The following are descriptions of access points along the proposed South Extension of the Coastal Trail. All of these access points exist along or near the bluff in South Anchorage. Although most of these access points are on public land, once you get below the bluff between Campbell Lake and Ocean View Bluff Park, you will probably be on homeowners private property if you are near the toe of the bluff. If you stay out away from the toe of the bluff, you will avoid private property and will be in the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge. From a practical perspective, most of the homeowners don't object to crossing their property below the bluff because 1) They don't know you are there, 2) They probably don't know exactly where their property boundaries are, and 3) It's a pretty wet, muddy trip and there is little likelihood of doing any damage (other than to yourself). Regardless, if you do travel through the area near the toe of the bluff be aware that you are probably on private land in many locations.
If you choose to do any walking below the bluff and between access points, plan on getting your feet wet in most areas. Staying at the toe of the bluff will guarantee muck, mud and bugs, except on breezy days. Going out near the salt water will put you on firm mud and usually makes the walking easier but you usually have to traverse a mucky area to get there. But that is not always the case if you get creative and have a little patience. Be aware that much of the mudflats are made up of the notorious "Turnagain Mud". I've never had a problem walking on it, but I'm sure there are places where you can get in trouble. Be careful if you go beyond the toe of the bluff and use a little common sense. I prefer walking the mudflats in most locations.
These access points are organized starting at the southeast end of the wildlife refuge near the rifle range and moving to the northwest towards Point Campbell and Kincaid Park.
Rifle Range: There's an old road, which soon turns into a trail, that goes out the northwest end of the parking lot at the Seward Highway Rifle Range. You can park your car in the Rifle Range lot. The trail is dry most of the way and can be ridden on a mountain bike. It follows along the bluff in a forested area with occasional openings to the coast. Look for a few swampy areas, but you can usually keep your feet dry. About a mile or so down the trail it turns up a steep hill and takes you up to the railroad tracks. From there you can go along the tracks to Ocean View Bluff Park or you can go back down the tracks to the rifle range. Nearly all the proposed trail routes pass through here, so it's worth getting to know this area.
Ocean View Park: This is a municipal park that is near the intersection of Ocean View Drive and Jarvi Drive. There's not much ocean view from here, but you can go out the back end of the park, cross the railroad tracks, and go down the bluff to the wildlife refuge. You will also pass right next to Ocean View Bluff Park, another municipal park (see the next description).
Ocean View Bluff Park: This is another municipal park that is at the end of Reef Drive. You get to Reef Drive by turning south from Oceanview Drive on Reef Place and following it towards the coast to the end of the road. The park is obvious. There is easy access down the bluff to the wildlife refuge and out into the refuge, but the walking gets pretty wet and muddy very soon. You can also go left (southeast) back towards the rifle range on dry footpaths for a while, but these too get muddy fairly soon. You can also go south along the railroad tracks and either tie into the trail from the rifle range or stay on the railroad tracks all the way to the rifle range.
John's Road: This is an unofficial (but public) access point that is at the intersection of John's Road and High View Drive. You can get to it simply by following John's Road towards the bluff as far as it will go. This is just an open piece of ground that provides a neat overview of this end of the wildlife refuge. There is dicey access to the toe of the bluff down a steep dirt trail. Once at the toe, things get muddy and wet real quickly. This access point is better used as an overview as opposed to a way to get down to the toe of the bluff.
John's Park: John's Park is a municipal park that is just past Mariner Drive on John's Road. The access to the park is on the west side of John's Road. There are nice walking trails through here that eventually lead out to the top of the bluff. There's no good way down the bluff in this area and the view is obstructed by tall trees at the edge of the bluff. But it's worth taking a walk through here because some of the Coastal Trail routes would go through the park. The Fuschia Route uses the drainage through John's Park to get back down to the toe of the bluff. If you haven't visited it yet, John's Park is an interesting little wild area that is surrounded by lots of development. In fact, the west end of footpaths through John's Park open out into Botanical Heights, one of the more upscale subdivisions in all of Anchorage. Check out the park, not necessarily the subdivision. It's worth a look.
Victor Road: This is a sewer line easement with a great overview of the wildlife refuge. It is at the intersection of Victor Road and Shore Drive. There is a paved bike path with a couple of picnic tables and a split rail fence at the top of the bluff. It is an open lot between two houses. There are not any obvious signs, but it is not hard to find. From the top there is easy access down to the toe of the bluff. Going straight out from the toe puts you into wet, muddy walking pretty quickly. The walking towards the west looks like it gets wet pretty quickly also. You can go back to the southeast on a fairly dry trail through tall grass. The trail is just above the toe of the bluff on a small berm, which is why it stays dry. How far the trail goes has yet to be determined, but it looks like a great place for a coastal trail.
Spyglass Circle: This is a well-disguised public access (sewer line easement) at the end of Spyglass Circle. Turn south off Klatt Road at Edgewater Subdivision. This will put you on Spyglass Circle. Spyglass Circle dead ends at a "T" intersection and leaves you looking out towards the coast between two houses. The house number on the right is 2671 and the house number on the left is 11865. If you look between these two houses you will see a tan fence with a green stripe along the top of the fence. Look towards the end of the fence and you will see a row of shrubs angling away. The access point is just beyond this row of shrubs (See, I told you this was well disguised). If you park on the street, you can then walk across what looks like private lawns, along the fence and towards the row of shrubs. Once past the shrubs, you will see sewer manholes and a nice set of steps heading down the bluff. This is a nice overview and provides decent access to the toe of the bluff. The walking from the toe of the bluff is wet, but manageable. This is a good place to look for sandhill cranes.
Like I said, this access point is well disguised and it takes a leap of faith to walk across the nicely manicured lawns. But this access point was introduced to me by none other than Rick Sinnott, so I assume he should know his way around.
Peat Disposal Site: This is an old landfill and peat disposal site that provides a great 180-degree overview of much of the trail routes. It's an isolated peninsula of land that sticks out from the rest of the natural land along the bluff. It's also on private land, which the owners intend to turn into a park. The owners are also supporters of the coastal trail and have no objection to making their park part of the trail system. You can access the site by turning south off of Klatt Road onto Discovery Bay Drive. You will soon see a large fenced area that opens up to the coast. Although it is private land, I have never had anyone object to me being out on the old landfill site. I'll leave it up to you to figure out how to get out there (it's not difficult). It's one of the best overviews for the whole coastal area, so check it out. But be mindful of the private property. You can get similar views by driving to the top of the Discovery Heights subdivision, but all the views are obstructed by the nice homes up there. It's an easy side trip; both for the coastal views and to see how the other half lives.
Campbell Lake: There is no public access to the coast from the Campbell Lake area, which is the way the Campbell Lakers want it. It's pretty easy to get around the area below the dam, but you'll have to figure out how to get there. There are dry walking trails below the dam and there is actually an earthen fill across Campbell Creek with culverts through it, which makes an obvious place for a coastal trail. You can walk in from either the west or the east, but public access points are quite far away and will put you in wet, muddy areas to get there. The Municipality of Anchorage maintains a pumping station for a sewer line that is on the point of land just below the dam on the east side of Campbell Creek. There's an access road to the pumping station that comes off 100th Avenue. There's a large gate there with about two feet of clearance under it, but I'm not suggesting you use it. You can also go to the end of Resolution Pointe Drive where you will find a split rail fence across a vacant lot right above Campbell Creek and the municipal road to the pumping station, but this is private land also, which I do not advocate using. It's a neat area below the dam, but its pretty tough to get to, at least from a legal perspective. Ask your friends on the lake to give you a boat ride down there.
Jodphur Motorcycle Area: This is another good overview spot, and it gives you a good feel for the northwest end of the trail routes where the bluff is much higher. You can access this spot by turning off Jodphur Road at the Kincaid Ski Trail parking lot. Drive past the parking lot out towards the coast to the motorcycle area. Walk down towards the bluff and look for a chain link fence on the right. Go past a large concrete block at the end of the fence and you will find a trail that takes you to the bottom of the bluff. From there you can walk either direction, but it will be a bit wet and muddy. If you go northwest towards Kincaid Park, you will eventually end up on a nice gravel beach that makes for easy, dry walking. Going to the southeast will put you in tall, wet, muddy grass. If you go straight out from the toe of the bluff, it will be wet for a while, but once you get out near the salt water you will find easy walking on the mud. You can go from there all the way back to Campbell Creek keeping your feet dry, as long as you are not at high tide. This is one legal way to get to the area below Campbell Lake, but it is about a three-mile walk. It is also a really neat area and worth the trip.
Point Campbell: This is the northwest end of the coastal trail routes. You can access this spot by going down the bike trail from the Kincaid Chalet. Once you get down the big hill and out to where the paved trail first comes close to the bluff, start looking for a footpath on the left side. Take the footpath down to the beach (yeah, it's a real beach) and go either direction. If you turn right you'll be on the beach between Point Campbell and Point Woronzoff. You'll be surprised at how nice the beach is. If you go left, you will head back towards the Jodphur Motorcycle area and Campbell Lake. This is a high energy, gravel beach that makes for fine walking and beachcombing. The gravel beach eventually runs out and turns into either mud flats or tall grass and muddy walking. But it's worth the trip. You can go all the way to Campbell Lake or climb up the bluff to the motorcycle area.
CHECK OUT OUR SOUTHERN COAST. YOU'LL BE SURPRISED AT WHAT YOU FIND. YOU'LL ALSO SEE WHY SO MANY WANT TO SEE ACCESS IMPROVED WITH A TRAIL ALONG THE COAST.