June 16 - Lake Louise - PedalPushin 2024 - CycleBlaze

June 16, 2024

June 16 - Lake Louise

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Time to head back home but we opted to cycle a road that I’ve been eyeing for decades on the way home.

From Anchorage one can return to Fairbanks / North Pole either by driving the Parks Highway or be driving a combination of the Glenn and Richardson Highways.  The Parks is definitely faster, smoother, and shorter.  The Glenn and Richardson are slower due to some old 2 lane, no shoulder driving, lots of frost heaves and bumps, and longer.  But the Glenn / Richardson is also more scenic and typically a little less traveled.

Scenic Alaska is every direction.
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The goal was the road to Lake Louise which is about 30 miles outside of Glenallen, roughly 2 1/2 hours from Anchorage.  We’ve only been to Lake Louise once for a kayaking trip but this time we decided it simply needed cycled.

The road is 16 miles one direction with 8 miles of climbing followed by 8 miles of descending.  As this isn’t the “main” road by any means, the grades were a bit steeper in places but with ver little traffic, less than 10 cars all day, we had the road to ourselves.  What traffic we saw was all respectful and typically only driving 30 mph due to the uneven and patch filled road surface.  For a cyclist, the road was fine although we did cross a little strip of fresh tar that then stuck to our tires for the ride out.

Up, up, up followed by down, down, down
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Road tar minus the gravel makes for a sticky mess.
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The lake itself is a summer and winter haven for either fisherman or snow machiners.  We simply enjoyed a nice lunch at the Lake Louise Lodge while looking out on the lake.

Lake Louise Lodge, Alaska
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Typical Alaska cache … traditionally used to store meat and food during the winter to keep the critters away … now mostly a photo op.
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I can truly recommend this ride as a nice scenic full Alaskan experience.

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Scott AndersonRemarkable how clear this looks.
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6 months ago
Larry MitchellTo Scott AndersonRight time of day, right place. This ridge is extremely photogenic if the conditions are good.
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6 months ago

Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 5,045 miles (8,119 km)

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Kelly IniguezGreat photos!
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6 months ago
Bob DistelbergWhat scenery! Would love to see that in person some day.
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5 months ago