After days of dangerous conditions last week, the ice road is dry and ready to go.
In an interview with KYUK on Friday, Bethel Search and Rescue’s Mike Riley said that the river trail upriver from Bethel to Akiachak and Akiak is dry. While there’s lots of glare ice, travelers will stay safe if they drive a little off of the main trail.
Riley added that the trails between Bethel and Napakiak and Bethel and Napaskiak are also safe to travel, provided that drivers keep to the middle of the river.
Conditions on the river were troubling last week due to a stint of warm, rainy weather. Riley said that the water was extremely high on top of the ice, and that travelers had trouble distinguishing how deep it was. High winds only made the matter worse. Riley also confirmed that a resident in Napaskiak died on the river last Monday, though he did not share any further information about the incident.
Riley said that he did not have any updates from the river below Napakiak yet, but would keep Y-K Delta residents posted on conditions via Facebook. In an interview on Tuesday he added that while the trail is graded all the way to Tuluksak, the trail below Napakiak is not and that drivers should proceed with caution.