Rode Russian Lakes Trail today.
We doubled parked and rode it from Cooper Lake to the trailhead near Cooper Landing. Compared to my experience with Johnson Pass Trail (in late August), this was a bit easier, and we were able to average 5.9 mph — getting on the trail at 8:30, and off at about 1pm, for 22.2 miles. The trail conditions were good throughout, starting with great 4-wheeler track that gradually congealed into single track after 3-4 miles. After that, there were the normal amount of roots, mud, and rocks, with the foliage (devil’s club) starting to close up the trail in several 100-150 yd sections. Probably about five miles from the Cooper Landing side, there is a creek/gully without a bridge that pretty much guarantees you’ll get your feet wet. The trail in general was in good shape.
Looking at the National Geographic map for the Chugach/Kenai NWR, there is a notation that this trail is rated “Difficult” where the Johnson Pass Trail is rated “Moderate.” That seems odd — if anything, Russian Lakes was easier (maybe just going from the high side to the low side made it a bit easier). But in general, the trail conditions — in terms of rocks, roots, mud, etc. — were the same. You could probably make the case that Johnson’s Pass is more dangerous in terms of drop-offs/gullies next to the trail. I was worried that the Russian Lakes would be “technical” in light of the rating on the map, but other than the amount of overgrowth (Johnson Pass was MUCH worse in late August in terms of grass and Devil’s Club) the two trails seem the same in most respects.
Other than that, things got a bit tense from all the bear scat and bear precautions — and we did see one small Blackie (running away). There’s something to be said for seeing the wildlife from the tour bus — you’re definitely not quite at the top of the food chain when you leave your vehicle.