Great place to hike, bike, and walk your dog…read more A great place to take visitors for a breath taking view from the top.

Easy trail for most. This is a good trail for anyone visiting town there are two paths the front…read moreside and the back. I feel the back is easier but honestly not sure. I say it's easier as it's just more stairs. The front also has some but more just ups vs switch backs. *** not a hiker so terms are probably wrong. Great views and photo spots up the trail and top!!

Stunning! The views are breathtaking from start to finish, and the trail itself is well-kept and…read moreeasy to follow. The scenery changes as you go, with incredible overlooks and peaceful spots to take it all in. Definitely a must-see if you're in the area!

This is a great hike! It's probably right around the longest you can go for a weekday, after-work…read morehike...and still get to bed at a normal time. (unless you trail-run, of course) If you start at the Bear Valley trailhead, the stats are: 5.4 miles round trip, 2,300 ft. elevation gain BIG SIDE RANT INCOMING: About that trailhead. It's located in an area with many McMansions. The people that live in these McMansions chose to build their McMansions within spitting distance of PUBLIC lands. And yet, they hate it when people use these public lands. Parking is tiny and STRICT. The police left these wealthy McMansion owners with a sign explaining these rules. Rampant theft in all of Anchorage and these one-percenters in the hills waste law enforcement's time because someone parked on the side of the road. Of course, their excuse for this is "safety", because of course it is. Safety, like children, is always a great excuse to get your way. WHAT?! ARE YOU SAYING YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT SAFETY?! WHAT IF MY HOUSE IS ON FIRE AND THE FIRE ENGINE TAKES 2 SECONDS LONGER BECAUSE A HIKER PARKED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD? The icing on top is that these McMansions are usually vacant. Such beautiful land with beautiful views: wasted. Anyway, be prepared to not have a parking spot if you're here on a good weather day and/or a weekend. There is an "overflow" (seems silly to use "overflow" when the "main" lot only has 3-4 spaces) place you can park, but it will add another half-mile to your hike. A half-mile with scenic views of McMansions. The hike takes you a softly-undulating ridge. It leads up and down a few false-summits until you arrive at the castle-turret-looking formation that is the true summit of McHugh Peak. There are numerous ways to the top, of varying difficulty. Plan your route accordingly. If you start to climb up and feels very difficulty, maybe back down and try a different side. There is some steep relief on some sides of the summit. A fall would be...."real bad".

O'Mally peak is the craggy fang in the line of Chugach peaks you see from Anchorage…read more Most of us see it every day. There are numerous ways to climb it. The easiest way is up a loose scree gulley. I'd consider it very much a "hike". The other lines start to get a bit more complex and technical. Everything from 4th class to ice and mixed lines! Like many peaks in the Chugach, this starts at the Glen Alps traihead. (the same one as Flattop)

Super Late on this review but finally got to it. We were in Alaska last year for my sister's T4K…read moreRide (http://www.texas4000.org). After she was done we wanted to explore Anchorage a little. After reading about Chugach guides we booked a hike with them. My parents never go hiking or trekking, neither does my wife!!! For them to enjoy this, was a big deal. Sudevi was on time and super cheerful. She is very knowledgable and kept the hike easy for most of the way keeping in mind that my sister just biked 4500 miles from Austin 2 days before. My mom is a botanist so she got to explore her flowers and plants, I like mountains so we got some nice shots. I would highly recommend Sudevi and her company. She was equipped with water and snacks, what else can you ask for.

I signed up for a day long hike and had the best hike of my life! Luke was our guide. He was…read moreenjoyable to be with and offered education along the way, as well as keeping the conversation going between us. He hiked us up to hidden lake, and then gave us the option to climb to the summit of The Ramp for the most breathtaking view. As a novice hiker, it was certainly a challenge, but the views at the top were spectacular. All in all, 13 miles round trip. Hiking poles, snacks and water were provided. Those poles saved my knees on the way back! I highly recommend this company. I felt I received great value.

It's a winner!…read more Alaska has so much spectacular scenery. It's everywhere you look, and this trail takes the prize for most stunning. Seriously. It looks, feels, and smells really nice. The only downside is that it's popular, so don't expect a quiet, solitary time. There are lots of people on this path, but at least it will keep the bears and moose away! ha

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! One of my favorite "easy hikes." The city of Girdwood is…read moreenchanting. I'm in my very own version of Beauty and the Beast whenever I'm adventuring in the area. I was grateful to have been able to experience this trail in its entirety, prior to an accidental death, and the ultimate closing of the hand tram. You can start this hike at the Alyeska Hotel (more popular) or at Crow Creek Mine (less popular). From Crow Creek Mine to the gorge it's about 1 mile. With the hand tram closed, theres no safe way to cross the gorge. From the Alyeska Hotel to the gorge, it's about 2 miles. I'd recommend starting from the hotel for a longer hike. That side also has many natural staircases, unique bridges/water sights, basically, the best photo opps. When in season, this trail offers lots of berry, mushroom, and other foraging opportunities. Highly recommend.

There are many different sections to Chugach State Park, like…read more... - Potter Creek - McHugh Creek - Beluga Point - Falls Creek - Indian Creek - Bird Creek You can spend a lot of time discovering all these incredibly vast areas of the park. What really stood out for me was making a brief stop here at milepost 96.5 along Seward Highway (35 miles south of Anchorage) for BIRD POINT TRAIL. I believe coming to Bird Point will help provide a glimpse into the magical setting of the Turnagain Arm waterway within the Cook Inlet part of the Gulf of Alaska. According to the entrance sign near the trailhead, Bird Point is... "A place to reflect and enjoy." "See wildlife foraging in scenic surroundings." " Smell the richness of earth and see." "Hear the whoosh of a beluga's breathing or the rush of a 6-foot bore." "Touch land that was once tropical ocean bottom." Welp, I don't know about all that wildlife because I didn't see anything during my visit...but definitely walking the easy 1.9-mile trail will allow for plenty of opportunities to appreciate nature and the great outdoors. It's a $5 fee for parking. Then, there'll be plenty of viewpoints on the paved connector pathway for picture moments of the Kenai and Chugach Mountain Ranges. When I was here towards the end of June, there was still some snow covering the mountain peaks which added to the beautiful backdrop and that was even, still, on an overcast day. I didn't hike the full length of the trail, maybe I used 30 minutes in total, but it was enough to get a feel for how special this part of Southcentral Alaska is. And just past here at Bird Point are still more exciting roadside pullovers along the Seward Highway journey to appreciate the sights before arriving in the town of Girdwood, where I highly suggest riding the Alyeska Resort Tram. Overall, Bird Point is a scenic stretch of Chugach State Park that's not difficult for exiting your car and taking time to walk around and explore.

If you're like me, you want a hike that doesn't make you climb 1000 feet in 5 minutes. I prefer a…read moregentle slope and that's what you will find in Chugach State Park. It is a nice rolling trail with footbridges to avoid rough ground and crossing streams. I'm no expert on mushrooms, but there were a lot of them. Not sure that you were allowed to pick them, but some mushroom foragers were doing so. I've included some pictures for you mycologists. The trail had a nice spruce like smell that was pleasant. And we saw plenty of dogs at walking their owners. There were also benches along the trail in case you wanted to take a break. We saw wild berries and other native plants. It took use about 90 minutes to walk about 3 miles.

This is a point to point hike, that for the average hiker takes several days. I'm a serious slow…read morepoke, so I always out and back the first couple miles. The hike is fairly steep, that in the summer doesn' require cleats, but walking poles or a stick is nice, especially if your knees are garbage like mine. You definitely want to being a well equipped pack and plan for everything, since this location is somewhat remote, and if something goes sideways you want to be prepared. Animal encounters are a real possibility. The weather and temperature fluctuates in typical Alaskan style as well. If you go far enough, you'll have to cross a creek, which depending on the time of day, can be unpassable. In fall the colors are absolutely stunning. I highly recommend this trail for adults. Leave the kids and pets home.

Great hike in Girdwood, more exciting and less crowded than the "other" trail in Girdwood…read more You'll pass old mining debris and wander up a hill. As things get steeper watch out for Mountain Goats! I saw a Nanny and a Billy last time I was here. Eventually, you'll get pretty close to some assorted waterfalls and then top out on the pass proper. At the top is a lovely A-frame hut (reservation only, don't mess with the people in there, give 'em some privacy!). If you continue onward you'll see great views of the Raven Glacier. We brought some ice tools and crampons so we could play around on it. It was a great time! Most people turn around here. But, if you're well-equipped, you can continue almost 20 miles, all the way to Eagle River. Definitely a must-hike in the Girdwood area. If you get back in time, I recommend dinner at Jack Sprat!

A word of caution: this trail is BRUTAL in the winter…read more I think it's because the people of Hope rarely hike it then. The final 3 miles were pure misery, non-stop post-holing. It took us nearly 7 hours RT, this shocked my climbing partner and I both. In the summer, I imagine it can comfortably be done in half that time. The trail is mostly flat, and 5 miles, one-way. At the 5 mile mark, there are some places to camp. This would be a great trip for a beginning backpacker. Most of South-central was socked in when we hiked it, so the views at the end were just OK. Already dreaming of a warm, summery, Corona-free hike in the future. Will re-review it then. As it stands now, it's high-effort, low-reward. You'd be better served by a higher elevation, but more frequently used trail in the winter. (like Flattop, Powerline Pass, Rabbit Creek, etc)

Gull Rock Trail, located in the Chugach National Forest, is a really excellent, moderately easy…read moretrail that has a lot to see and explore. Able bodied adults, children and seniors will enjoy this trail as long as they go prepared for some terrain changes and the misty rain that enevitably descends on hikers in this part of Alaska. To access Gull Rock Trail, take Hope Highway to the end and the entrance and parking lot are on the left. If you are camping at Porcupine Campground, you can access the trail from a 2ndary trail head there as well (which carves .5 miles off the one way distance of the hike.) There is no public parking in the Porcupine Campground to access the trail, so hikers are best off parking at the main trailhead (or camping at Porcupine... make reservations online or you'll NEVER get spot !) Unfortunately I jacked up my knee right before my vacation (argh!) so I was only able to hike about half the trail but it was very enjoyable but not terribly challenging. There's some elevation changes, but not more than about 500 feet elevation gain total. The terrain, however changes a lot. There's rainforest, birch forest, pine forests, talus (rockslidy areas), views of the inlet and the mountains. It's a nice bit of everything. There's some minimal berry picking as well, but nothing particularly exciting. There are some water sources about, so if you bring a water purifier along with you you'll stay well hydrated. There's also, unfortunately ample mosquitos. It's DEFINITELY a trail you want to be prepared for wildlife encounters (bear spray/gun), injuries (first aid pack), and basic survival stuff (a way to purify water, start a fire and a space blanket). Most of the trail has cell service since across the inlet is Seward Highway (which you can see in some spots). But there are dead spots and if you get hurt, no one's gonna find you for a while, so be prepared to hunker down. We had a bear scare on the trail because in some places the brush and shrubbery is flush with the trail. That always makes me a little squirrley. Especially if you take kids with you, be prepared for large animal encounters. There's not a lot of traffic on this trail past mile 2, so it's pretty secluded for some nice quiet time with nature. Enjoy!