Big Lake: Winter wonderland turns into summer playground

Ask a dozen people what they like most about visiting Big Lake and you'll likely get a dozen different answers.

Mike Lasky of the Alaska Motor Mushers snowmachine club said the extensive network of groomed trails makes Big Lake one of his favorite snowmachine destinations.

"The trails are well marked and they are groomed regularly, which makes it a great place to ride with kids," Lasky said.

Houston Snyder, the owner of the Big Lake Lodge, is partial to summer.

"It's the boating, the water sports, and the wildlife," Snyder said. "I like the sun, so summer's probably my favorite time of the year. I think with the summer being shorter here, people seem to play a little harder and a little longer."

So are Alaskans undecided about Big Lake? Absolutely not -- in fact, local chamber of commerce boosters in Big Lake have a motto that both Lasky and Snyder can agree upon. They call Big Lake, "Alaska's year-round playground."

The Big Lake chamber is also behind those groomed trails snowmachine enthusiasts enjoy so much. The chamber sells trail stickers for $20 each to support the trail system. The stickers are available at area snowmachine shops, lodges and stores.

Groomed trails link more than just the lodges on the lake. Many cross-country snowmachine races and group rides start in Big lake, and head across the Susitna Valley to Skwentna or straight north to Petersville, at the foothills of the Alaska Range. One new addition this year is the T2 Sno-Cross Track, located on Trail Two off the northeast shore of the lake.

Big Lake has been Southcentral Alaska's playground since the 1950s. The lake is about 4.5 miles long, and is the biggest recreational lake on Alaska's road system. On a map it has the look of a Rorschach ink blot-- a good thing, because the lake provides for a variety of environments and depths and a variety of fish. Arctic char, Dolly Varden, burbot, and rainbow trout can be found in Big Lake, as well as silver salmon that are stocked for sport anglers by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Northern pike can also be found in some area lakes. On its west end, Big Lake connects by channels to Mirror Lake, commonly known Mud Lake, and Flat Lake, providing access for boaters. Travel by snowmachine provides access to dozens of lakes and ponds for people who enjoy ice fishing.

The area has two state campgrounds and several private lodges and RV parks. The views of Mount McKinley and the Alaska Range are excellent and even more spectacular when seen from an expanse of frozen lake or from the water.

The locals say Big Lake is also a great place to live.

"It's a small community with lots of fun things to do," said chamber secretary Randi Perlman. "It's close enough to Anchorage for big-city things like shopping, but small enough to make you feel like you're living in the country."

A country with more moose than cows, and the occasional bear, that is. Summer visitors should also look for birds. On the shores of the lake and in surrounding marshlands, greater and lesser yellowlegs can be found hunting insects and worms with their long beaks. The yellowleg is under a foot tall and can be recognized by its mottled brown feathers, long beak, long yellow legs and high-pitched call.

On the surface of the lake, look for mallards, pintails, shovelers and wigeons, as well as the common loon (aka Canadian or speckled-back loon), the Pacific loon and the red-necked grebe. The Pacific loon is slightly smaller than the common loon and is gray with white markings that are similar to those of the common loon. Red-necked grebes are known for a laughing call similar to the loon's, and take part in a running-on-the-water mating dance done every spring.

"Both loons and grebes carry their young on their backs when they're really small, so if you catch them at the right time you get to see that," Perlman said.

The area has raptors such as bald eagles, northern hawk owls, great horned owls, and goshawks, year-round. As the days get longer going into summer the ducks, loons and Arctic terns will return, as will boaters, anglers, and camping families looking for a great day of playing on the water.