Richardson Hwy and the pipeline

[Hudge]

Looked throughout the regs, and can't find the answer. Do I have to be 5 miles from the Pipeline south of Paxson to hunt with rifle? Wanting to try and fill my caribou tag tomorrow, so thinking about heading out.

[Brian M]

No, you don't. The 5 mile provision only holds true north of the Yukon River, and there the 5 miles is measured from the highway, not the pipeline itself.

[Daveinthebush]

As Brian said, No. But you can not shoot from the pipeline surface either "technically". Workers drive and use the right-of-way all the time.

[Hudge]

Thanks to both of you.

[stid2677]

Looked throughout the regs, and can't find the answer. Do I have to be 5 miles from the Pipeline south of Paxson to hunt with rifle? Wanting to try and fill my caribou tag tomorrow, so thinking about heading out.

If you are accessing the pipeline ROW, you should have a permit from Security. I have had the helicopter land and check mine.

[hodgeman]

Lots of good info here...

Right of Way permit- easy to get one at any manned pump station guard shack or any of the security guards in the trucks patrolling up and down it. Couple of minutes and you're done. In fact- the security group is the BEST source of intelligence on what has been happening last day or two up and down the pipeline.

You do not have to be 5 miles from it..that's the Dalton Highway corridor. As mentioned- be aware for shooting purposes the pipeline road is still a road. So the rules about shooting to, from or across it still apply.

Don't know the conditions right now- but if you're thinking of bring the snow machine- not such a bad idea right now. Several spot on the pipeline road are tough going on wheelers and basically one storm away from being snow machine or ski/snowshoe access only.

[swampdonkey]

Go to the front gate of PS-11/GRB in Glennallen. Talk to the speaker at the gate (a security officer sees you and will talk to you), and ask them for RUG permit. Get it, they're free. Thats it.. I used to work there, I know. Security is good Intel... Just sayin'...

[JOAT]

To clarify, the "RUG" (Right of way Use Guidelines) is NOT a permit. It doesn't authorize you to do anything. It is a legalese document that Alyeska Pipeline requires you to acknowledge the rules and limitations that are in place on the actual pipeline leased area, which is a swath of land that is 100 feet wide along the pipe itself. The entire 100-foot ROW is a no shooting zone, not just the roadway along one side of the pipe. And it's a federal crime to mess with or damage anything associated with TAPS, to include an incidental bullet strike on any pipeline equipment, so beware of your backstop when the pipe is anywhere downrange of you. You don't want to tangle with the FBI.

Note that the pipeline company doesn't own any of the land in the ROW cooridor. So the RUG doesn't let you access the land unless you also get permission from the land owner. Most of the land is Federal or State and may be open public access. But there is a bunch of private property out there as well and the RUG doesn't let you access or cross those areas without permission from the land owner. Know before you go.

You can also get a RUG at the Alyeska office locations in Anchorage and Fairbanks, so you don't have to wait until you get out there to find a manned pump station. The pump stations that can issue you a RUG are PS-4, PS-5, PS-6, PS-7, PS-9 (Delta Junction), and Glennallen Response Base. They are also availabe at the main gate of the Valdez Marine Terminal (you'll need to park in the lot to the left of the gate, don't pull up to the gate itself).