Eklutna Lake ATV trail closes through May for parking lot expansion

Apr. 30—A parking lot expansion at Eklutna Lake will temporarily restrict the use of four-wheelers on a popular lakeside trail just as the weather warms up.

The area will be closed to ATVs from May 5 to May 31 during the first phase of the project, according to an advisory from the state's Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation. The trail will remain open to non-motorized users during that time, officials say.

Typically, ATVs are allowed on the roughly 13-mile-long Eklutna Lakeside Trail from Sunday through Wednesday, starting April 1 through Nov. 30. This week, because of the construction that's about to start, Wednesday is the last day people can ride four-wheelers on the trail until June 2.

The project will double the capacity of an existing gravel parking lot for ATV users from 20 spaces to 40, according to Ben Corwin, superintendent of Chugach State Park. The work will also add a new traffic pattern that allows drivers hauling trailers to pull through the lot on the way out.

Officials said they hope it will alleviate congestion especially on holiday weekends and Sundays, when ATV use is allowed.

A May closure for ATV riders isn't ideal given the proximity of the family-friendly Eklutna Lakeside Trail to Anchorage just as the seasons change, Corwin said.

"But it's the way the contract worked out," he said this week. "I think all things aside, earlier is probably best."

The parking lot project will add additional overflow parking on the "uphill side" of an existing gravel lot, Corwin said. The project makes it necessary to bar ATV use while it's underway because there isn't enough parking or legal lake trail access for motorized vehicles in other areas, he said.

The project cost is $382,500, funded by a $292,500 federal grant and a $90,000 state match, according to Katie Winter, project manager for the state parks division.

A separate project is planned later this year to pave the parking lot.