A two-mile loop around the Devil’s Creek Trailhead is packed down for the first time for nordic skiing.
Volunteers in Cooper Landing have been grooming the Russian River Campground and Quartz Creek area for over a decade, through a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service.
Anticipating ongoing improvements to the Russian River Campground entrance and a beetle kill mitigation project, the service suggested opening an alternative trail, said David Story, who chairs the town’s Trails Committee.
Those projects haven’t started yet, so Russian River Campground is still open to skiing.
But now, the Devil’s Creek Trailhead is, too. Just north of Tern Lake, it’s at a higher elevation than other trails in the area, so it typically gets more snow. The groomed trail is in the shape of a lollipop, stemming from the Seward Highway trailhead and circling into a loop.
Story said the Cooper Landing Community Club — the town’s quasi-government — got a grant to purchase ski grooming equipment in 2009. This year, it bought another roller-compactor with a second grant, which will be used in the Devil’s Creek and Quartz Creek areas.
All three trails are open to skate and classic skiing. For more information, visit the Cooper Landing Nordic Ski Club Facebook page.
