The trails at Settlers Bay Coastal Park are part of 295 acres of land that were donated to the Mat Su Borough by the Greatland Trust as a conservation easement. The first formal trails started to be built in the summer 2019 with more trails being added over the next few years. The long term plan calls for easy gravel paths, mountain bike single track, and Americans with Disabilities Act compliant trails. All attempts will be made to groom these trails during the winter as snow conditions allow.
Bearberry Bluff is a dirt, single-track trail that carves a flowing path through forest, banking around neatly groomed corners in a 1.1 mile loop. Bearberry Bluff, Bearbottom, and Rootbear are Mat-Su Borough trails. The latest Borough additions include Fox Run and Foxtrot trails, all north of Long Lake.
These easy to moderate single tracks are a fun, hoot-worthy ride. In the fall, leaves spatter the trail with color. The Bear and Fox trails tap into a network of some 33 miles of trails within the Matanuska Greenbelt network. The Greenbelt are loops of trails between the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, the Glenn Highway, Parks Highway, and Trunk Road. There's four land owners collaborating: the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, University of Alaska-Mat-Su College, University of Alaska Fairbanks-Experiment Farm, and the State-Matanuska Lakes State Recreation Area. Some 100 posts with 300 directional signs and 12 gateway posts with small maps help you get around this undulating, looping, and curving trail network.
The Plumley-Maud Trail is a year round multi-use trail that runs between Maud Road on the north and Plumley Road on the south. The trail was originally built by loggers to access logging areas near Burnt Butte, so there are several small trails connecting to the main trail.
The trail can connect to the Rippy Trail via Maud Road, and the Morgan Horse Trail via Maud Road. The area is wooded with stands of birch, spruce and cottonwood.
The trail passes close by residential areas, so please respect private property. Snowmachiners and ATV riders must yield to non-motorized trail users and keep their speeds under 10 mph.
The Palmer-Moose Creek Railroad Trail is a year round, non-motorized trail following an old railroad bed along the Matanuska River between Palmer and Moose Creek. The trail is mostly level, the first half passing beneath towering bluffs on the north side of the river. The second half of the trail (from the Palmer side) is more stable, passing through large stands of cottonwood, birch and spruce. The trail provides, at times, brushy views of the Matanuska River and the Chugach Mountain range to the south.
Summer use includes hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Winter uses include mountain biking, cross-country skiing and skijoring.
The Morgan Horse Trail is a non-motorized year round trail, which is located between the Lazy Mountain Recreation Area on the north end and Maud Road on the south. It provides connections to the Lazy Mountain Trail (non-motorized), Matanuska Peak Trail (non-motorized) and the Plumley-Maud Trail (multi-use). It traverses the lower slope of Lazy Mountain and can be muddy in the spring.
The trail travels southeast through the recreation area and follows a section line easement going due south to Maud Road. The area is forested with large cottonwood, white spruce and birch. The trail passes close by homes, so please respect private property.