The Valdez area has some great climbing spots, most with amazing scenery. Blueberry Block and Raspberry Rock at Thompson Pass are two that are close together but have been hard to connect. Armed with an Access Fund grant in summer 2020, Valdez Adventure Alliance began the first step in the long process of developing a trail system that will not only connect those two crags, but serve as a starting point for a larger trail network around Blueberry Campground, which will connect with the social trails at the top of the Pass and beyond. The first part of this plan, Berry Trail, connects both climbing areas with adjacent highway turnouts and Blueberry Campground Road, and also provides access to multiple areas on the north side of Thompson Lake, which is stocked with rainbow trout and Arctic grayling, and has a lovely meadow that’s now easily accessed.