10 Best Hiking Trails in Alaska
The beauty of Alaska is unlike anything else. There are insane mountains, untouched landscapes, active wildlife, and colorful fireweed. We wanted to make the most of our time in Alaska, so we planned for a ton of hikes. We’d recommend each and every one of these to anyone visiting Alaska!
Reflections Lake in Palmer
This is a 1.25 mile loop around a serene lake. While we visited when it was rainy, we still loved the surrounding mountain views and the ease of the loop. Don’t forget to climb up the lookout tower to get a beautiful 360 view!
Eklutna Trailrace in Palmer
This is a 1 mile out-and-back trail that overlooks the fishermen as they cast their lines. It’s a pretty short trail but what we loved was standing on the bridge to watch the fishermen. It was a peaceful view with the mountains, trees, and a steady sprinkle.
Virgin Creek Falls in Girdwood
This is a .5 mile out-and-back trail that leads you to the most pleasant waterfall. This was one of the most lush trails we visited. It almost felt like we were in the rainforest!
Tony Knowles Coastal Trail in Anchorage
This is a 3 mile out-and-back hike that takes you to the beach where you can find the mountains emerging from the water. We started at Kincaid Park and when we emerged from the lush, green trail we were in awe of the view.
Fun fact: Kincaid Park is also where many cross-country skiers practice “roller-skiing” during the summer months, which looks like a normal ski with roller blades on each end. We enjoyed watching them as they flew past us.
Turnagain Arm Trail in Anchorage
This is a 6.6 mile out-and-back hike with a beautiful lookout about a mile in. We loved seeing the colorful red berries as we hiked and didn’t let the rain stop us!
Fun fact: Turnagain Arm got its name from a British explorer named James Cook, who was forced to “turn again” when he realized the path wouldn’t take him north.
Summit Lake in Willow
This is a 1 mile loop around Summit Lake in Hatchers Pass. On the way up you get to walk along a beautiful waterfall. It’s pretty steep at the beginning but evens out once you get up to the lake.
Eagle River Nature Center in Eagle River
There are many trails to hike here so it’s hard to choose just one path! We did a 1 mile hike down to a beautiful lookout deck. When we walked out, we couldn’t believe the view of the valley. The mountains felt like they were towering all around us!
Horseshoe Lake in Denali National Park
This is a 3.2 mile loop in Denail National Park with views of a beaver dam, bright blue lake water, cabins, and mountains. We hiked this on our first true sunny day and it was everything we were craving! We loved the diversity of this trail and the crystal clear water of the lake.
Road Closure in Denali National Park
This is a 3.8 mile out-and-back hike starting at mile 43 of the road through Denali National Park. A section of the road has collapsed around mile 45 making the west half of the park inaccessible by bus. Because there is no longer vehicles traveling on this portion of the road, we had the fortune of witnessing a lot of wildlife!
Harding Icefield in Seward
This is a 10.2 mile challenging out-and-back hike that rewards you with insane views of the ice field in Kenai Fjords National Park. While the first part of the trail is lush and green, the ending surprised us. Once we were getting closer to the top, everything opened up and became rocky. We felt like we were on another planet. At the top, we stood in awe as we stared out into the bright white ice field and the exit glacier flowing away from it. The view felt surreal and we were thankful to have been able to hike up to get this perspective.
Each one of these trails have a special place in our heart. They showed us Alaska’s beauty and taught us about a whole new landscape. We hope you enjoyed seeing a glimpse of these trails from our eyes and that you get out there to experience them yourself!
