Ship Creek Hill

Description

To get here you must hike part of Snowhawk Creek Trail starting on Ft Richardson. From there follow the trail past the first cabin. The hill is aprox. 1 1/2 miles past where you can observe 2 hills to the left. From there it's off trail. You will need to descend to the creek and into the saddle between the two hills. This is a fairly easy hike up the saddle and along the south eastern side. If you wish to prolong the hike like I did you can also hike to the other peak about 1 mile south across the saddle. Being off the main trail and on Ft Richardson means very few people in the area and none were observed anywhere around the hill.

Important Information

Other then the usual restrictions regarding Ft Rich, this area is awesome. It is a fairly easy hike (I did it in March with snow shoes) however there is some bushwhacking involved. Once on top of the saddle there is a rim which makes it an easy ascent up the southern, higher hill (elevation 3990). The northern edge of Ship Creek Hill is very steep and is one of the dominating hills that can be seen from the Ship Creek area. It is one of those hills that screams "climb me". Land navigation is fairly easy however you must be careful not to overshoot Snowhawk Creek Trail on the way back or else you will have to do some backtracking (the best bet is mark the trail on your GPS). This is a great first "off trail" hike to test your back country skills without a lot of the worry.

The trail is on military land. You will need to get a permit to hike there and let them know. Go here for more information.

Etc.

While the trailhead is not marked, it is pretty obvious when you walk up to the top of the road. The trailhead is located about 20 meters on the right before the dam gate. From there the trail seems to follow the fence for about 20 feet before heading left. As for the trail leading to the cabin. On most topos, it will show up, however it doesn't show up on a military map for some reason.