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Baycrest Trails Strategic Plan Report

March - 2007

Dave Brann, Molly Brann, David Stutzer, Dan Del Missier, Alan Parks, Jenny Edwards.

EXISTING CONDITIONS - BAYCREST

Trailheads, Parking, Facilities, Signs, Plowing:

  • Lower Trails - Roger’s Loop Trailhead: Users park and access the lower Baycrest trails primarily on Roger’s Loop . Parking is alongside the road. Plowing is done by the State. There is parking for 8-10 vehicles on the widened shoulder without crowding the road. Signs indicate the location of the trailhead. Outhouses are in the Demonstration Forest 1/4 mile down the trail.
  • Lower Trails - Sterling Highway DOT Trailhead: On a good snow year, parking and access is available on DOT State land at the top of Baycrest Hill, near DOT. This site was specifically purchased for a skiing trailhead. There is parking for a large number of cars and it is suitable for buses and events. A large muskeg on adjacent Borough land serves as a stadium for events. A storage shed, picnic table and signs mark this trailhead. It is privately plowed with occasional assistance from DOT. There is a sign on the highway indicating this is a Nordic ski area.
  • 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. An outhouse is located in the parking lot. It is plowed privately.
  • Access points: There are additional access points without significant parking at Rucksack Drive off Diamond Ridge Road , in Eagle View Subdivision, and off Sprucewood Drive near Highland Drive .

Trails, Description, Ownership, Equipment:

  • The KNSC has developed and currently maintains an elaborate winter ski trail system at Baycrest. When the entire trail system is groomed it encompasses approximately 35 kilometers. Due to differences in elevation, trail and snow conditions often vary widely from the lower to the upper trail system.
  • The Baycrest Trail system includes a 3 K snowshoe signed snowshoe trail that is basically separate from the ski trails starting at the Roger’s Loop trailhead.
  • Land ownership on the lower trail system consists of a combination of State ( Demonstration Forest ), Borough, University of Alaska , and privately owned land. The University of Alaska land may be purchased by the Kachemak Heritage Land Trust and ownership transferred to the City of Homer in 2007. Until that happens, much of the lower trail system is not secure.
  • Informal use agreements with representatives of the ownership entities are in effect for all the areas encompassing the lower trail system. Formal agreements are in the process of being signed. Although the club has a long history of cooperative existence with the management entity of the Demonstration Forest based on common goals and a shared vision to date, no agreement can be considered permanently secure at this time.
  • Land ownership on the upper trails consists entirely of private land parcels with approximately 27? 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. As of the date of this plan, most if not all, of these landowners have expressed an interest in granting long-term easements, or at least written use agreements on their properties. Formal trail use agreements are in the process of being signed.
  • Two snowmachines are assigned to Baycrest. One for the upper trails, stored at a private residence and one 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. During 2006-07 a third machine that was for sale was located on the lower trails and used for grooming.