Moose Run Golf Course

1960's to Early 1990's

~  PHOTOS  ~

Alaska Sportsman Magazine photo, June 1966, Page 45

~  AERIAL VIEWS  ~

This 2002 aerial view shows the location of the Moose Run Golf Course on Fort Richardson relative to Anchorage

(click on this aerial view to expand it)

Zooming in on the golf course, you can see the original golf course to the north of the Arctic Valley Road, and the new golf course expansion to the south of the road.  Ski races were never held south of the road, only to the north on the original links.  A red line traces a typical race course that would have been used for an Anchorage Cup citizen race in the 80's.  The fairways to the west are flat, but the eastern fairways are placed on hills that made good terrain for ski courses.

(click on view to expand it)

~ Documents & Maps ~
 

1982 "A Guide to Cross Country Skiing in Anchorage" by Leo Hannan
In 1973 Leo Hannan wrote an Anchorage area ski trails guidebook entitled "X-C Ski Trails".  Leo's guidebook was republished in 1982, when it was called "A Guide to Cross Country Skiing in Anchorage".  This later "Subaru World Cup Commemorative Edition" was published by the Nordic Ski Club of Anchorage as a fund raising tool for the FIS World Cup cross country ski race that was held at Kincaid Park that year.  Below are pages from this out of print guidebook that describe trails in the Moose Run area that are now gone. (Click on page or map below to expand to readable size) [Text and map credits: Leo Hannan]
The "Yellow" and "Green" Ft. Richardson trails that once bordered the west side of the Moose Run Golf Course are now gone.	Description of the Fort Richardson X-C Ski Trails (1982)

~  Site Photos ~

(by Tim Kelley / Oct. 2004 & Nov 2005)

 When you go to Moose Run there is no question that the days of this great early season or poor snow year skiing location are over.  Just read the signs that are everywhere.

It's interesting to track the history of skiing at Fort Rich.  Once there was a vibrant downhill ski area, war ready ski troops, the best biathlon facility and biathletes in the country and great golf course skiing.  These days there is not much for ski facilities at Fort Richardson.

Tim Miller remembers that the State of Alaska high school cross country skiing championships were held at Moose Run in 1982, because of poor snow conditions at all other ski venues in Anchorage.  Tim was a sophomore at Bartlett then.  He remembers that the ski club used a "reverse plow" snow collector to scrape up enough snow to make a race track.  During this 1982 state meet West Valley High School of Fairbanks showed no mercy.  West Valley skiers Ian White and Mara Rabinowitz won individual honors and West Valley won both the boys and the girls team titles.

Moose Run was the place to go as soon as snow flurries would start building in the Anchorage area.  Before there was enough snow to ski at Hillside or Kincaid in the 80's,  Russian Jack Springs Park and Moose Run were your best bets for early season skiing.  Moose Run had more hills and skiing area than Russian Jacks, so skiers would use this golf course a lot.  Tom Besh would bring the UAA skiers there to train.  Weekends would see many high school skiers, citizen racers and people that just wanted to get in some good early season skiing striding and skating the fairways.  Skiing was available at this golf course all winter.  Tracks were set by Fort Rich.  The Nordic Ski Club would come out to Moose Run and set tracks for Anchorage Cup Series citizen races.  Anchorage Cup races were held here yearly from 1983 to about 1992.

Do you have further information, stories or pictures that you would like to contribute about this ski area?