Community Gathers on a Rainy Day to Celebrate Completion of Spasski Historic Trail Construction

The crew of the Hoonah Native Forest Partnership has completed the upgrade of over 4,500 feet of the Spasski Historic Trail at the edge of Hoonah. This momentous accomplishment was celebrated by many from about 30 Hoonah residents who gathered on a rainy day to thank the crew and take a hike through the forest.

Origin of the Trail

Gordon Greenewald provided a history of the trail. He explained that it was originally built by Robert Greenewald Sr. in the 1920’s in an effort to connect homesteaders settling in the Spasski Bay area with the growing town of Hoonah. Robert would walk the the trail 2-3 times a week all year around to check on the homestead.

Project History

This trail is a partnership between the City of Hoonah, Hoonah Indian Association, and U.S. Forest Service. The funding for the project came from the Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy funding from the U.S. Forest Service which allowed communities to apply for projects which were meaningful to them. After receiving the funding, HIA went through a community process to determine where trails would be best build. The community chose a road to trail project near Spasski Bay as their first choice. HIA chose to use the Spasski Historic Trail as a workforce development site to learn key trail building skills.

1. https://www.hia-env.org/2025/05/02/over-100-responses-to-the-community-trail-vote-the-selection-spasski-trail/
2. https://www.hia-env.org/2025/03/20/its-time-to-vote-for-a-new-local-trail-in-hoonah/
3. https://www.hia-env.org/2024/03/12/community-survey-results-on-trails-and-community-projects/

For the partnership on this trail project, the City of Hoonah purchased all of the gravel and material for the site. HIA provided the labor through the Hoonah Native Forest Partnership crew. Construction began in 2025 and was completed in 2026. The trail was built using 2″ rock in the base layer and D1 to cap it. Each load was hauled in with a track wagon and it takes a load of 2″ and a load of D1 to build about 3 feet of trail. This means, the crew conservatively hauled 3,000 loads of travel in the wagons to complete the trail!

HIA will be starting into the road to trail conversion by Gobbler’s Knob which we intend to complete in 2027.

Thanking the Crew

Members of the Hoonah Native Forest Crew were present to address the community and receive a round of applause for their accomplishment! This work was completed by many more, and Ian Johnson, HIA Environmental Director, read out the names of those who contributed to the trails construction.

1. HNFP Crew – Jeremy Johnson, Susan Bradford, Jermaine Johnson, Israel Boe, Phillip Sharclane, Leif Gray, Lincoln Johnson, Lauryn Wayne, Linnea Lentfer, Ian Johnson, Gerard White Jr., Gerard White Sr.
2. HIA Construction Crew – Theodore (Ted) Elliot, Dallas, Xach Goins
3. Alaska Youth Stewards – Thomas Mills, Cayenne Boe, Hayden Wright, William Dalton, Chloe Lane, Isaih Budke, Corbyn Budke, Ashley Johnson, Justin Sheakley, Julian Narvaez,
4. Kake –  Travis Adams, Anjelo, Skyler Copsey, Jesse, Baldemarrow
5. Sealaska Interns – Rose Daniels, Malie Townes, Alyce Baxter
6. ANSEP Intern Program – Jordan Klejka, Olivia Mills, Emily Charles, Archer Bowles, Keet Lorrigan
7. City of Hoonah – Ryan Neal, Bill Dalton, Dennis Gray Jr.

The rest of the images below are from the crews through the last two years.

The Trail

The current trail is 4,500 feet long, 4 feet wide, and winds through old growth forests. You feel far away from the road! This trail is combined with blueberries that are located where the trail gets close to the end of the airport runways.