Wolves, lakes make Hanging Valley special

CHUGACH STATE PARK -- It was 8 p.m. on the Fourth of July when we heard the wolves. First one voice cutting through the evening stillness from across the valley. Then another blending with it. Finally the unmistakable howls of pups added to the song.

"The real sound of freedom," I thought to myself. "Much better than fireworks."

My husky, Summit, wasn't so sure. He huddled close beside me as we stood next to the tent. He normally runs happily to greet any dog on the trail, but sensed these animals weren't looking to frolic with him. Fortunately, he stuck around camp the rest of the night.

I chose Hanging Valley, an offshoot of the South Fork Eagle River trail, for my holiday getaway. Dozens of people headed down the main South Fork trail to Eagle and Symphony lakes for the weekend, but few turned onto the faint path after two miles that leads to this glacially carved high valley.

A hanging valley occurs when a glacier retreats up a large valley -- the South Fork Eagle River in this case -- while ice remains in adjacent pockets above. When the smaller high glaciers eventually retreat, they carve U-shaped valleys several hundred feet above the main valley floor.

In the case of Chugach State Park's Hanging Valley, there is a series of small lakes and one tarn that sits even higher for those willing do the necessary elevation gain. After visiting that tarn on July 5, Summit and I descended to the valley floor and then climbed to the highest ridge on the other side, known as Point 5130. It gave a panoramic view of the snowy peaks deep in the park, and a look down onto the tarn where we'd just been as well as the entire Eagle River Valley.

Here, the draws still held plenty of snow. Summit burrowed his face into it to cool himself on the warm afternoon, then romped away while I boot-skied after him. Aside from four hikers, we saw no one the entire afternoon and no other campers during the three-day trip.

Valley residents looking for a new hiking option should consider Hanging Valley. It's 10 miles round-trip to the upper tarn, with an elevation gain of 1,700 feet. To reach the tarn, look for outflow tumbling down from the south side of the valley. The tarn sits at the base of an attractive amphitheater of rock.

To reach the trailhead, take the Glenn Highway south to the Hiland Road exit, turn left and follow Hiland as it climbs up the South Fork Valley. A sign at Mile 7.3 directs you to a parking lot a half-mile away. The lot is usually crowded with cars on nice summer days, but there's plenty of extra room to park along the road. A Chugach State Park season parking pass, or day pass, is required to park in the lot.

The trail to Hanging Valley begins about 150 yards after you cross a foot bridge over the South Fork Eagle River. Be looking for it on the left side of the main trail.