Okay, so this isn't exactly a bike path, but it is one of my
favorite places to ride. The Fairbanks
Cycle Club uses the viewpoint's parking lot as a staging
area for the penultimate stage of the Tour of Fairbanks (June 11 in
2006). I'll ride up McGrath Road from Farmers Loop to
Hagelbarger and then drop back into town on the Steese
Highway. If I have more time or want more elevation gain,
I'll cross the Steese Highway and ride to the top of Gilmore
Trail. Both descents offer one the opportunity to exceed 40
mph on a road bike if you dare! There are several mountain
bike rides described on the Fairbanks Cycle Club's website (link
above) that also branch off these roads.
Please bring a bag for Cache In Trash Out (CITO) in the parking
area because I routinely pick up a bag or two of trash each time I
visit this location. I finally learned where all the beer
bottles come from at this location the Saturday evening I hid the
cache. In addition to people who just want to stop and enjoy
a view, this is a popular place for teenagers to hang out and share
a drink. Because of the area's popularity (and because there
is no good place to hide a cache right at the parking area) I hid
the decon container some distance away. However, the location
is still in sight of the parking area, so exercise stealth when
retrieving and hiding the cache. Hagelbarger is a low traffic
road and it has some shoulder, but do watch for two- and
four-wheeled vehicles when approaching the cache location.
Starting contents of the cache include a glass ladybug
signature item and Ladybug Kids geocoin for the first
finders. I also left a couple of geocoins picked up during
our recent visit to New York and New Jersey that should be moved
and logged like travel bugs and you'll earn new icons in your
profile if you log them. Also included are a couple of
WheresGeorge dollars, an Alaska key chain,
and a Quoddy sig. item. Have fun!
Be sure to record the mystery cache code word from the cover of
the cache log book . You will need the code word to find an
upcoming bonus mystery cache.
Note on maps: Trust the pointer on your GPS more than the
map. My Magellan software places the cache on the wrong side
of the Steese Highway as does the cache page map, but Google Maps
gets it right.
Current Fairbanks Weather
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