You can access these hiking trails, and a lake system, via the Maud Road extension. Take Maud Road until it becomes dirt, then follow for another 6 miles until it dead-ends into a parking lot. This minimally maintained road crosses Mat-Su Borough, Eklutna Inc., and State land. It also provides access from the end of Maud Road to Mud and Jim Lakes, and the Rippy Trail. Once here, you can fish, canoe, hike, bike, or ride—or just watch swans, ducks, and sandhill cranes. You can even make a day if it by canoeing the quiet lakes and fishing for your dinner. To do so, head south from the parking lot down to the lakes, or take the Rippy trail, accessed at the northeast corner of the parking lot.
The new, 3.8 mile Rippy Trail reroute was intended to be an ATV trail, but it's a blast on a mountain bike, too: There are some nice long downhills with banked turns, a few shallow creek crossings, and some chunk sections. Most of this trail lies on south-facing hillsides, with views of the Knik River Valley and Pioneer Peak.
