In a major victory for public access to Chugach State Park, the conservation nonprofit Great Land Trust (GLT) purchased two parcels at the end of the Stewart Trail, in Upper Potter Valley, and turned them over to the state to provide permanent public park access. According to an August 20 GLT press release, the purchase, which was largely funded by an anonymous donor, was finalized on August 14. The land was immediately transferred to Alaska Division of Parks and Recreation.

The two parcels purchased by GLT were formerly owned by the Alaska Zoo and Alaska Botanical Garden, and are located at a critical strategic junction between the Stewart Trail and Chugach State Park. It is unclear whether the Stewart Trail continues into the parcels themselves, dead-ends near their edge, or continues de-facto via a spur or spurs.

Neither the Zoo nor the Botanical Garden had impeded public use of the parcels, both of which are criss-crossed with trails. Nevertheless, the purchase of the lots means that they cannot fall into the hands of a new owner hostile to public access. With the parcels secured, trail users now have a legally-confirmed public route between Steamboat Drive and Chugach State Park.

In an August 22 email, GLT told the Landmine that trail users should not expect any near-term changes to the parcels. GLT said that deed restrictions require the land to be managed as part of Chugach State Park, and that future management decisions would be made by State Parks.

Map provided by GLT showing location of Stewart Trail and newly-acquired parcels

GLT’s purchase is the latest move in a bitter long-running war over public access to Upper Potter Valley via the Stewart Trail. The purchase follows a years-long attempt by a local landowner to gate and seize control of the trail, and a more recent attempt by a developer to close the trail and pursue the construction of a quixotic Bavarian village and private trailhead.

Frank Pugh’s wall

In 2012, Frank and Oksana Pugh purchased the westernmost plot traversed by the Stewart Trail. In 2015, Frank Pugh expanded an existing vehicle gate with metal and barbed wire and began confronting trail users who circumvented it, claiming that he owned the trail. Negotiations with GLT and the municipality, both of which had scant incentive to pay or make concessions to restore public access to what they already believed to be a public trail, failed.

A community group called Friends of the Stewart Trail (FOST) formed in 2016 and successfully sued Pugh and a co-defendant who owned a neighboring parcel, ultimately winning full restoration of public pedestrian access in February 2023.

Frank Pugh’s gate across the Stewart Trail, with a portion removed to restore public access

But despite the conclusion of FOST’s legal battle against Pugh, the war over access to the Stewart Trail was not over.

Bavaria on the Hillside

In a strange refrain of the multi-year Pugh saga, yet another landowner chasing development dreams in Upper Potter Valley attempted to block public use of the Stewart Trail. In 2023, after the conclusion of the FOST lawsuit, local developer and onetime State House candidate Brandy Pennington purchased two large plots bisected by the trail. According to a development proposal obtained by the Landmine via the Rabbit Creek Community Council (RCCC), Pennington’s plans for the valley included over a hundred housing units, a spa, a downhill ski area and snowboard terrain park, “snowmobile excursions,” and “Bavarian-themed” streets bustling with nightlife.

“Imagine a community where the rustic charm of Leavenworth, WA meets the upscale allure of Vail, CO, all while capturing the essence of Girdwood, Alaska,” the proposal stated.

Screenshot from Pennington’s “Chugach Crown” proposal. Proposal graphics appear to indicate that multiple surrounding parcels not currently owned by Pennington would be incorporated into the development.

Some time last summer, numerous trail cameras and signs were installed along the Stewart Trail where it crosses Pennington’s property. The signs claimed that there was “no legal public access,” claimed that the Stewart Trail easement ended at Pennington’s property line, threatened trail users with litigation, and ordered users to turn around.

Unlike Pugh and his co-defendent, the prior owner of Pennington’s parcels had not attempted to block access to the Stewart Trail and therefore had not been included in the FOST lawsuit. Reached via text, Pennington claimed that this meant that the easement did not cross her property and that she had the right to block use of the trail, which she referred to as her “driveway.”

Pennington claimed that the exact location of the trail was undefined, repeatedly asking the Landmine to tell her “where the trail is.” She also stated that she had had negative encounters with trail users, and warned of liability arising from dangerous area moose.

Pennington claimed that it had only “come to [her] attention” that signage had been installed on her property, but later stated she and another party or parties (“we”) had installed the cameras.

When informed that the Landmine would be publishing photos of the signage and cameras on social media, Pennington responded “wicked absolutely wicked” and repeatedly threatened litigation. The Landmine, which has been covering the Stewart Trail controversy since 2019, posted the photos.

On November 13, Pennington published a public video response to the Landmine’s coverage. Set to a backdrop of swelling cinematic music, Pennington described the Stewart Trail as a “private driveway” and claimed that the city had rebuffed her offer to develop a 500-car parking lot and other amenities on her property. The “no trespassing” signs, she said, were now intended to protect the privacy of those living nearby.

In response to questions about the situation, the mayor’s office told the Landmine in a December 18, 2024 email that the municipality had met with both Pennington and FOST and was hoping to find a “mutually agreeable path forward.”

“Supported by the Rabbit Creek Community Council”

In January 2025, Pennington submitted an application to the Municipality’s Heritage Land Bank (HLB) to authorize a land disposal that could allow her to take control of a 120-acre tract of public land immediately south of her parcels. If successful, Pennington would gain private ownership of a massive continuous band of real estate stretching across Upper Potter Valley, from the west ridge of McHugh Peak to the south ridge.

Pennington’s application stated that she intended to use the HLB tract for open space, trails, a community center, and a Chugach State Park trailhead. If Pennington succeeded in both obtaining the HLB tract and blocking the Stewart Trail, her proposed privately-owned trailhead – the first of its kind in the Anchorage area – would become the only feasible access point to Upper Potter Valley and a wide swath of Chugach State Park.

Map showing the Stewart Trail, Pennington parcels, the HLB tract sought by Pennington, and the Zoo and Botanical Gardens parcels recently purchased by GLT to transfer to public ownership

Pennington repeatedly told the HLB that her proposal was “supported by the Rabbit Creek Community Council,” of which she was a member.

Screenshot from Pennington’s HLB application

But a January 24 resolution from the RCCC stated that on January 9, the council had in fact voted 22 to 1 to oppose Pennington’s application. In a prominent italicized section on the first page of the resolution, the RCCC directly addressed Pennington’s claims of RCCC support:

Contrary to the statements in the Application, RCCC has not previously supported this proposed sale and commercial trailhead. Neither has RCCC taken a position on other developments loosely proposed by the Applicant in Potter Valley, as claimed by the Applicant. RCCC has asked repeated questions about access, infrastructure, risk management, and impacts to the watershed and surrounding lands that remain unanswered.

The RCCC resolution added that Pennington’s proposed development would violate adopted land use plans and threaten wildlife, groundwater, recreation, and public access. The resolution cited Pennington’s attempt to block the Stewart Trail, and her “current antagonistic attitude toward public access.”

The RCCC made another critical observation: that unlike the plots directly involved in the FOST lawsuit, a recorded public easement already existed across the portion of the Stewart Trail crossing Pennington’s property. Former landowners, perhaps hoping to spur development, had recorded the 20-foot public easement in 1988.

Recorded plat showing public easement across properties now owned by Pennington in Upper Potter Valley

In an August 20 email, the HLB told the Landmine that they had declined to authorize the land disposal requested by Pennington. HLB cited “a strong preference for retaining the parcel until it can be considered for a potential land exchange with the State of Alaska to enhance public access to Chugach State Park.”

By early June most of Pennington’s threatening signs had been removed, though at least one sign reading “NO LEGAL PUBLIC ACCESS” remained.

“It’s absolutely stunning”

On August 19, local photographer Carl Johnson posted photos of the Stewart Trail and Upper Potter Valley to Facebook, along with a caption describing his involvement with public access issues there. The post quickly racked up hundreds of “likes” and “loves” on the social media site.

“You never know where life is going to take you,” the post began, “or how long the path may be. In September of 2009, I took a hike on the Stewart Homestead Trail in Anchorage to photograph some land for the Great Land Trust. Their goal was to purchase land that would connect that historically-used trail with Chugach State Park, adding a new access point to that park.”

Now, sixteen years later, the post said, he was proud to play a role — however small — in restoring access to the trail.

Screenshot of Carl Johnson’s Facebook post

Reached by phone on August 22, Johnson explained that he had volunteered for Great Land Trust for many years. GLT’s assignments had often taken him to beautiful but little-known parts of Anchorage, he said, including the Campbell Creek Estuary, recently-dedicated Potter Marsh Watershed Park, and the Stewart Trail.

Asked about those who have attempted to block the Stewart Trail over the years, Johnson said “Well, it’s unfortunate. I try to understand my community, be a part of it and contribute positively toward it. I see those people as not considering themselves part of the community. They don’t care about the community and don’t want to contribute positively toward it. They just want to do what they want to do.”

Johnson told the Landmine that his first trip into upper Potter Valley on the Stewart Trail years ago had left a lasting impression. The sweeping tundra ridges and feeling of wildness had reminded him of Denali, he said, despite being readily accessible from urban Anchorage.

“I thought it was marvelous,” he said. “And it’s a beautiful valley, absolutely stunning.”