I toured the Curry Hotel site in the early 1980’s while fishing the Susitna River. I got interested in the shelter and in 2007 hiked in from the river where the foot bridge started. Here is the story and pictures of the site from that date. I did sign into the book at the shelter and was the only one mentioned coming in from the river, most came in by snow machine from the Parks Highway and not many. The shelter is still standing within the Denali State Park and was refurbished in 2016. There is a trail to Curry Ridge from the Parks Highway, however info about distance and if it connects with shelter location is scarce. It is presently on the National List of Historic Places. For years I've been using the Susitna River in south central Alaska as the boulevard of travel to many of my outdoor fishing adventures. The Alaska Railroad follows the upper river for many miles above Talkoctna, Alaska and the numerous whistle stops along the route have always drawn my attention. The most notable is the Curry stop, mile post 248.5. This location is the halfway point of the train route between Fairbanks and Seward, Alaska. It is also the site Chief Engineer Frederick Mears decided to build a hotel that would provide lodging for important guests at the Alaska Railroad dedication. President Harding being the most memorable figure of importance. The Hotel was built in 1922 and was considered quite the "roadhouse" for its time. Visitors lodged in the lap of luxury with such amenities as swimming pool, golf course, tennis court, ski hill, air strip and hiking trail to the Curry Ridge to view Mount McKinley some twenty five miles away. All this Hotel activity took place from the mid 1920's until the early 1950s while Alaska was still a territory and the railroad was federal property. So it's noted many years have passed since the "roadhouse" greeted guests along the track. Associated with the trail to Curry Ridge was an impressive footbridge across the Susitna River in order to make the hike to Regalvista Shelter which provided comfort at the end of a challenging climb. The bridge was 500 feet in length and four feet wide. It was in place until 1957 and actually outlived the hotel which burned to the ground in 1955. On one of my numerous trips up the river to fish for trout and salmon I had hiked into the Hotel site and up the ski hill to view the first-aid building and the wood towers that carried the rope tow. This led me to investigate the history of the site at the library and on the internet. The Meadow Lake Trail, the associated footbridge and Shelter on Curry ridge became locations to explore on future trips along the river, so during October 2006 I did a reconnaissance of the first few ridges above the river looking for signs of the trail. There were a few trail remnants but nothing made me suspect these indicated the route to the ridge top shelter. If I'm going to make the climb to the shelter I'll have to do it by compass or GPS and decide on spring with its long days and favorable temperatures would be the best time for the attempt. On the 23rd of May 2007 I park my boat on the Susitna River just above the historic footbridge location and head up the hill with Ruger, my golden retriever, daypack, maps, compass and GPS. Because I'm going to reach my objective by compass bearing I realized that the terrain will not be particularly friendly but have no idea how unfriendly. The lower slopes are heavy in red alders and the lower tundra is cut by heavy willow patches, both hold you back at every step. Shear rock abutments required one to traverse around the rock to a more favorable slope which still requires all four limbs to move upward. My pre-trip estimate of climbing the 2000 vertical feet, over 2.78 miles as the crow flies, in two hours immediately became a pipe dream. Knowing that I have plenty of time I just keep clawing my way through the brush and gaining altitude for the next four hours. My plan is to see how far I can get by noon then go to plan "B." At noon 1am about four tenths of a mile from the objective and finally the horizon presented me with a view of the shelter. It is high noon plus 21 minutes when I rest my pack on the bench in the Regalvista Shelter built around 1928 and finished in the very early 1930's. Of course, with my arrival came some very windy weather accompanied by rain making any outstanding pictures of the site and country difficult at best. I rest for about two hours getting my strength back and take some compass bearings for the trip down the hill. I'm lucky enough to discover the original trail just up country from the shelter and have little difficulty following it for about two miles down the slope. As soon as the trail began to weave around the willow and alder patches as I drop below the tundra it became harder to trace its route and I couldn't keep it under my foot. However, by this time, having a feel for the country and the general direction of the trail I'm able to find it now and then as I wander lower toward the Susitna River. The lower I get on the hill the more difficult locating the trail became and I pretty much give up on the task and just dead reckon down the hill to the boat. Ruger immediately recognizes the final ridge above the river where I had discovered some old military equipment last fall. She makes a bee line over the ridge and is waiting for me at the boat as I follow hanging onto the slope in descent. My best guess is I hiked five miles going up to the shelter and a little more than four miles on the return trip. The Meadow Lake Trail is recorded to be five miles and I'd have to agree with the distance being close or a bit shorter. There were at least three alpine flowers in bloom and signs of moose are abundant. I call in a cow moose to within thirty yards from a willow patch she is feeding in on the way down. Bear sign is scarce but they may not be out in numbers this early in the spring. Water isn't a problem during the spring since nearly all the drainage has creeks with flowing water. I loose four pounds doing the hike so I should have spent more time enjoying its cool refreshment both coming and going. The sign-in log at the shelter indicated that snow machine recreationalists have selected this site as a destination and have made repairs to the shelter over the years. Hikers are not that common but they, along with the snow machines, have come in from somewhere along the Parks Highway. There is no indication that anyone in recent history has come up the traditional way from the Susitna River adjacent to Curry. I'm happy I reached the site since it's so rich in Alaska history and I'm getting a bit long in the tooth for these bush beating cross country treks. Regalvista Shelter
Also see: |
