Alaska State Parks closed trails in the Chena River State Recreation to motorized use and closed snowmachine access to Denali State Park Tuesday.
Trails will reopen for motorized use on May 25 at the Chena River State Recreation.
Closing trails to motorized use allows trails to dry out on their own with as little damage as possible to the resources on the trail, according to a social media post by the Alaska State Parks.
Barring trails from motorized use is a common occurrence every year when the snow starts to melt. Rapid snowmelt can cause dangers such as flooding, landslides, and dam failures, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Trails will remain open to human-powered transportation such as snowshoeing, skiing and traveling by foot. Alaska State Parks advises all people to plan accordingly with travel since motorized transportation will not be allowed around the public use cabins either.
Denali State Park will close snowmachining access for the season on Sunday. According to the Alaska State Parks, snow depth in Denali State Park is ‘adequate’ but snowmelt has been rapid with the uprise in temperature so snowmachining will shut down for the season.
Public use cabins at Byers Lake will allow limited access to snowmachining starting Sunday. Cabin renters will be allowed to haul gear in and out with snow machines but snow machine users are advised to stay on the dedicated roadways.
Erik Ochoa is a junior at North Pole High School participating in a job shadow program in which a student is paired with a professional mentor in the working world.
