Hiking in South Central Alaska - recommendations

My family and I have the opportunity to visit Alaska next July. As part of the trip, we will spend two days in Seward Alaska and two days in Girdwood Alaska. I would appreciate any day hiking recommendations for the Kenai Peninsula and the Anchorage area. We won't have the time or gear for an overnight trip.

We will also have full days in Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway.

We finished the New Hampshire 4000 footers this summer - so we are able to handle day hikes in the 10 - 15 mile range depending on elevation gain.

Thanks for your help.

Anchorage Area: Flattop Mt is an easy dayhike and is the most hiked mtn in Alaska. it's in the Chugach range and a short drive south of Anchorage. You can pick up a nice map of the area from places such as the REI in Anchorage.... It's typically very very crowded! But good views of the entire Anchorage area abounds as well as turnagain arm.. You can also catch the military planes flying at the AFBs north of the city and can see denali on a clear day..

Skagway: You can do some dayhiking trips along the White Pass railway and/or part of the Chilkoot Trail. the Chilkoot would have to be an overnight but you could spend a day around Dyea checking out the old town and then a short sojourn around the trail.

We also did a dayhike the day we arrived there from simply picking up a tourist hiking guide at the airport.. I forget the name but it was a short walk to a point that looks out into the bay right by the tourist helicopter place and we watched sightseeing helis take off and land every 10 minutes or so (cruise ship crowd)..

Jay

In Juneau, definitely hike Mt. Rogers. When we hiked it, we hiked from town and took the tram back to the bottom. (Sadly, the FTFC does not approve.) There are trails that lead away from the tram top to the true summit of Mt. Rogers and out beyond. It's a beautiful hike. I don't remember the length, but we just did an out and back, so ymmv. Have fun!

Best bet is to take an all day cruise through the Kenai Fjords Nat'l Park (from Seward) or find a GOOD bush pilot with a little DeHavilland Beaver 4-seater float plane. It's just too big a country to see on foot, especially in just a few days...

The single best source for Southcentral hiking info is Alaska Hike Search. This is a free database with route descriptions, trip reports, and links to virtually all the other relevant information. Look at the Chugach National Forest section for specific info on hikes near Girdwood and Seward. The operator even offers to respond free to your emails at [email protected].

Note that brown/grizzly and black bears are resident at Girdwood and on the Kenai. (In fact, they can be encountered throughout the Anchorage Bowl, including the municipal parks and greenways.) The AHS site will have useful information on this aspect.

You won't have snow falling on you in July, but you should be ready for wind-driven rain at times. The weather at that time will resemble the coast of Maine in May and June.

If you don't know it yet, you will never forget the scenery in Southcentral. Have a great trip, and feel free to send me a PM for more specifics.

Kenai Fjords by boat is out of this world. We spent a lot of money on it but I would do it again without a second thought.

There are hikes to do from the Exit Glacier Visitors' Center(in Seward)--info should be available on line. The Alaska Sea Life Center, Seward, was interesting and informative.

There is so much to do in the Chugach Forest. We hiked the Resurrection Pass Trail as a 4 day trip, staying in Forest Service cabins at night. This meant we could carry light packs and we did as much as 15 miles in one day.

You should consider a trip to Hope, too.

Do not venture out on the mud flats of Turnagain Arm! There are many horror stories, many with fatal endings.

This is an amazing part of the USA. Enjoy!

Pat T

Hi there,
I was in Alaska for two weeks this past August. We spend time in Anchorage and in Seward. The best hike we took anywhere, Denali National Park included, was Exit Glacier in Seward. It was a 1/2 day hike alongside Exit Glacier to the Harding Ice Field. After the hike we went on a guided "hike" with a ranger to learn about the history of the glacier and area. Very cool.
In Anchorage we hiked Flattop the day we arrived. It took just a couple of hours if that. We were jet lagged and all so we took it easy. Not too many people out that day, but it was rainy and so cold I went to REI on the way back and bought a thin baselayer pants. The next day we hiked to Hidden Lake-- sort of. It was so well hidden we didn't find it, but later learned what we'd done wrong. I would go back there. The trailhead for Hidden Lake is the same as the one for Flattop.
The top three things we did in Alaska was bike the park road in Denali (and the Anchorage city trails- we rented bikes for a week), hike Exit Glacier, and take a full day boat tour to the Kenai Fjords. We took a small boat where the captain tailored the tour to our wants. I saw some great new birds.
Anyway, here are our pictures if you are interested. Beware there are a ton. I posted them for family originally. Feel free to PM me any questions.Alaska Pictures

A few more thoughts...

Skagway - rent a bike and ride up to the border (or get a lift) and then coast the 10 miles or so back to town. Also, go over to Diae (sp?) and hike up the Chilkoot Trail. I think you can get to the pass and back in a long day.

Ketchikan - at least take the tram up to the big hotel above town for a brew and view.

Juneau - Agreed on Mt. Rogers. Also go to the Mendenhall Glacier outside of town and hike up the right side. It goes on and on for quite a while. Great views of the Mendenhall Towers.

Seward - Mt. Marathon is right above town. There is a run up and back every July 4th. Oldest running race in the US!!!

Girdwood - 3 mile hike up to Crow Pass. Go another mile to Raven Glacier. If you want a long day, another 22 miles to Eagle River is a hoot. Or down to Eagle Glacier and up onto the snout. A hike or tram ride to the top of Alyeska is worth it.

I packrafted, climbed and summited everything in the area so contact me if you are interested anything more complicated.

Bird Ridge north of Girdwood is a good hike with killer views and gets you up pretty high. Hit the Brown Bear Saloon near there and mention my name to Sourdough Al for a free beer. He owes me.

As mentioned, Hope is nice and the Res Trail is a great hike. You can blast it. Johnson trail also. Both can be done very quickly with a mountain bike.

Portage - Byron Glacier is nice with good ice walking. A few tourist have died on the ice. Byron Peak is a fun day trip with axe and crampons.

On and on and on. Have Fun and think big. You can do plenty with 24 hour daylight. If you get to Anchorage, hit the Moose's Tooth for amazing gourmet pizza and brews.

Jeff

Portage - Yup, I've been to the visitor's center there:

http://www.alaska.net/~design/scenes/portage/portage.html

The Begich Boggs visitor's center is named after two US congressmen (Nicholas Begich Sr and Hale Boggs) were presumed lost in a plane crash near the Malaspina glacier in 1972. Mark Begich is currently the major of Anchorage, AK and is the youngest son of Nich...

Trivia!

Also, if you are in Girdwood, check out the Double Musky, a pretty good restaurant near the ski center there..

Jay

p.s. It's "Dyea"

P.p.s. : http://www.nps.gov/klgo/planyourvisit/permits.htm

I forgot whether there was a permit needed for dayhikes. I knew you had to get a permit to cross into Canada (Yukon terr) at the pass and they tried to limit the backpackers to 50 a day in the high season... Seems like the permit is for certain dates too.. (highly recommended as a backpack!) the pass is stunning and the glacial lakes once you get off the pass itself is amazing...

I have a recommendation:

Take me with you.

Personally, I'd skip the Portage visitor center. This was one of the early casualties of climate change. At one time, you could see the glacier face right from the parking lot. Folks walked out onto the lake ice to get good looks at it in winter. But just as the center was being built, the glacier retreated around a corner. The only real way to see it now is to take a fairly boring excursion boat trip. If you want to hike to a glacier, Exit and Byron are good opportunities within your time frame.

On a happier note, I too recommend Crow Pass, the Moose's Tooth, the Double Musky, and the boat tours from Seward. If you do take a boat tour, be sure the operator's name is in fact Kenai Fjords Tours. They'll have several boats and various tour options.

At all costs, avoid any urge to see Whittier. You'll know why if you ignore this advice.

Chilkoot Trail ... no fee or reservation needed to day hike on the American side ... but you would need transportation to get to the trailhead from Skagway (check with the locals ... Dyea Dave is always around to give people rides to the trailhead for some $) ... the interesting parts of the trail are farther along, but if you can hike to Canyon City (on the Chilkoot) there's a side trail to a bunch of artifacts from the gold rush era. It's 16+ miles to the Canadian border (British Columbia) from the trailhead.

As others have mentioned, don't miss Exit Glacier. Unfortunately you can no longer walk right up to the glacier and touch it, at least not around the base area (it's roped off).

Another recommendation for the Moose's Tooth. But plan on waiting for a while for a table, but it's worth it. It's also a microbrewery.

Personally I prefer Homer to Seward but obviously it's not on your itinerary!!

Have fun ... it will be a trip to remember.

I have to add a big positive PLUS to what Chugach said about Crow Pass in Girdwood. I stumbled upon it accidentally 5 years ago while looking for a place to stealth camp after picking up my rental car. I pulled into the parking lot after driving down this godforsaken road (in the dark in a tiny Suzuki car).
Next AM, I am crawling out of my tent and see about 6 other folks who also had the same idea getting out of their tents.
Over coffee they told me about Crow Pass, the cabin, the pond and Raven Glacier. I decided to follow them up the pass. It opens up into one of the more incredible passes I have ever hiked. there was snow and ice on top, but the walking was easy and a non-technical hike. Ended up at the Glacier and had lunch later at the ranger cabin.
I liked it so much that I decided to take my wife there when she flew in a week later, as one of the crowning moments of our trip.

I would also like to add to the others about the Kenja Fords in Seward. (Couple of hours form Girdwood). We took the half-day wildlife boat tour - It was absolutely phenomenal. We saw sea otters floating in the middle of the ocean, millions of birds buzzing around islands, Whales just off our prow. More wildlife than I have ever seen.

When I go back again, I have to at least add Crow's pass back to the itinerary - It was really awe inspiring to me.

In Juneau,take a wild helicopter ride up onto the Mendenhall with Northstar Trekking
You can gear up and do a free climb,or arrange a toprope,or just trek around on the glacier

In Seward there's The Alaska Sealife Center

To get out and see the Kenai Fiords,see Andy at Weather Permitting Water taxi

I agree with the Chilkoot in Juneau.. Dyea Dave is worth the trip out and back...

In Juneau, the Mendenhall Glacier area is great, so is Mount Rogers and Mount Juneau. Hike out to the Gold Mining Museum in Juneau as well. It is an easy hike from the down town area along a road. You can get to a few different trail heads there.

Also check out Douglas across the way from Juneau. This is a great chance to see some an amazing wildlife with out the crowds.

I am debating about heading back North again... It is a fun place. Check out the hostel in Juneau; a top notch operation, Silverbow for bagels; some of the best that side of NYC, and Heritage for coffee. Avoid the hostel in Skagway! Unless they cleaned up their act, the place was a dive and not that great. Also check out the State Museum in Juneau as well, a great little place to learn a lot about the native cultures.