This is a solid trail that no one apparently knows about…read more If you're tired of crowds on Chugach trails, look no further than here! There are stunning views of Denali from atop Bear Mountain/Peak/whatever its called. It's also really flat on top, great for pitching a tent and watching the northern lights. The trail goes on forever, but I hear the quality deteriorates around mile 12 or so.

Nice easy to moderate hike. The view was nice on the top. It wasn't the best one out of all the…read morehikes that we did but it was pretty nice. Alaska is beautiful no mater where you hike in general. And of course, it wouldn't be called Bear Point without a bear. We were a bit disappointed that we didn't spot any bear on our hike. As we were heading back about 5 to 10 minute walk to our car, we heard a loud noise and a huge black shadow about 15 feet in front of us on the trail. Our dog reacted and started barking. The bear saw us and climbed on the tree near by. We had a staring contest for a good 5-10 minutes before we decided that it was safe to walk under him to be on our way. It was quite an experience to have a bear on the tree right above your head staring at you at you walked by. Pretty awesome! That bear was more afraid of us than we are at him. However, bring your bear spray and gun just in case on any hike in AK because you never know who/what you might run into.

We got here about 630am on 20 May 2021 (a Thursday) and the gate was still closed but we are able…read moreto go around the side. There is not too much ice on the trail and other than a snack and a single glove that someone seemingly dropped accidentally, it is fairly clean. The initial incline will have you gasping for air (you'll be fine if you're fit or not coming from flat, low incline area). There are a lot of switchbacks but the trail is clearly marked.

This is a great after-work hike, especially if you're getting bored of Flattop…read more The hike is shorter than Flattop (only 1.5 miles one way) and probably has less gain (although I'm not certain). Don't be fooled by its being in Eagle River, the driving distance is still pretty similar to Flattop. (you can go faster on many of the roads) The hike is pretty steep and the trail isn't incredibly defined in spots, but it's straightforward. Just keep going up. It's not a scramble like Flattop, you'll never need to use your hands. There ain't many trees up here, hence the name. You'll get some really unique view of the Eagle River area Chugach mountains. You can turn this into a larger hike by continuing up the ridge to Blacktail Ptarmigan Rocks, or a longer day by going up to Roundtop. If you want to go higher still, you can go up Vista Peak. This trailhead is still accessible in the winter, just be sure to bring gaiters and/or snowshoes. Huge snow drifts can accumulate on the trail, and you will probably punch through a couple times. This trail sees enough traffic that there will often be a bootpack leading up, though. I'd also recommend some form of foot-traction/spikes if doing it with snow. Watch out for: the winds. They can be pretty insane up here. I went up yesterday and it was sustained 40mph with 50-60mph gusts!

Very family friendly…read more I had never stopped here until this weekend. Such a cute little walk about! Tons of parking, bathrooms, and doggie bags. There is a one-mile loop that goes around the lake. I saw signs for alternate routes for accessibility, I didn't check them out, but they are there. A little watch tower about 0.25 miles in if you go to the right. Trail is very dog friendly- lots of signs to keep your pup on a leash.

If you are looking to put your feet in the water, throw a ball for your dog, or wonder around the…read moregreat outdoors without over exerting yourself, then this is your place. Nice views of the lake, and easy to follow trails. I didn't see a place for us to pay to park.

Eklutna Lake is a special place and worth about a 20 minute (one way) detour off the main highway…read morebetween Anchorage and Denali. The drive itself is very scenic and once you arrive at the lake area, there's an obvious day use area where you can park and use the pay machines for day use fees. I didn't do much of the trail, as I was heading north to Denali but did spend about 45 minutes or so walking the rocky shoreline and taking in the amazing views. There are a number of trails to explore here as well as kayaking and guided hikes. It's a glacier fed lake and also serves as a water supply for Anchorage. Alaska has no shortage of wonders and it's pretty special that you can drive a short distance from its largest city and arrive to a place like Eklutna Lake. Carry bear spray-sightings are common though we didn't see any.

We didn't hike the full trail, just went about a mile up and back along the lake from the parking…read morelot, but even that short stretch was worth it for the views. There were plenty of spots along the old dirt road where you could step closer to the water and really take in the scenery. There were mosquitoes, but we came prepared with bug spray, so it wasn't too bad. Looking back, we probably would've enjoyed kayaking more. The lake was calm and the scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Even just sitting by the water felt peaceful. If we go back, we're skipping the hike and getting out on the lake.

This trail shoots off from the Eklutna Lakeside Trail:…read more https://www.yelp.com/biz/eklutna-lakeside-trail-eklutna To access it, park at the Eklutna Lake parking lot. Get on the Eklutna Lakesde trail, but instead of heading towards the lake, go the opposite direction. In about 500 ft, you should see the trial marker for Twin Peaks. The official trail is about 5 miles round trip. If you're not an avid hiker (or are feeling lazy, or are short on time) a good benchmark is, well, "the first bench". It's about 1.6 miles one-way and offers one of the best places in the Chugach to sit on a bench and take in views. (the "second bench" is another mile up trail, and where the official trail ends) If you are an avid hiker, you have a ton of options: East Twin Peak: this is more of a scramble that a hike, if you're not sure what that means, it's best to attempt it when you do! https://www.yelp.com/biz/east-twin-peak-palmer West Twin Peak: a much easier climb than East Tiwn, but the approach is pretty long and obnoxious. https://www.yelp.com/biz/west-twin-peak-anchorage Pepper Peak: if you leave the second bench and keep going uphill (or, take a "secret trail" that starts at the first bench and goes straight up, with no switch backs), You'll eventually summit this peak. It's only a hike, nothing technical about it. Eklutna High Traverse: This starts at Twin Peaks trail and ends at Bold Ridge trail, hitting a half-dozen peaks along the way. It's over 27 miles long! Protip: This trail is an outstanding place to catch fall colors!

Steep at the start but easy after that. It took us about an hour round trip at a relaxed pace,…read moreincluding time at the falls. Good payoff for a short hike.

Thunderbird falls is a nice little trail. Parking lot is fairly small. $5 for parking per day…read more Credit card only. Bathrooms and info signs as well at the trailhead. We went may 2023 and the trail was not very maintained yet as there were several Rees we had to climb over/go around that had fallen. Not sure if/when somebody cleans them up. No trash around which was nice. Pretty small viewing areas for the amount of people that are trying to see the overlook or the falls. I recommend going down to the bottom where the bad of the falls are, you don't exactly get to the base of the waterfall but pretty close. I recommend this trail, some steep hills but took us an hour to go to/down to the bottom, and get two geocaches and we were back in the car.

This park/ campground was amazing with epic views and there were play areas for the children or…read morepavilions for parties. Many campgrounds sites were available, but we were just there for a walk and taking some photos. Planes were flying above as it's near the Palmer airport and I got some great shots of the airplanes flying above. This airport is predominantly single engine planes. Trails were marked well, but keep track of where you are, as we were not sure on the way back, but you have cell service to look at where you are exactly to find your way back. It's next to a cemetery, which was a great spot for photography also. Overall a great choice for an easy stretch out your legs hike, with marked options for longer hikes/ mountain biking trails.

One of the nicest, most modern campgrounds in Alaska. To start, they have on site hot showers…read more Thats unprecedented in Alaska. They also have a volleyball court, playground, children's bike course, and beautifully landscaped facility. This is much more on par with what you would expect in the lower 48. They also have a nice set of short trails (not safe for children who are incapable of following directions due to shear cliffs), but other than that they are fairly easy with nice views and not terribly difficult.

I did a tour with these guys eight years ago and it was phenomenal and I just did another one and…read moreit was even better. I would highly recommend. the guides did a great job. The scenery was beautiful and I cannot believe some of the terrain they took us through

We did the Knik Glacier ATV Tour with 2 ATVs and 1 Side by Side. Our group had an amazing time and…read moreHailey was a wonderful guide! She was knowledgeable, skillful at navigating the terrain, and incredibly kind. The ATV tour to the glacier was a highlight of our trip to Alaska and a memory we'll cherish forever. We highly recommend this fun outing while you're in Alaska.