Chena Ridge Chillin'
By Eric
Sometimes the -ish part of gravel-ish rides can get a bit -ishy.
That was the case for this MMonTH ride (Moderate Monday on a Thursday). Fortunately, the really -ishy part wasn't too long. But it was steep! And fortunately all 8 of us on the ride were game to tackle the steep part in order to get the reward.
From UAF we headed over to the ag field crossing and under the Parks and then up Chena Ridge Road. Peeling off at Knightsbridge we took the fun Chena Ridge F.E. Ditch Trail to Old Chena Ridge Road and then up to Chena Ridge Road (the new one).
After a short stint on Chena Ridge Road, we enjoyed the long gravel descent down Canterbury Drive and over to the rolling Forrest Drive. But then it was payback time as we headed back to Chena Ridge up Ridgepointe Drive. Oof! Ridgepointe is a grunt of a climb. Fortunately, we got occasional nice views off to the sides. (Question: Does anyone ever buy a really nice view lot and then build a SMALL house?)
Scooting over Chena Ridge, we had another fun gravel descent down Moonshine on the north side of the ridge. And finally we were at the main point of this ride. First we had the less -ishy of the -ishy parts. We hopped onto an old roadbed that's now a nice trail through a peaceful mixed birch-and-spruce forest. This is a fun lesser-known trail that is probably a remnant of an old mining road. We took it all the way to where it hooks up with Chena Ridge Road, but then we double-backed to a four-way intersection we had passed earlier. It was time for a bit more -ishy.
We took the less steep of the downhill trails, which wraps around and hooks back into the steeper of the trails. Now it was go time. Go down, that is. The trail heads straight down the ridge along and in a shallow trench that is a remnant of the Fairbanks' mining history. Some of us rode down parts of this trail, but most chose to walk their bikes. We were definitely in mountain bike territory. (But there is a reason were were doing this!) Partway down the steep hill, we came across another trail in a ditch that ran off to the northeast following the contour of the hill. That trail needs to be explored!
The steep part wasn't too long, just a couple of tenths of a mile. And then we were on a trail at the base of the ridge that parallels another old ditch from mining days of yore. These ditches, like the more well-known Davidson Ditch, brought water from the hills to mining operations on the floor of the Tanana Valley. By the time the water got to the mining operation, it had a lot of pressure and was used to wash off the top layer of soil (overburden) to get to the ore deposits on the bedrock.
The trail along that lower ditch goes both ways, but we had a destination in mind, so we turned right (to the east). (But that other direction needs exploring!) The lower trail was a little bit rough but mostly rideable. After about a half-mile, we popped out onto the end of Chena Ester Ditch Road. This was the reward for the steep downhill! Chena Ester Ditch Road is a nice dead-end gravel road on the north side of Chena Ridge. Most of it is relatively flat (with a hefty climb at the end up to Chena Ridge Road) and with nice views off to the north. The road is in good shape and it's got a couple of funky dome houses along it. Fun ride, but unless you're willing to do it as an out-and-back, you need to connect to it with the trails.
We were back on Chena Ridge Road for only a short downhill bit before turning on Yak Road. This quiet, paved road dead-ends at the Yak Estates housing complex, but a fun little two-track trail connects from the end of Yak Road to Crestmont Drive. Whee! And a couple of trails split off from that trail, so there's more exploring that needs to be done!
We wrapped up the ride by heading down Dartmouth Drive to the bike path that heads under the Parks Highway and connects to Loftus Road and then back to UAF.
All in all, a fun ride with a bit of pavement, a lot of gravel, and some good -ish stuff. And the trails on the north side of Chena Ridge were new to most of the riders, even some who have been in the area a long time. It's always fun to find new stuff that's nearby!
Pics by Corrine, Nikki, and Eric
