New parking lot for popular Butte trail opens Monday

PALMER — Starting Monday, visitors to the Mat-Su Borough’s most popular hiking trail, West Butte, can take advantage of a new 70-vehicle parking lot.

According to Patty Sullivan, Mat-Su public affairs director, the new and badly needed lot not only removes vehicles from the road, but also ends a chronic safety problem for the borough.

Sullivan said some 24,000 hikers climb the Butte annually utilizing just the West Butte Trail. She said that figure does not include the private trailside hikers on Bodenburg Loop. According to Sullivan, total project cost came in $251,336. That figure includes the purchase of an acre of private land opposite the present parking lot off Mothershead Lane, Sullivan said.

Borough Assemblyman Jim Sykes, who represents the Butte community, led the effort on finding a solution to parking for the popular trailhead. Sykes also requested the general fund appropriation last year, Sullivan said.

“I’ve never been more excited about a new parking lot,” Borough Recreation and Library Manager Hugh Leslie said in a news release. “This project isn’t about the trailhead parking fees, it’s about life safety threats to trail users and residents when an emergency vehicle can’t make it through. Now they can.”

Sullivan said two fires burned near the trailhead in the last two summers, and injured hikers also have required emergency response.

The project included land purchase from a rental property, demolition of a trailer, ground clearing, engineering and construction. Striping was completed late last week. Sullivan said sign placement and gate installation remain.

“The Butte hike is a short hike with big rewards: an epic view of Knik Glacier, the face of 6,398-foot Pioneer Peak, and farms of the Valley floor, and more,” Sullivan said.“Although the retreating Knik Glacier ground to dust most everything in its path some 10,000 years ago, this 880-foot knob of bedrock was left behind.”

For the Mat-Su Borough’s new trail brochure which includes additional information on the West Butte Trail, visit https://www.matsugov.us/trails

Sullivan said the borough will soon offer an electronic trailhead pass payment post. She said hikers can also purchase daily or annual parking passes online now at https://ecommerce.matsugov.us/Pages/CD/AnnualParking.aspx