The Campbell Tract is tract of (park) land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management adjacent to…read morethe Far North Bicentennial Park. Most people visit Campbell Tract to see the "technically" active 1 mile airstrip (kept operational for emergencies). As you weave in and out of the 12 miles of trails controlled by BLM, it's virtually impossible to distinguish where one park ends and the next begins unless you're really good at reading maps. It's a spaghetti of trails back there! In August and September this stretch of birch forest is especially beautiful with fall colors. High bush cranberries and mini dogwoods changing color, and lots of wild berries, mushrooms and other fungi provide a rainbow colors in all shapes and sizes. Be aware that black and brown bears frequent this area. One of my pet peeves in this area are rude hikers. Lots of off leash dogs and people who don't clean up after them. Also, hikers using the sled dog trails that explicitly designated as for them alone. There are gazillions of trails back here, but people always want what they can't have.... (For more details about the BLM Campbell Tract, go here: https://www.blm.gov/programs/cultural-heritage-and-paleontology/archaeology/what-we-manage/alaska/campbell-tract-WWII

If you do not get lost, you are doing it wrong. Or maybe it's just me…read more The trails located around the Campbell Airstrip and Airport offer miles of intertwining trails. Walk em, run em, cross country ski on em, and if you really wanted to, you could get your sled dogs ready on these trails. This is another one of those areas where you need to be wildlife aware. There aren't too many "wow" or "super cool" spots to check out here. But if you are looking for a 'walk in the park' to get away, this could be your spot.

Kudos to Joy G for snagging the FTR on this one! (and shame on my for missing it!)…read more This is one of two trails in Hope. Both are very well maintained. The other one, Gull Rock, is flat the entire time: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gull-rock-trail-hope This one, should you take it all the way to the top of Hope Point (3,708'), if you want to take it that far! Views from the top are incredible. You get views of the many peaks of the arm that you just can't get driving to Girdwood because, well, you're too close to the mountains to see their full profiles! This trail is also unique in that it melts out pretty early season (May) for how relatively high it is. More details on Joy G's review, check it out!

Hope Point trail has 2 access points. You can park at the free parking lot that shares the trail…read morehead will Gull Rock Trail for the first mile. Or, if you're lucky enough to be camping at Porcupine Campground, you can start your hike at the unmarked trailhead that starts at the entrance to the campground where the bridge crosses Porcupine Creek. It takes through a much prettier walk through the forest full if beautiful flora and the sounds if rushing water. We hiked both and agree this was much nicer. We didn't have time to hike the whole trail since we also did part of Gull Rock this day, but turned around due to overgrowth and a TON of bear scat on the trail. Hope Point is much rockier and steeper, and doesn't have the same pretty views as Gull, but I also don't want to be mauled by a brown bear. We'll definitely do this trail again.

This trailhead will get you to: Powerline Pass trail: which…read moreheads over to the Flattop area and eventually all the way down to the Turnagain Arm. Wolverine Peak: peak with astounding views. It's a hike with a lot of gain that never gets technical (you won't have to use your hands) nor exposed (there aren't big drops to be mindful of). Beta: https://www.yelp.com/biz/wolverine-peak-anchorage Near Point: a smaller peak in front of Wolverine. Think of it as the "Flattop of this trailhead". Beta: https://www.yelp.com/biz/near-point-hike-anchorage It's a great place to get good views of the metropolis we call "Anchorage". It's accessible in the winter as well as the summer. Word of warning about doing it in the summer: the first mile of this trail is in pretty thick brush. BE BEAR AWARE. Make LOUD NOISES. Once you get out of the brush you're probably fine, but the brush is mighty sketchy. There are also a decent amount of bears in the area. I've seen grizzlies from the summit of Wolverine.

I always hesitate to write reviews of my favorite trails and hikes because I fear increased foot…read moretraffic. But, really, this is one of my favorite trails systems. You can hike mountains, multiple trails, hooks onto power line pass for biking, carve your name on a bridge, etc... I live 10 minutes from here and try to come here at least once a week. Views are incredible and the trails can go from easy to moderate. It's a great park.

Bertha Creek is a lovely little wooded campground nestled between Girdwood and Hope in the middle…read moreof nowhere Alaska. It's funny because it's only 3ish miles away from its sister campground Granite Creek, but somehow Bertha feels just right. Most of the sites are cozily shaded amongst the ample spruce trees and nicely spaced apart. There are a few sites on the south side of the campground that get sun in the afternoon and have a stunning view of the surrounding mountains. Bertha Creek wraps very closely around the perimeter of the campground, but none of the sites have a creek view due to undergrowth. I'm guessing the creek is a class 3 rapids, so it makes sense that the sites would be a little distance in the event the creek floods or changes paths over the years. There is a darling waterfall just a few hundred feet from the nearest campsite and I've decided that I'm DEFINITELY camping here next year so we can spend the day frolicking in the water. I'm packing my waders and gonna try to see if it's scalable. The waterfall is blissfully moss covered a la Fern Gully, so I'm probably fooling myself, but I can dream... at the very least I plan to spend a few years sunning myself along the banks of this beauty. OK, details: No campsite host. He's down the road a Granite Creek. So if you need firewood, it's about a 3 mile trek. One bear box for the whole campground. Clean, "modern" pit toilets. No running water, but there are water pumps. $14 per night, no reservations. I highly doubt this campground ever fills up due to its remoteness. Sites are large enough for Small RVs. There aren't any pullthroughs, so ginormous RVS might have trouble, but it's doable if you're a good driver. This is an ideal site for tents, but I do believe bears are a real concern, so be prepared. Open Memorial Day through Labor Day. Johnson Pass Trail is the nearest attraction. This is really the middle of nowhere. Six Mile Creek and Hope are the next nearest things to do. Girdwood, about 40 minutes away is the next nearest gas station, grocery store and Rv dump station. One aside, it looks like the Forest Service is working on some improvements here... they built a heavy duty bridge to nowhere over the creek so maybe there is an awesome trail in the works? Bertha Creek is really gorgeous so I'm excited to see what the finished product will be!

Do not be confused, this isn't access to Potter Marsh!…read more This is the western start of the 10 mile Turnagain Arm trail. The great thing about this trail is that it's very moderate and almost immediately gives decent views. The not-so great: - It can get VERY crowded, especially in the summer. - There often isn't good parking here in the spring. Everyone wants to get on one of the firs trails to melt out and the parking lot isn't quite fully open yet - You are almost constantly bathed in LOUD highway noise, which can almost make it feel more like a city trail than a hiking trail

This is the start of a one-way ~9 mile trek along Turnagain Arm. First 3 miles are to McHugh Creek,…read morewhich has an easy walk with stops along the way. There are benches and side trails to pop out and rest, or just view the arm and the surrounding mountains. At the start of the trailhead it's not well advertised, but there is an interactive walk with stops to read about the flora and fauna, and another trail that is straight on through along the trail. Will recommend to the outdoor walking enthusiast.

This is a great, less well-known spot to see the sunset or walk the "beach"…read more I accidentally ended up here after a long walk south from Kincaide Park proper. But, you can also drive right here. (it's right next to a dirt bike track) Bring a telephoto lens, the views of the Aleutians, Tordrillos, and Fire Island (and its windmills) are pretty incredible!

A sizeable park. In the middle of the city. I didn't know about it…read more Only in Anchorage! This park is pretty big, feels secluded, doesn't have a lot of people, and has a 3 mile loop. BE ADVISED: there is a spaghetti plate maze of trails here. It's easy to get lots, there are lots of junctions. I recommend getting an app like CalTopo (free if you don't download maps, and you'll have great signal here) so you can see where the hell you are! The main loop is about 3 miles. There's a decent number of moose in here, so be careful. Seems like a lot of horse-stuff happens in the summer.

You may not know the name of this mountain but, she knows you…read more.. if you've driven through the Arm more than a couple times, you've definitely seen it. If you're driving back into Anchorage, it's visible as you're approaching the small village of "Indian" (home to one of the best restaurants in the state: Froth & Forage, https://www.yelp.com/biz/froth-and-forage-coffeehouse-and-eatery-anchorage) It's flanked by two official trails: Falls Creek Trail: on the "Anchorage side" (west) https://www.yelp.com/biz/falls-creek-trail-anchorage Indian Valley Trail: on the "Indian, AK side" (east) https://www.yelp.com/biz/indian-valley-trail-anchorage The trail that goes up to Indianhouse is not an "official trail". Because of this, I was always leery about climbing Indianhouse Mountain. I'm not super-thrilled about bushwhacking, and I thought getting to the mountain proper would require a ton of it. Oh, how wrong I was! The trail that goes up here is actually shockingly well maintained. No 'schwacking at all! It is, however, incredibly steep. Probably steepest trail I've been on in the Chugach State Park area (maybe that's why it's not "official"). Anyway, for the first (steep) mile, it's a very steep hike. You'll eventually top out on nice, wide prairie-like area. From here, casual hikers should probably turn around. You'll know you're at the turnaround point because the trail will start to become faint and eventually disappear into a ridge that leads to the much larger ridge of Indianhouse Mountain. To summit Indianhouse, DO NOT ride this ridge up to ridge of Indianhouse and then try to take that to the summit! This is a tempting move to make but the rock that lies ahead for you is of very poor quality and the moves are very much 5th-class! (e.g. you'll need a rope) Go partially up the ridge, but, before you connect with the summit ridge traverse right. And keep traversing right. This...can be kinda bushwhacky, but you're largely on tundra (and/or garbage snow). I'd say this is probably the crux of the hike/climb. You're looking for a large couloir (narrow gully) that leads up to the summit. It usually has snow in it until later in the summer. You might want to bring an ice axe and crampons or, at the very least, a trekking pole and some microspikes. The summit is exposed and complex, with incredible views in all directions. Views of the nearby Suicide Peaks are one-of-a-kind!