After Saturday’s hearty potluck breakfast, nine volunteers in five planes made the short flight into the Park, landing at Jake’s Bar along the Chitina River, a tributary of the Copper, famous for salmon. Al had worked with Park officials to obtain the permit and guidelines for the work, and packed in chainsaws, loppers, hearing protection, a weed whacker and sandwiches. The strip was originally a staging place for mining activity, and is now ideal for recreational use. There is an old cabin, sauna and historic cache at its north end that is maintained by the Park Service and available for public use. A short trail leads to a good put-in place for rafting the Chitina. The group tracked down an old road grader abandoned in the woods.
WORK PARTY IN ALASKA’S WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS NATIONAL PARK
RAF Alaska Liaison Al Clayton organized a June 3 work party to trim and remove trees along 1,000-ft Jake’s Bar, which lies within Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The group gathered Friday at Clayton’s rustic cabin at Fireweed airstrip, near the old mining town of McCarthy. The pilots enjoyed an incredibly scenic flight, while Al’s wife Beth and daughter Taral made the 6-hour drive from Anchorage, bringing tools, food, beverages and propane.
Overcast but dry weather held all day Saturday, but typical Alaska spring rains began Saturday night, and low ceilings delayed departures on Sunday. Spirits were high in spite of wet tents and clothing.
Al thanks Bernie Willis and Ed White, volunteers from EAA Chapter 42; Matt Freeman, retired FAA; and Bob Waldron, Ray Huot, Jim Schaff, and Montana’s Carmine Mowbray, all from the RAF. Ray’s guest, Ralph Peters from Georgia did a great job with the weed whacker.
Submitted on June 12, 2017.
Posted in News
Recent Posts
RAF Michigan Liaisons Tanmoy Ganguly and Scott Anttila met with district U.S. Forest Service staff prior to starting work at Lost Creek airstrip, now MI45, (formerly 5Y4) in the Huron-Manistee National Forest in north-central Michigan. “We had a very constructive discussion about what the RAF does, and what we envision for future amenities at Lost Creek airstrip,” Ganguly said. The mid-August work weekend attracted 16 aircraft and 20 volunteers, including new MI Ambassador Ryan Minnick, MI Ambassador Ehsan Hamtaei, and IN Liaison Bill Steinmetz, many of whom enjoyed camping overnight in the forested setting. The crew was joined by nearby residents who donated their time, tools, and machinery to help and provided snacks.
Submitted August 27, 2025
CALL TO ACTION: Public Comments Requested to Support Access to 10 of Utah's Sensational Backcountry Airstrips The BLM has issued an Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding the following ten Moab-Monticello backcountry airstrips. Pilot comments will help to open access to the airstrips. Your Comments are Needed by Thursday, September 3. Please use the link below to state in your own words why you support access to these backcountry airstrips: Nokai Dome Piute Canyon Potato Ridge Playa Big Flat Red Canyon Spring Canyon Castle Creek Steer Ridge West Wee Hope Mine
Our many RAF supporters have such vast and varied experience, and we’re capturing some of their words of wisdom to share with you. This guest editorial is by Bill McGlynn, President of the RAF.
Nestled in among awe-inspiring mountains, Glacier Creek (KGZ) airstrip is 15 nm east of McCarthy in Alaska’s Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. On July 11, a work party drawing 25 volunteers was held there, led by RAF Alaska Liaison Stef Goza, her husband Randy, and Alaska Ambassador Bri Norby. They were joined by a group of National Park Service maintenance crew members who’d been flown in the night before and cleared the trail from the airstrip to the cabin before volunteers arrived.
