General Description, Issues & Concerns, General Findings
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:,Ta •'•", . : •'.. • ' r & ': T r I; r r,•' • c i r ..- t Dl L Finding Recommendations& s Denali contents page General Description ........ D4 Wild & Issues & Concerns ......... D6 Findings & Recommendations Scenic (General) ............... D9 Summary of Scenic Resource Values . • • D9 Road Management Theme .............D10 Scenic Resource Management Goals •• ... Dll Implementation: Land Ownership and Management Responsibilities ••••••D11 Road Improvements ••••••••••••• Dl 2 Land Use and Development ••••••••• D14 Turnouts and Other Roadside Facilities ............... D16 Right-of-Way Management. ••••••••• D21 Greenbelts •.••••••••••••.. D22 Material Sites .............. D23 Finding Recommendations& s (by Management Units) ..... D25 1. Cantwell ••««............6 .D2 2. Reindeer Hills and Pyramid Peak ........ D34 3. Nenana Rlver-Monahan Flat ••••••»••2 •D4 4. Susitna River Crossing ••••••••••4 •D5 5. Clearwater Mountains Foothills ........ D64 6. Clearwater and Osar Creeks .......... D72 7. Maclaren River to Mac la re n Pass ...••••• D80 8. Tangle Lakes •.«......•«•••0 •D9 9. East End-Denali Road ••........••D96 10. Paxson Junction ......... D10• • 2• .• D3 CantwellT /.O) ICantwell Area 2 Reindeer Hills & Pyramid Peak General Description The Denall Highway, a 135-mile long road across through esker d morainean s s make e drivinth s g the hear f Alaskao t , link e smalth s l towf o n experience a lesson in glacial geology. Climbing Cantwell on the Parks Highway with the community to Maclaren Summit, travelers enjoy a broad pano- of e RichardsoPaxsoth n o n n Highway. Completed e riveth ram r f o adramatice valleth d yan , glaci- in 1957, it was for many years the only road con- ate dAlaske peakth f ao s Range Amphitheatee Th . r nection to Denali National Park (Mt. McKinley). Mountain e backdro e alpinth th e o ar st ep tundra In fact e roath ,d take s namit se froe mounth m - landscap Maclaret a e n Summit n additionI . , there tain's original Athabaskan name meaning "Great are outstanding views of the Alaska Range and One". Today, the Denali Highway offers an adven- even occasional glimpses of the Wrangell Moun- turous wilderness driving experience through some tains to the southeast. East of the summit, the of Alaska's most scenic and diverse landscapes. Denali Highway follows the Amphitheater Mountains From Cantwell, the road parallels the snow throug e tundrth h a landscape highlighte y viewb d s covered peakd expansivan s e glaciere th f o s of Landmark Gap, Tangle Lakes, Summit Lake, the Alaska Range n cleaO . r days . McKinley,Mt e ,th Alaska Range, and the rugged Wrangell Mountains. highest pea n Norti k h Americ t 20,30a 0 feets i , visible from the western end of the road. The Denale th Mos f io t Highwa a roug s yi h gravel sur- Monahan Flat area provide spectaculaa s r panorama faced road tha s impassabli t e durin wine gth - . DeboraMt . Hesd oMt fan hs wite glacierth h s ter months. Only a 20 mile long portion of the that give birth to the Nenana River. road connecting Tangle Lake o Paxsot s s pavedni . The rough gravel surface keeps travel speeds low, First parallelin e Susitnth g a River e roath , d a resul ans Denale a d th t i Highwa uses i y d almost then crosses the river into the broad glaciated solel r recreatiofo y n purposes. Traffic volume e Maclareth valle f o yn River, skirtine th g is also low. The little development that exists southern flank of the Clearwater Mountains. Here is primarily related to recreation and mining. D4 the undulating topograph e roath d s a windy s There are some scattered cabins and residences, Management Units - Denali Wild & Scenic Road (West Half) 3 Nenana Rivcr- Monahan Flat 4 Susitna River Crossing 5 Clearwater Mountains nr. Foothills D5 but they are generally concentrated in a few locations such as Cantwell, Denali, the Susitna Issues & Concerns River crossing, and Tangle Lakes. Thus, travelers have opportunitth e o experienct y a e •Powerline Intertle Route Alignment predominantly pristine wilderness environmend an t observ e diversth e e wildlife populations that The Alaska Power Authority plans to locate the inhabit it. There are a minimal, but adequate, 100-foot high Anchorage to Fairbanks powerllne numbe f commerciao r l services availabl o meet e t crossing near Cantwell. This alignment could traveler needs. These establishments are spaced make powerlinth e majoa e r visual distractios a n at convenient intervals along the length of the it crosses Reindeer Hills. The Powerline road. Intertie crossing is discussed in Management Unit 1. 7 Maclarcn River to Maclaren Pass 5 Clearwater Mountains Clearwate6 r& Foothills Osar Creeks Clearwater Mountains D6 •Access Rout Susitno t e a Hydroelectric Project ness characte y increasinb r g traffic speed an d volume, adding industrial use, and creating a The western portion of the Denali Highway has straighter, wider alignment. been suggested as one of the alternative access o providroutet r fo se e Susitnaccesth m o t sDa a • Road Junction Information Turnouts project. If selected, the Denali would require significant realignmen d upgradinan t g froe th m Because there is little development along its Parks Highway junctio o approximatelt n y Milepost length, there is a need for travel information at 41, wher accese th e s road would turne soutth o t h the entrance Denale th o it s Highway. This infor- dam site. If implemented, this costly project mation should cover road conditions, available would detract froroad'e th m s natura d wilderlan - services, the nature and speed of the driving Management Units - Denali Wild & Scenic Road (East Half) Eas9 t End- \ Glacier I Denali Road _ L vr< Tangl8 e Lakes Area 10 Paxson Junction D7 experience, and available recreation opportun- occurs can significantly enhance or detract from ities. Information turnouts are discussed in the roads high scenic quality. See Denali High- Denali Highway - Findings and Recommendations and way - Findings and Recommendations (Land Use and Managemenn i . 10 t Unitd an 1 s Developmen d Greenbeltsan t d Managemen)an t Units 1-10. Roa• d Surfacing DOTP• F Proposed Road Realignments Pavin Denale th g i Highwa n importana s i y t visual resource management Issue becaus e roath ed sur- DOTPF Is planning a number of road realignments face directly Influences the quality and char- to smooth curves, avoid eroding banksd an , acter of the driving experience and the volume Improve roadway conditions. The Implications of and typ roaf o e d use. This issu s addressei e n i d these proposals Include Increased travel speed,a Findings and Recommendations for the Denali High- less visually interesting driving experience, way. increased traffic volume d additionaan , l land- scape alteration. This study addresses specific • Roadside Management realignment proposal n Findingi s d Recommenan s - dations and in Management Units 1-10. e right-of-waTh s generalli y y manage o promott d e highway visibility and convenient road mainte- Materia• l Sites nance, and the choice of management practices has a significant effect on the landscape's scenic While necessar r roafo yd maintenance, numerous quality. Existing practices on the Denali High- material sites located within fule l th vie f o w way range from very good to highly disruptive. road constitute a visual resource management pro- See Denali Highway - Findings and Recommendations blem alon Denalie th g . Thes estarn i site e kar s and all management units under Right-of-Way contrast with surrounding landform d surfacessan , Management, Greenbelts, Turnouts d Materiaan , l and detract from the areas otherwise natural Sites. scenic qualities e FindingSe .d Recommenan s - dation Managemend an s t Units 1-10. lan• d Developmend Usean t Denal• i Highway Information Flam The lack of development along the Denali is an importan s charactert It par f o t t therye e , ar e A 1976 document prepared for BLM, the Denali pressure growthr fo s . Near Cantwell, where there Highway Information Plan, studied the opportun- e privatar e landholdings e deman,th d existr fo s ities to provide interpretative information about homesites and recreational cabin sites. BLM is the natural features alon e Denalth g i Highway. also planning to open federal lands along the The 18 recommended sites were evaluated in this Denali for mining, mineral leasing and settlement study for their scenic resource values and appro- to meee government'th t s multiple-use mandate. priateness as turnouts. See Denali Highway - While some development alon e Denalth g i Is both Findings and Recommendations and Management Units D8 appropriate and desirable, how and where it 1-10. tangl• e Lakes Highway. Plans to upgrade the access road have raised concerns regardin e scenith g c impactf o s Providing opportunitie r fishingfo s , rafting, this development Managemene Se . t Uni. 4 t canoeing, camping and hiking, the upper Tangle Lakes area is a popular recreation destination. Some additional recreational developmene b y ma t appropriate here, but local topography and land- cover dictate that any new development will be located close to the road and highly visible. Findings & See Denali Highway - Findings and Recommendations and Management Uni. 8 t Recommendations • Susitna River Crossing Summar Scenif yo c Resource The Susitna River crossing is a popular recre- ation node. While facilities development would Values_________________ help accommodate the increasing use demand, river bank development would be visible for miles and The Denali Highway has very high visual resource values due to the distinctive landscape features could detract from the drama of the river along its length and the constantly unfolding crossing. See Denali Highway Findings and Recom- views expressive of the full range and diversity mendations and Management Unit 4.