Porcupine Creek Campground & Gull Rock Trail
 If you like to hike or mountain bike, you will not be
disappointed in spending some time in the Hope area. And Gull Rock is an absolute gem of a trail.
One of our personal favorites!
Going south out of Anchorage on the Seward Hwy, turn right on the Hope Hwy.
Follow the highway until it ends, and you are in Porcupine Creek National
Campground!
 The hike is foresty, with a wonderful canopy of trees the
entire trek. The hike is
basically flat, but there are enough roots in the trail to make it challenging
for mountain bikers. We rate this trail as easy because it is flat and well maintained. Although the
trail does pass through some marshy areas, it features wood bridges, so you do
not have to worry about getting your feet soaked.
The huge ferns, cow parsnips and devil's club provide an enchanted forest
atmosphere. Click here to walk through what we call "Fern Grotto" with a video clip (9.45Mb). During our
first trip on the trail in September of 2000 we hiked the first two miles.
The colored leaves were spectacular, but we were just astounded by  the
numbers and varieties of mushrooms, toadstool and funguses.
Emily and Mountainman joined us for our second trip in June of 2003. This time we hiked the entire 4.8 miles to the end. A number of beetle kill spruce trees had fallen across the trail, but someone had come out with a chainsaw and removed nearly all the obstructing trunks. The end of the trail features some large areas where a number of tents could be pitched. We turned the trip into a day hike and just took our picnic lunch with us. However, next season we may do this trip as our get-into-shape first backpack hike of the season because the trail is relatively level and easy. Winds blow quite strong over Gull Rock. Fortunately, may of the campsites are in protected areas. There are no facilities at Gull Rock. Take a look at a panoramic video taken from the rock. Click here for the video (4.97Mb).
 Porcupine campground features 22 sites in all.
There are toilets and water. The
pads are flat, with good level spaces to pitch a tent. Several of the
spaces have long pull-throughs ideal for long motor homes. One
of the campsites is at the Gull Rock Trailhead, so choose this place only if you
do not mind hikers and bikers passing through your campsite every now and then.
Each campsite costs $10 per night. Get there early and grab one of the
sites overlooking the inlet. There is a parking lot next to the trailhead
for Gull Rock. There is no charge to park and use the trail.
Last Visited: June 2003
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