Is there a PUBLIC access to Parker Lake?

[FL2AK-Old Town]

So my son and I drove all over the Oil Well Rd and points south area this past week looking for a way in to Parker Lake, but all we found was a roped-off trail that went to a cabin on the lake. People keep telling me "oh yeah go here turn left and that will take you straight there, but, so far, no go. (I passed a guy who tied a canoe to the roof of is UTV and was headed to Parker Lake, so there must be an access.) I've only found one trail that goes down there, and it's private land. Also, the trail to Parker Lake that ends in a gate also splits right and continues south. Does that trail go to those two unnamed lakes a mile or so south of Parker on the map? We started down there but kept running into "Private Property" signs and turned around.

 

[Alaskanmutt]

Purple is public easements

 

[FL2AK-Old Town]

Purple is public easements

View attachment 80129

Hmmmm. Not really sure what to make of that. Some of the purple is obviously Oil Well Rd running south from Amber Lake and crossing Kroto Creek. The path to the northwest is totally unknown to me. The path starting at Chijuk Creek and running straight to Parker...may have been the trail I was on, except I joined it a 1/2 to a mile south of Chijuk and never really did see the Creek. If that IS the trail I was on, someone has roped it off at the last few hundred feet before the lake near a cabin. Is there a turnoff near the northwest corner of the lake that I may have missed?

 

[dkinak2000]

@ FL2KAK-Old-Town:
You can get to Parker Lake sub-division, but public access to the lake is difficult at best. The established access points to the lake are all privately owned as well as the land on both sides of the trail in the sub-division. In the future there may be an easier access, but now it is difficult. The trail you drove in on is maintained by residents of Parker Lake sub-division with no help from the state or borough. The only realistic public access would be on the SW tip of the lake through a nasty swamp. The guy with the canoe may have been a land owner taking it to his cabin. getting a canoe to the lake would be a tough drag across a swamp. Watch out for sink holes. The gate is privately owned land and the trail gets miserable to the right passing through springs and swamps. I don't know of any public access to the lakes south of Parker, The roped trail goes to my cabin. it is on a pond, not Parker Lake. If you saw my cabin you went through anyway. You were on my property before you ever saw the roped off trail. Not cool at all. The rope and the sign on the tree next to it was to let people know it was not public. It is posted well before you ever got there and hopefully my privacy will be respected in the future. I am glad I wasn't there when you came in as it would have been unpleasant for both of us. Time for more trail cameras and aggressive posting of my property I guess. Very sad. I have been as polite as I can and hope this issue doesn't need to be revisited.

 

[FL2AK-Old Town]

@ FL2KAK-Old-Town:
You can get to Parker Lake sub-division, but public access to the lake is difficult at best. The established access points to the lake are all privately owned as well as the land on both sides of the trail in the sub-division. In the future there may be an easier access, but now it is difficult. The trail you drove in on is maintained by residents of Parker Lake sub-division with no help from the state or borough. The only realistic public access would be on the SW tip of the lake through a nasty swamp. The guy with the canoe may have been a land owner taking it to his cabin. getting a canoe to the lake would be a tough drag across a swamp. Watch out for sink holes. The gate is privately owned land and the trail gets miserable to the right passing through springs and swamps. I don't know of any public access to the lakes south of Parker, The roped trail goes to my cabin. it is on a pond, not Parker Lake. If you saw my cabin you went through anyway. You were on my property before you ever saw the roped off trail. Not cool at all. The rope and the sign on the tree next to it was to let people know it was not public. It is posted well before you ever got there and hopefully my privacy will be respected in the future. I am glad I wasn't there when you came in as it would have been unpleasant for both of us. Time for more trail cameras and aggressive posting of my property I guess. Very sad. I have been as polite as I can and hope this issue doesn't need to be revisited.

We didn't cross the rope at your property, and the first "Private Property" sign we saw were in some trees high and to the right, above the trail, about a mile beyond your property (we took that right fork before the hill that climbs up to your rope/gate. We never did see your cabin. The only reason I know there is a cabin there is the maps say there is one there. If we were on your property before getting to your rope/gate, we didn't know it, and we never saw anything, anywhere, to mark any boundary. I say this to let you know if you posted signage in the past, it is gone now. I tend to respect posted lands. We turned around on the trail beyond your place because of the signage. Thanks for the local info.

 

[shayno]

@ FL2KAK-Old-Town:
You can get to Parker Lake sub-division, but public access to the lake is difficult at best. The established access points to the lake are all privately owned as well as the land on both sides of the trail in the sub-division. In the future there may be an easier access, but now it is difficult. The trail you drove in on is maintained by residents of Parker Lake sub-division with no help from the state or borough. The only realistic public access would be on the SW tip of the lake through a nasty swamp. The guy with the canoe may have been a land owner taking it to his cabin. getting a canoe to the lake would be a tough drag across a swamp. Watch out for sink holes. The gate is privately owned land and the trail gets miserable to the right passing through springs and swamps. I don't know of any public access to the lakes south of Parker, The roped trail goes to my cabin. it is on a pond, not Parker Lake. If you saw my cabin you went through anyway. You were on my property before you ever saw the roped off trail. Not cool at all. The rope and the sign on the tree next to it was to let people know it was not public. It is posted well before you ever got there and hopefully my privacy will be respected in the future. I am glad I wasn't there when you came in as it would have been unpleasant for both of us. Time for more trail cameras and aggressive posting of my property I guess. Very sad. I have been as polite as I can and hope this issue doesn't need to be revisited.

relax, this is a forum..no need for threats..

 

[dkinak2000]

@ shayno
I wasn't meaning for my post to sound like a threat. I am sorry if it was taken as one. I tried to answer the question to the best of my ability and give every option I know of for him to access the lake. That being said, I don't see going through a barrier and intentionally entering posted private property as acceptable behavior and believe I am right to feel that way. Especially when it is mine. I belive most everyone feels the same way. I would never do that and was shocked someone did. I could have easily lost my temper had I been there and as mentioned in my reply, am glad I was not. I was trying to be diplomatic. I guess in your eyes that was a failure on my part. "Could you please stay off my posted, barricaded, private property when uninvited" didn't come to mind when I was replying.

 

[FL2AK-Old Town]

We didn't cross the rope at your property,

Actually, after thinking about that weekend, I have to say this isn't totally true. We parked our machines outside your rope. My 12 yr old son stayed with his machine, and I walked about 10-20 feet past your rope to look down the road to see if anyone was around. I was hoping to find someone local to ask about the lake. We didn't drive our machines or anything across your rope.

 

[dkinak2000]

@ FL2AK-Old Town
Thank you for clarifying that for me. I was having a hard time believing someone would do that. A misunderstanding on my part apparently. Sorry for the false accusation. I wasn't tring to be rude or threatening, as shano believes me to be, just direct. I am glad you respect posted land like most of us do. Not everyone does. It is really quite amazing and a great source of frustration. I wasn't aware of any maps that had cabin info for that area. Thank you for the info on the signage.

 

[shayno]

@ shayno
I wasn't meaning for my post to sound like a threat. I am sorry if it was taken as one. I tried to answer the question to the best of my ability and give every option I know of for him to access the lake. That being said, I don't see going through a barrier and intentionally entering posted private property as acceptable behavior and believe I am right to feel that way. Especially when it is mine. I belive most everyone feels the same way. I would never do that and was shocked someone did. I could have easily lost my temper had I been there and as mentioned in my reply, am glad I was not. I was trying to be diplomatic. I guess in your eyes that was a failure on my part. "Could you please stay off my posted, barricaded, private property when uninvited" didn't come to mind when I was replying.

I agree trespassing is not acceptable. The guy was obviously not trying to do that and made such an effort he posted here.. I didn't think that warranted a threat after the fact. It came across as a threat and im not the only one who thought that. and no worries, im sure anyone on here will stay clear.

 

[MacGyver]

Next to your "Private Property” sign It would be helpful if you had a map of your land (high lighted) and the other private property. Also method of contacting you such as, Name, phone #.

That way if a person does not know where he is like FL2AK. He will not have to walk down the trail trying to find where he is.

FL2AK If you go to...http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/landsale/otc/otcmaps/472/parker_lake.pdf

you will see there is a easement going to the lake at 62.02719 / 150.49106. The trail going to Parker lake intercept the easement according to my information.

I wonder if you were at the easement when you cross over the rope? If you were there that would be funny.

 

[FL2AK-Old Town]

Next to your "Private Property” sign It would be helpful if you had a map of your land (high lighted) and the other private property. Also method of contacting you such as, Name, phone #.

That way if a person does not know where he is like FL2AK. He will not have to walk down the trail trying to find where he is.

FL2AK If you go to...http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/landsale/otc/otcmaps/472/parker_lake.pdf

you will see there is a easement going to the lake at 62.02719 / 150.49106. The trail going to Parker lake intercept the easement according to my information.

I wonder if you were at the easement when you cross over the rope? If you were there that would be funny.

I was hoping someone who knew more than me about this area would chime in. When I have some time, I'll check into those coordinates. I was told by some other long time, full-time, local residents that the trail I used was "The Parker Lake Trail" and that it was a public easement. (They were the ones who told me about the trail in the first place.) I thought it odd that the whole trail had recently been plowed out with a small dozer and there was a lot of fresh turned dirt.

 

[FL2AK-Old Town]

DKinAK...

With hunting season coming on, and your new trail, you're going to have to stand guard to keep people off it. While I was out there with my son, I ran into another guy and his son (about the same age) driving a Jeep Cherokee on your trail. They were black bear hunting.

 

[MacGyver]

Here more detail information........in the notes it talked about how to access the area by ATV.

http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/landsale/otc/otcmaps/422/parker_lk.pdf

 

[FL2AK-Old Town]

Here more detail information........in the notes it talked about how to access the area by ATV.

http://dnr.alaska.gov/mlw/landsale/otc/otcmaps/422/parker_lk.pdf

Thanks for the links. Rep points coming. You know what's funny?Wwhen you read the notes on access, they describe almost exactly how we got in there. We took Oil Well Rd., (We've owned land there since the 1980's, even before there was an Oil Well Rd.), across Kroto Creek, took the left where it turns into swamp (they were putting in new culverts there, by the way), a right at the 4-way and that led to a straight ahead turn off which led to what I was told was the long-established "Parker Lake Trail." That went straight (as an arrow) to DKinAK's rope/gate.