2008 Baycrest Trails Strategic Plan
BAYCREST TRAILS STRATEGIC PLAN 2008 UPDATE
April 11, 2008 Approved at Board Meeting April 15, 2008
Dave Brann, Molly Brann, Alan Parks, Toby Wheeler, Bruce Hess, Ken Jones. Additional input from Doug Schwiesow, David Stutzer, and Robert Archibald
EXISTING CONDITIONS - BAYCREST
Trailheads, Parking, Facilities, Signs, Plowing:
1. Lower Trails - Roger’s Loop Trailhead: Users park and access the lower Baycrest trails on Roger’s Loop. Parking is alongside the road. Plowing is done by the State. There is parking for 15 - 20 vehicles on the widened shoulder without crowding the road. Signs indicate the location of the trailhead. Outhouses are in the Homer Demonstration Forest 1/4 mile down the trail.
2. Lower Trails - Sterling Highway - DOT Trailhead: Parking and access is available on DOT State land at the top of Baycrest Hill, near DOT. This site was specifically purchased with STIP funds for a skiing trailhead. There is parking for a large number of cars and is suitable for buses and events. A large muskeg on adjacent Borough land serves as a stadium for events and access to the Diamond Creek Park land. A storage shed, picnic table and signs mark this trailhead. An outhouse is rented when an event requires one. The lot is privately plowed with occasional assistance from DOT. There is a sign on the Sterling Highway indicating this is a Nordic ski area.
3. Upper trails - Sunset Loop Trailhead: Users park in a parking lot 2.1 mile from the west end of Diamond Ridge Road at a Borough owned parcel which is the future site of the Diamond Ridge Emergency Services. The signed site accommodates about 25 cars. Future parking space may be limited to a smaller area once the lot is developed for Emergency Services. An outhouse is located in the parking lot. It is plowed privately.
4. Access points: There are additional neighborhood access points without significant parking in Eagle View Subdivision and on Sprucewood Drive in Mountain View Subdivision. Parking for about 5 cars is plowed at the Rucksack access point on Diamond Ridge.
Trails, Description, Ownership, Equipment:
The KNSC has developed and currently maintains a Recreational winter ski trail system at Baycrest. When the entire trail system is groomed it encompasses over 35 kilometers. Due to differences in elevation, trail and snow conditions often vary widely from the lower to the upper trail system. Some of the trail includes spectacular scenic vistas. These trails are primarily used for recreational skiing and school team practice. They are groomed for skating with tracks set for classical skiing when possible. The Main loops and plowed trailheads are groomed first. Neighborhood access and connecting trails are groomed as time allows. No direction is mandated allowing the skier freedom to choose from a large combination of possible loops and connections. The lower trails are dog friendly. The Upper Sunset Loop is dog free.
The Baycrest Trail system includes a 5 K signed snowshoe trail that is basically separate from the ski trails starting at the Roger’s Loop trailhead and following the summer Homestead Hiking trail for part of the way.
The summer Homestead Hiking Trail includes significant boardwalk trail sections, is managed by the Homer Demonstration Forest, and is a popular summer hiking destination. It includes trailheads at Roger’s Loop and Rucksack and continues to the City Reservoir.
Land ownership on the lower trail system consists of a combination of State, Borough, City, and privately owned land. The State owns the 360 acre Homer Demonstration Forest, which is partly managed for recreation. The Kenai Peninsula Borough owns smaller parcels, which are critical to KNSC access to the trails. The City of Homer owns 275 acres of Diamond Creek Park land purchased by the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust in 2007 and given to the city for recreational use. Much of the Diamond Creek Park and Homer Demonstration Forest is surrounded by private property. Those property owners are working with the KNSC to provide additional trails and access. In some cases conservation easements have been given which allow use by skiers.
The KNSC has signed Memorandum of Agreements (MOA’s) with the State, Borough and City officials, allowing us to manage ski trails on their property. These are temporary land use agreements, not permanent trail easements. The State owns the Homer Demonstration Forest, which has significant recreation goals, but this land use is not permanently secure. Formal agreements (MOA’s) are in the process of being signed with private property owners.
Land ownership on the upper trails consists of Borough and private land parcels with over 30 different landowners. Informal (verbal) agreements exist with the landowners. To date the landowners have been supportive of the club grooming ski trails across their land. Most of these landowners have expressed an interest in granting written use agreements (MOA’s) or long-term easements on their properties. Some trail location changes are expected as the (MOA’s) are signed. It is a slow process because changes often require cooperation between neighboring landowners. The trails across private property are generally considered to be winter trails only and summer trail use, maintained by the KNSC, is not anticipated at this time.
Three snowmachines are assigned to Baycrest. One for the upper trails, stored at a private residence and two for the lower trails stored at a private residence. Rollers, drags and tracksetters are stored in both locations. A storage shed is located at a private residence and is used to store grooming equipment and signs. A bulk gas tank is stored at one of the residences.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT - BAYCREST
Short Term Goals - Baycrest:
1. Trailhead – access - plowing
a. Lower trails: Clean up Sterling Highway-DOT trailhead. Remove junk. Develop pond area as part of trailhead, for skating and summer use. Get water in settling ponds tested. Fill in ponds or develop for summer and winter use. Dismantle floats for timbers and planks for bridge building. Utilize rest of chips for trail projects.
b. Upper trails: Improve plowing for Diamond Ridge Trailhead to keep area open for more cars. Provide snowshoe and dog access from Diamond Ridge. Talk to ATT Alascom to find out about additional parking space.
c. Access points: Improve access to BC trails from neighborhoods.
d. Fence boundary of trail with CISPRI land.
e. Work with the City of Homer for trail development and maintenance on Diamond Creek Park land.
2. Facilities – Outhouses – Lighted trails
a. Install outhouse at Sterling Highway-DOT trailhead. Need permission from State and must be built to State standards. Check on vault type toilet.
b. Create a plan for outhouse maintenance.
c.
3. Signage – maps – kiosks
a. Continue signage project to improve loop identification, private property and trail use information. Install permanent signs in cooperation with Homer Demonstration Forest and other landowners.
b. GPS R & R to Eagle View Trail and include it on maps.
c. Update all maps in Baycrest system.
d. Map trails on private landowners plat maps.
e. Build informational kiosk at each trailhead.
f.
4. MOA – Permanent Trail Easements
a. Finish signing MOA’s with Private Landowners.
b. Research Permanent Trail Easement options with landowners.
c. Plan for alternate routes if trail easements or permission goes away.
d.
5. Trails – Bridges
a. Upgrade bridges in Homer Demonstration Forest and Diamond Creek Park area. Replace narrow and broken bridge on 2 1/2 K Demo Forest Loop. Replace 1 KM bridge with wider stronger bridge that can accommodate equipment. ($2000)
b. Get permission from Homer Demonstration Forest, City of Homer, Borough and private land owners to use equipment to level trails, remove stumps on Headwaters Highway, Master Blaster, the Seis trail near the dump, the Seis Hill on Raven’s Way, and the Infinity Dog Trail. ($2000)
c. Create signed snowshoe trail starting at Sterling Highway-DOT trailhead.
d. Continue hazard tree removal.
e. Mow all trails in middle summer or early fall.
f.
6. Equipment
a. Purchase a new 4-stroke snowmachine. Have 4 machines available to allow for grooming the Marathon Connector Trail, trails at public schools, and the additional length of the Baycrest system. The 4th machine would be available as a floater when needed at other locations for special grooming needs and events. Have 2 new machines and 2 old machines available at the upper and lower trails. ($10,000)
b. Buy Ginzo groomer. ($4000)
c. Register State Park trailer.
d. Purchase 2 sections of yellow comb from Yellowstone Co. ($400)
e.
Long Term Goals - Baycrest:
1. Trailhead – Access - Parking
a. Pursue purchase of land near Sunset Loop, Rucksack, the Connector Trail, Roger’s Loop and Sterling Highway-DOT for parking and access.
b. Develop additional trailhead on Diamond Creek Park land.
c.
2. Facilities – Outhouses – Lighted trails
a. Develop large parking area with lighting, warming hut, and equipment storage facility.
b. Develop lighted loop with low-level efficient lights on lower trails.
c.
3. Signage – Maps - Kiosks
a. Solidify trails so permanent maps and signs can be developed.
b.
4. MOA Permanent Trail Easements
a. Continue with the process of getting Permanent Trail Easements with public and private landowners.
5. Trails – Bridges
a. Replace all bridges with strong, wide bridges that can accommodate heavy trail maintenance and grooming equipment.
b. Improve drainage by ditching or grading to improve stability of trail.
6. Equipment
a. Purchase piston bully once trail is in good enough condition, equipment storage location is in place and club has money to hire operator and maintenance personnel.
b. Purchase ATV with tracks for grooming and year round use.