UAF Skarland Trail System Management Plan

What trail uses are allowed where?

Allowed uses in the Summer:

Virtually any non-motorized use (view Summer Use map)

Virtually any non-motorized use. Uses will continue as follows:

Non-motorized uses will be allowed in the summer, including horseback riding, walking, jogging/running, bike riding.

Leashed dogs will be allowed on all trails in the summer (please clean up after them!).

Only authorized vehicles will be allowed in the summer and only on the road to the T-field and the Potato Field. The trails themselves are not roads and were not built to withstand vehicle traffic.

All users, particularly authorized vehicles, bikes and horses, are encouraged to avoid wet areas until they dry out.

Summer use sign:

Summer Uses No Unauthorized Motorized Use Authorized Vehicles must remain on the ROAD ---------------- Absolutely NO cars, trucks, vans etc. are allowed on the TRAILS. The trails were not built to withstand vehicle traffic. If you must access a site in the summer, please use a rubber-tracked, low pressure vehicle.

Allowed uses in the WINTER

Winter uses are more complex and vary by type of trail.

Pedestrians, joggers, and dogs are permitted on the trails shown on Map 5. Dogs must be leashed at all times and cleaned up after.

Horses are only permitted on the bike paths west, north and east of campus. Horses are prohibited on all other campus trails in the winter due to the holes they create in the snow.

Dogs are prohibited on groomed ski trails in winter (see Map 5 and Map 6).

Skijoring is only allowed on bike paths and the proposed skijoring trails around the fields south of the farm.

Bicycles are prohibited on groomed ski trails. To accommodate bicycle and other non-motorized commuters, a separate "Commuter Trail" will be created just north of the farm and will be open to all non-motorized uses. Bikes are allowed on the bike paths.

Walkers and runners are prohibited on groomed ski trails. The separated trail next to the T-field road will be an experiment to see if pedestrians will respect the ski trails and remain on the separated path.

Snowshoers are permitted on all trails except the groomed classic-only ski trails (see Map 6 and Map 7).

Snowmachines and ATVs are prohibited on all trails and roads in the winter, except in dire emergencies. The Counsel for the UA system and UAF Risk Management consider snowmachines a liability on campus and until their policy is changed, snowmachines & ATVs will be prohibited.

ALL motorized vehicles are prohibited in winter.

No trails are open to vehicles in winter--including research or maintenance vehicles. The Geophysical Institute no longer uses the road from the ski hut to access the satellite dish so they are not affected by this policy. If a research or maintenance vehicle must access a site, they must apply for a "Special Exception" as discussed under Plan Modification and Amendment.

Others who must access research sites are encouraged to use the pedestrian paths or skis or snowshoes and sleds. If these are not adequate, the trail groomer can assist with the trails snowmachine. If electrical maintenance must be done (and cannot wait for summer), a vehicle such as a Nodwell could be used so that trails will not need to be plowed first. If use of the Rifle Range is essential, 200 feet will NOT be plowed where that road crosses the ski trail.

A few years ago, someone drove to Smith Lake via the T-Field Road in the winter simply to take water samples, when they could have easily accessed the lake from Sheep Creek Road and avoided damaging the trails. This is the type of needless damage we are trying to avoid.

Proposed Allowed Uses on GROOMED skate-ski trails in the WINTER (Map 6)

Skiing and snowshoeing are the only allowed winter uses. In the trails survey, 60% of the respondents opposed allowing dogs on groomed ski trails and 48% opposed pedestrians on groomed trails. Pedestrians, leashed dogs, and joggers will be allowed only on the separated trail next to the T-field road and across Smith Lake.

Proposed Allowed Uses on GROOMED classic-only ski trails in the WINTER (Map 7)

Diagonal (or classic) skiing is the only allowed use. These are narrow trails with set track that will be damaged by skate skiing or snowshoes. Pedestrians, dogs, horses, bikes, mushers, skijorers, and joggers are not allowed.

Proposed Allowed Uses on Bike Paths in the WINTER (Map 5)

No motorized vehicles will be allowed on the proposed bike paths along the Sheep Creek, Miller Hill, Yankovitch, and Farmers Loop.

Horses and dog mushing will be allowed on the proposed bike paths paralleling Sheep Creek, Miller Hill, Yankovitch, and Farmers Loop only.

All NON-motorized uses/users (including dogs and skijoring) will be allowed on all the proposed bike paths.

Proposed Skijoring and Walking Loops

If there is adequate interest, trails will be groomed for skijoring, walking and jogging around the fields south of the farm (see Map 5). This area is smooth and flat and will make excellent skijoring paths. Skijoring will not be allowed on the north campus trails.

Allowed/Prohibited Use Signs

In winter, more uses will be prohibited (on the groomed ski trails) than allowed under this plan. Thus it would be easier to show signs of allowed uses and indicate that all other uses are prohibited. Signs indicating prohibited uses will be those recommended by the Federal Highway Administration. These signs will be placed at the start of trails so that the trails themselves aren't cluttered with "highway" signs.

The following sign would be placed on groomed skate ski trails at points where people access the trails. The same sign, without a snowshoer, would be placed at the start of classic-only trails.

Winter Use of Groomed Skate-Ski Trails     Skiing and Snowshoeing All Other Uses Prohibited on this Trail These trails were built by skiers for skiing. They are one of only two groomed ski trail systems in Fairbanks. The Nordic Ski Club, in cooperation with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, pays over half the expense to groom the trails. Snowshoes and skis are the only allowed uses on the groomed ski trails in winter. Please respect their intended uses and refrain from any motorized use, as well as walking, bicycling, mushing, skijoring, horseback riding, and dog walking on groomed ski trails in winter.

Winter Use of Groomed Classic-Ski Trails Skiing Only All Other Uses Prohibited on this Trail These trails were built by skiers for skiing. They are one of only two groomed ski trail systems in Fairbanks. The Nordic Ski Club, in cooperation with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, pays over half the expense to groom the trails. Snowshoes and skis are the only allowed uses on the groomed ski trails in winter. Please respect their intended uses and refrain from any motorized use, as well as walking, bicycling, mushing, skijoring, horseback riding, and dog walking on groomed ski trails in winter.

University of Alaska Fairbanks
Tanana Valley Campus
PO Box 8040-UAF

Phone: +1 907 474 7920
Fax:    +1 907 474 6725
fndlm5@uaf.edu