According to the proposal, a section line easement (SLE) establishing the trailhead has been “a longstanding need” for the public. The 24-foot x 1,107-foot gravel access road proposes to provide new public access for vehicles and horse trailers to a new 1.5-acre public parking/staging area.
From the parking area, a new trailhead and 12-foot x 4,960-foot horse trail would be established. The trail would traverse southeast across borough lands and connect to the existing Pollard Horse Trail on Kenai National Wildlife Refuge.
A survey of the access road, parking area, and horse trail was completed in the summer of 2023.
Documentation attached to the public notice–posted on Apr. 3– says the proposed road has “overall support from the landowners, adjacent landowner (Kenai Peninsula Borough) and horse community.”
The US Fish and Wildlife Service is actively working with the underlying landowners to construct and maintain the new public access road and parking area easement. Other permitting activities required for the project include obtaining a driveway access permit from the KPB for access from Borough right-of-way, Yukon Road, to the section line easement; securing a land use permit to establish a new horse trail across adjacent Borough lands; and a plan to perform periodic maintenance.
Public comment for the proposed road is open through May 4, 2024. Details on how to make a public comment can be found by visiting the project’s online public notice.