Treadwell Ditch Trail restoration project completed

Spanning 150 years of history, thousands of hours of volunteer time, six organizations and 13 miles, the Historic Treadwell Ditch Trail is continuous

Community members, many of whom were involved in the trail restoration process, gather to celebrate the completion of the Treadwell Ditch Trail at the Blueberry Hill trailhead on August 1, 2025. (Natalie Buttner / Juneau Independent)

For the first time in over a century, the Historic Treadwell Ditch Trail spans 13.3 miles, providing a continuous route for hikers and bikers from Eaglecrest to South Douglas. 

During a ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday celebrating the completion of the trail, project leaders delivered speeches expressing gratitude and sharing anecdotes from years spent working on the trail. Meghan Tabacek, executive director of Trail Mix Inc., recalled her first time working on the trail in 2020. 

“We flew in four bridge trips that day, and my crewmates and I raced along the trail trying to beat the helicopter to the next site to guide the bridge part safely to the ground,” Tabacek said. 

Tabacek noted that the project has installed 33 bridges, 25 culverts and placed thousands of pounds of gravel over the past five years. 

The trail follows the route of an aquifer built in the 1880s that brought water and power to the Treadwell Mine. 

“It wasn't a recreational thing in the 1880s,” said Wayne Jensen, a member of the Treadwell Historical Society. “It was a very important component of industrial development.” 

A 1993 City and Borough of Juneau Trails Plan details the possibilities and challenges of maintaining Treadwell Ditch Trail. The report notes the extent of the work needed to turn the  mining access road into a trail, as well as the variety of ownerships that the trail passes through.  

“As you hike the Treadwell Ditch as a hiker, you cross these invisible boundaries,” Tabacek said. “So one mile you're on city land, one mile you're on Forest Service land, the next you’re on maybe private or state parks.” 

The restoration of the Treadwell Ditch Trail also required a collaborative effort, drawing support from six organizations. 

“What you see today as you hike on the Treadwell Ditch is the result of an incredible amount of planning, passion and coordination,” Tabacek said in her address to the crowd. 

The majority of the $1.2 million needed to restore the trail came from an Alaska Department of Fish and Game grant using funding from the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act. The act provides funding for wildlife restoration, conservation and hunter education programs from federal taxes on firearms, ammunition and archery equipment. 

The remainder of funding and service for the project was supplied by the Juneau Community Foundation, CBJ, U.S. Forest Service, Trail Mix, and community donors. 

For many, Friday celebrates decades of work on the trail. In the early 1980s, about 100 years after the construction of the original ditch, Mark Scholten began work on the trail with friends. He became more involved in the early 2000, working with the Volunteer Trail Maintenance Team, a group dedicated to maintaining the Treadwell Ditch Trail. 

“It's been a passion of mine for many years now,” Scholten said. 

After the ceremony, those involved in the maintenance of the trail mingled, reminiscing and discussing future work. Erik Olson approached Scholten to show him pictures of them working in the mud on the Mount Jumbo reroute the day before. Olson joined the Volunteer Trail Maintenance Team after he retired. 

“I think it has done more for me than it has for the trail,” Olson said. “It’s really been important for me. They let me be there, and they help aim me, and it helps me stay fit, and it helps me stay useful, and it's really good.” 

There will be a community celebration in Savikko Park on Aug. 2 from 1-4 p.m. to celebrate the restoration of the Treadwell Ditch Trail.