Alaska Mountain Guides is looking to add a commercial ATV tour to its operations that would take clients around the Flower Mountain and lower Klehini River areas.
The four-hour tour would take place on Haines Forest and Department of Natural Resources land, according to AMG’s permit application, though the exact location of each tour would vary. The ATVs would run on existing roads and trails.
AMG owner Sean Gaffney said the company intentionally identified several possible routes for tours to take so they could avoid conflicts with other user groups.
“We don’t want to impact other folks,” he said.
AMG estimates it would offer five tours per day, with 24 clients per tour, though ATV tours to the Flower Mountain area would involve fewer than 10 clients per day. The tours would run May through September.
AMG secured a land use permit from the state in July that expires in 2021. The company must pay $1,350 annually for using the land.
The company must help with road maintenance as part of the state’s permit conditions, particularly keeping lines of sight open. “They are concerned with maintenance budgets decreasing and that is something we can help with,” Gaffney said.
The Haines Borough Assembly will consider AMG’s tour permit application at its Tuesday meeting.
Former police officer Adam Patterson ran ATV tours in the Porcupine and Flower Mountain areas through his business Northland Excursions between 2008 and 2011. Northland Excursions’ permit allowed for a maximum of 12,000 people per year, compared to AMG’s 9,000.
“We haven’t asked for the same amount of usage (as Northland Excursions). It’s less machines, less people,” Gaffney said.
AMG has been working on offering the ATV tours for more than a year. Gaffney said he has been proactive in contacting organizations that may have concerns about the tours, including Lynn Canal Conservation.
“I think we really tried hard to talk with folks ahead of time,” he said.
As of this week, clerk Julie Cozzi said she hadn’t received any public comment on the permit application.