DNR grants 4.55-acre public easement through state land in Trapper Creek

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources has approved a public access and utility easement over state land in Trapper Creek, formalizing a half-mile corridor that will serve a private parcel and remain open to public use. The decision authorizes an easement approximately 2,640 feet long and 75 feet wide, totaling about 4.55 acres, across state-owned land managed by the Division of Mining, Land and Water. The easement, designated ADL 234686, benefits landowner Troy Church by providing legal road access and utilities to his private parcel.

The Notice of Decision, issued under Alaska Statute 38.05.850, describes the easement as formalizing use of an existing route across state land. By designating the easement as public access rather than a private driveway, DNR reserves the corridor for use by the general public, subject to any terms or restrictions expressed in the easement decision.

Under Alaska state land practices, easements expressly designated as public access corridors are typically open to use by the general public, similar to long-standing policies for state-reserved section-line easements. Adjacent property owners cannot lawfully block public use of the easement; the public has a right to travel along the easement but not to step off the easement onto adjacent private land without the landowner's permission.

Because the easement is framed as public access, nearby landowners may face increased traffic or broader public use of what has functioned as de facto private access. The notice itself does not spell out such concerns, and no high-profile opposition or major environmental conflicts are reflected in the decision record.

The easement is located in Section 24, Township 26 North, Range 6 West, Seward Meridian, in the Matanuska-Susitna Borough near Trapper Creek. The decision was filed on April 22, 2026.