A group of visitors make their way up the new stairway at the Anan Wildlife Observatory's main beachhead. Completed before the summer, the permanent concrete and cedar fixture improves the ascent to the trailhead.
A black bear grabs hold of some breakfast at Anan's lower falls on Saturday. Drawn by returning salmon keen to spawn, nine different bears and cubs kept visitors to the Anan Wildlife Observatory entertained that morning.
Improvements to the observatory at Anan Creek are complete, improving access and security for one of Wrangell's top visitor attractions.
Managed by the Forest Service, Anan Wildlife Observatory is best known for its bear population, one of the few where brown and black bears can be observed feeding together nonconfrontationally. Along with LeConte Glacier and the Stikine River, the sites brought in half of Wrangell's total tourism earnings in 2014, or $2 million, according to a study by Rain Coast Data, a Juneau consultancy. Under current management guidelines, between 1,700 and 1,850 visitors make the trip there each summer, with some of the best viewing falling during the annual salmon run. But the site is popular year-round, and during the offseason groups still make the journey down, either from Wrangell by boat or from Ketchikan by floatplane.
Because of its economic and cultural value, the Forest Service has in recent years made site improvements to the observatory, making trail and culvert improvements in recent years. Beyond that, a major facelift was planned for this year, with work that was meant to address some key shortcomings of the site and its trail linkage.
The rockiness of the beach landing made it difficult for visitors to access the trailhead, particularly during high tide. The bay lacked a place to safely moor boats and planes after their passengers had disembarked. The viewing deck's outhouse was also detached from its enclosure, meaning those responding to nature's call would occasionally be trapped inside by passing or lingering bears. The scenic overlook of the lagoon was likewise succumbing to age and wear.
To address these, the landing was widened and a permanent staircase added granting access to the beach. Additionally, new outhouses were added near the top, at a discreet distance. A 24-foot by 48-foot float was added near the USFS floathouse allowing commercial and private mooring.
Once accessing the trail
itself, visitors can still detect the fresh scent of cedar from the platform overlooking the
lagoon, which was completely reconstructed. At the observation area, access into its enclosure was reorganized for traffic, and a new outhouse was constructed with a connecting boardwalk. Further, waste containment was improved to prevent nosy bears from damaging the outhouse.
The work was undertaken by Rainforest Contracting, a Petersburg firm. In addition to
the aforementioned improvements, the company also upgraded the walkways at and around the trailhead with a barrier-free gravel path. USFS did its own work installing the mooring float. Work had been completed ahead of the site's permitted viewing season, which began June 15 and ended August 25.
The project's funding came from Wrangell Ranger District's capital improvement budget. Its design began two years ago during a site master planning session, which identified various needs at Anan. This year's work was a first phase, with future phases prioritizing reassessment of the trail's design and a replacement of the observatory's current decking structure.
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