Alaska State Parks officials are asking the public to refrain from using the Battery Point trail until the Haines Borough reopens Beach Road, which could happen as soon as the end of the month.
Although technically open to the public, the popular hiking trail located at the end of Beach Road has been inaccessible since Dec. 2 when a landslide tore through the neighborhood, killing two people, damaging structures and taking out a portion of the road.
“The park is open. It’s just restricted access due to the road closure, and once the road is open and safe, people will be able to access it,” State Parks Southeast Region Superintendent Preston Kroes said in an interview Monday. “It’s like any other property out there.”
At present, the public can access the trail by hiking up and over Mount Riley or by watercraft, Kroes said. State Parks is asking that people refrain from accessing the trail via Beach Road until the borough reopens the road to the general public.
It’s not yet clear when the road will open. Debris removal, the first step in plans to restore power and access to the area, began July 9. The roadwork will allow Alaska Power & Telephone (AP&T) to install poles and restore service.
“The plan was by the end of the week to have (excavation and debris removal) fairly wrapped up,” Mayor Douglas Olerud said in an interview Monday.
Once road work is complete, the borough will notify AP&T. The road will remain closed at least until AP&T has finished restoring power, Olerud said.
He said he plans to add discussion of reopening the road to the agenda at the next regular assembly meeting on July 27.