Originally Posted by AkMtnHntr
Originally Posted by AlaskanMatt
I got pretty big into riding ATV's when the army brought me to Alaska. If any of you watch Fisher's ATV World, the Knik River Public Use area was listed by Fisher as being one of the top five places to ride ATV's in the world. In approximately 50 miles round trip (give or take, depending on how many side trails you take) you can go all the way out to the Knik and George glaciers. (looks like one glacier - it's where the two meet.) I've been out there more times than I can count. I always see wildlife, usually bald eagles, moose, sheep on the cliffs and occasionally a wolf or two. I feel blessed to have such a beautiful riding area so close.
I've ridden that area many times myself but I wouldn't call it one of the top 5 places to ride an atv. I can think of at least 3 other trails in Alaska that are better. I quit riding Jim Creek because of the idiots that ride out there and my wife won't have anything to do with that place. I've done the spring cleanup out there and the kind of garbage and amount they leave out there is flat out embarrassing. You would think that after a year or 2 of cleanups that it would remain clean but unfortunately that's not the case.

If you want a ride that goes through some beautiful country, try riding Belanger Pass and the trail that goes around the small lake on the other side of the pass. Beautiful country out that way.


I agree that it's not much fun to be there with the riff-raff, but I've found that very few of them venture very far passed Jim Creek. It's usually much quieter, and a much better class of folks the closer you get to the glacier. I also have the good fortune to have odd days off since I'm in the Army, so I usually ride in the middle of the week when there is usually very few people out there at all. It has gotten better with increased Trooper presence in the last couple of years. Hopefully it will become a family friendly place again. I do the cleanup every year that I'm home too. It is a bit depressing how much garbage is dumped there every year. I'd be interested to try Belanger Pass sometime too. I'll have to break out my Atlas when I get home and take a trip out there.


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