Tram at Winner Creek Gorge Traditional Geocache
Tram at Winner Creek Gorge
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Ride the hand tram over the gorge at the confluence of Girdwood's Winner Creek, Glacier Creek, and Crow Creek.
Winner Creek Trail begins near the Alyeska Prince Hotel's tram lift station. This is an exceptional US Forest Service trail - a delight to hike - featuring well-built boardwalks, easy to follow signage and an excellent gravel footpath. It winds across 2.5 miles of coastal rainforest habitat with only a 260 foot elevation change before reaching the hand tram crossing. The trail continues via hand tram over the gorge and comes out on Crow Pass Road near the Crow Creek Mine, just a half-mile beyond the hand tram, with a 300 feet elevation gain on gentle switchbacks.
You can access the cache from either end of the trail. It's a 'megabison', located between the scenic footbridge over the dramatic Winner Creek Gorge and the tramway, less than 200 feet from the eastern tram station at a bearing of 45º true. Be wary of the steep cliffs here; the cache is thirty feet from the edges. Do not allow children or dogs to run unattended near the bridge or the tram stations. STAY ON THE TRAIL until you're within 200' or less of the cache and see a side trail leading to the cache! Bring your camera - the views along the trail are stunning.
Girdwood is near the head of Turnagain Arm, about 25 miles southeast of Anchorage on the Seward Highway. Turn north at Girdwood onto the Alyeska Highway. The Alyeska Prince Hotel is found off Arlberg Avenue at the top of the Alyeska Highway, and has free parking for its trailhead. To access the trailhead closest to the cache, turn at mile 2 of the Alyeska Highway onto Crow Pass Road. Free parking and a trailhead are well-signed at a point 2.5 miles up the bumpy road. The Historic Iditarod Trail works its way up towards Crow Pass here as well - don't take the wrong trail or you'll never reach the tram! The better access point is found inside the Crow Creek Mine property at mile 3 on Crow Pass Road, but a fee is charged for parking. Some elect to park at the free trailhead and walk a half-mile up the road to access the better trail at the mine, avoiding the only muddy and wet segment of the trail.
Don't miss the Winner Creek Gorge Trail cache during your visit. It's just 400 yards down the path from the trailhead at the Alyeska Prince Hotel.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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