the Tangles were open well out from shore. Fishermen who can reach the edge of the ice should do well.
There will be fish caught by those willing to take the longer drive to get north of Glennallen and south of Delta Junction. However, that is not the main attraction of this area. Escape from the crowds will bring a more relaxing tone to the week. There are camping areas with a view other than that of another camper.
There be mountains ... and critters. A Friday run to Delta from Meiers Lake yielded lynx, coyotes, fox, marmots, Dall sheep, moose, caribou and bison. The bison have calves and are visible from the road between mileposts 226 and 242.
The moose are dropping calves. The best place to spot a newborn is closer to Delta Junction, but they can be anywhere.
There are sheep on Rainbow Mountain. A small flock of six, feeding a half-mile from the roadway, had a couple of new lambs tucked under their mothers. Caribou are scattered as they pass through the area on their way to who-knows-where.
The birds have arrived. They are later to return in mountain country than elsewhere, but as with everything in the mountains, the shortened season causes everything -- both animal and plant -- to be in a hurry. Birds begin to sing the day they arrive. Swans sit on the ice, waiting impatiently for nesting areas to melt. Red-throated loons squeeze into narrow strips of open water along shorelines.
And, there are no mosquitoes at Paxson (well, maybe a few).
The downside? There are not many green leaves in this part of Alaska during the month of May. There is a 20-mile stretch of the Richardson Highway that is stuck in early spring -- the kids will still find enough snow for a snowball fight. The Denali Highway has enough snow to go sledding on the Maclaren Summit. Green-up at the top of the pass won't happen until the first week in June.
The takeaway? Lose the crowds and enjoy the trip north of Anchorage or south of Fairbanks. The slower pace, the incredible views and another chance to revisit one of the most wonderful times of the year -- the rebirth of spring -- is well worth the extra miles.
John Schandelmeier is a lifelong Alaskan who lives with his family near Paxson. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and two-time winner of the Yukon Quest.