Recreation and Road Report for 7/27/26 – 7/31/26

Here is the weekly Recreation and Road report for July 27-July 31. 

Road Conditions, Construction and Logging Activity:

• Middle Ridge Road is closed until reconstruction can be completed in 2027.
• The mainline, McCormick Creek Road, FS# 6265, is washed out and impassable at mile post 13, just past the Highbush Lake Road.
• The Highbush Lake Road, FS# 50040, has a slide across it but is passable to high clearance vehicles.
• The WCA crew is resurfacing the bridge on FS Road# 6270, near the intersection of Fools Inlet & Thoms Creek Road. Road# 6270 will be closed past that bridge until further notice.
• Roosevelt Dock on Zarembo will not be open in time for hunting season, due to contract supply chain issues.
• Trees are down on roads near Roosevelt Harbor on Zarembo Island.
• There will be logging trucks for a few miles, on FS# 51720 on Etolin Island. Expect traffic delays.
• The Forest Service is repairing roads, but they won’t be finished any time soon. Stay tuned for updates.
• Please stay safe out there!

Anan Wildlife Observatory:

• Wildlife update from the Anan Rangers: both brown and black bears have been seen daily, including a set of triplet black bear cubs. The number of fish in Anan Creek is increasing. 

• More bears have been seen on the trail, so pay attention to the safety talk at the trailhead to learn how to handle encounters.
• See the action for yourself! Check out the Anan livestream at Explore.org to observe bears live 24/7.
• Anan Wildlife Observatory permit season started July 5th. There are still some permits available on recreation.gov for $30, if you have your own boat/floatplane to get there.
• If there are no more permits available on recreation.gov for the day you are interested in, 4 permits each day are available through weekly lotteries.
• All lottery requests must be made in person at the Wrangell Ranger District office. Weekly requests will be collected by Mondays at 4:30 and awarded on Tuesdays by noon.  

The request schedule is as follows:

• For those who will need to purchase transportation to Anan, contact an authorized guide directly for both passage and permits.

Recreational Reminders:

• Be careful with your campfires! Completely extinguish campfires, and don’t leave fires unattended.  Build fires on durable surfaces like rock or sand (not on duff)!
• Áax’w Sáani (Little Lakes) Cabin is under construction. It’s expected to be complete sometime in August.  Expect short traffic delays on FS# 6277.
• There are no USFS kids programs this week as the Wrangell Rangers prepare for Bearfest. This includes Forest Explorers and Reading with the Ranger.
• There was a human-bear interaction near 3-Way Pass this month. Due to late pink salmon arrivals in the creeks and late berry availability, bears are seeking other food sources.
• Be prepared and aware when you’re outside in bear country. Bring bear spray, talk loudly, and make some noise!

This announcement is courtesy of KSTK and your Wrangell Ranger District.