The Crow Pass Crossing is Alaska’s rite of passage — a 26-mile point-to-point route that connects the ski resort town of Girdwood to the Eagle River valley, crossing over a 4,000-foot pass, past the remnants of the Raven Glacier, and through the heart of Chugach State Park. Most experienced hikers complete it in 3 days, though fit parties have done it in two. The route is not technically difficult by mountaineering standards, but the Eagle River crossing — a wide, glacially-fed river that must be forded on foot — has turned back and injured many hikers. Timing your crossing correctly, typically before 9 AM before solar heating accelerates glacial melt, is one of many pieces of local knowledge this guide provides.