Beautiful park! Perfect grass area, playground, and even rest rooms. There was hardly a crowd, and…read morethe waterfront location is absolutely prime. This is a much better option than the almost always crowded Wasilla lake park. There was even a worker that showed up to clean and wipe down the playground area. Very well kept and clean park!

Great low trafficked park that borders a lake. My kids loved the ducks and playground. We had a…read morepicnic and utilized one of the many picnic tables. We loved it, and will definitely be back.

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.

This is an awesome place for walking and enjoying nature,the beautiful sites,sounds,colorsread more

Eagle River Nature Center is highly worth it for about a 30 minute drive from Anchorage. As you…read moremake your way along the road in to the area, you're greeted with scenic views of the Chugach mountains. There are pullouts to take pictures of those and the river. The nature center is literally at the end of the road with a large lot ($5 parking fee) and the area trails & outside space open even when the building itself is closed. Sadly, we did go on a Tuesday (they're open Wednesday-Sunday) but we still enjoyed the scenery and a short trail. I had hoped to do the 3 mile Albert loop but it was closed due to bear activity feeding on salmon. That was expected since it's a normal closure for August. Still enjoyed the shorter Rodak trail which brings you to a deck and amazingly scenic overlook. There are longer trails but I had other plans for the day. We saw a beaver dam and some salmon from the viewing deck, no bears on our trail, but did carry bear spray as they are active and regular seen in the area. What a beautiful peaceful place. A must do when visiting Anchorage.

This was a stunning place to get out and see the beauty of Alaska. The river, the mountains, the…read morefall colors, the mushrooms and the wildlife. Thank you to all the helpers who reviewed this place so I could enjoy it too

This is a terrific spot for enjoying the lake in a hot summer's day…read more The water is crystal clear (except in the swimming area where all the dirt has been kicked up). - There are several campgrounds. - There is a picnic area with grass and space to throw a football. - There is a beach area (gravel type) for swimming. - There is a boat launch and parking for around 8-10 trucks and trailers. - There is a dock. - There is limited parking AND IT DOES FILL UP. On those hot summer weekends, expect there to be a full parking lot and the possibility of waiting for a spot to park. - There is a camp host that walks around and checks the cars for the fee receipts. Make sure to pay or have your state parks decal displayed.

Love this vast area past Wasilla. The drive-in has some of the most beautiful scenery…read more Hatcher's Pass I believe, will be a left hand turn after you've passed the lodge. The road is pretty narrow and as you elevate, it gets tricky with oncoming traffic, especially if you're in a larger vehicle. We recently visited on a sunny day with lots of traffic. We saw multiple paragliders' take off and land. Many hikers and bikers. The weather was perfect. The lake was unsurprisingly still pretty frozen.

Most beautiful experience, good was comforting. Scenery, exemplary! Sitting by a warm fire,…read more eating a very tasty sandwich and hot cocoa what a beautiful memory.

On an overcast morning, my friends and I decided to hike the trail. It wasn't very crowded which…read morewas nice and it was well maintained. The hardest part of this trail is the seemingly endless amount of stairs that pop up halfway through. But overcome that, and you will be left with an amazing view from the top of the butte. There were plenty of dogs on this trail if you wanted to bring your pet as well. Round-trip from the parking lot, this trail is 2.4 miles with an elevation gain of 819 feet.

If you're looking for a short hike to pass a couple hours, this is a good one…read more There are two entrances to the trail. One goes up a steep dirt path while the other contains stairs. It's a challenging up hill climb, but it's less than a mile to the top, so you're not exerting yourself long. The downhill is super fast. You're back in a blink, especially if you let gravity take over and you have a four legged friend on a leash pulling you... you may even end up face first in the dirt path (I, of course, wouldn't know anything about that). Bring your Eno since there are trees up top to hook them on. Bring binocular to check out the eagles flying by. Beautiful views of Lazy, Matanuska, and Pioneer, not to mention the Knik River Valley.

Joy G's review is bang-on!…read more There is so little info (beta, as we say in climbing) about this hike, that I'm shocked it is actually marked on google maps. (the previous map-marker was off, I put in a fix, you should be able to navigate to this spot from Yelp now) Not only is the trailhead marked, so is the trail! (on google maps, NOT in real life) I did this on a frigid winter day. The (very short) road to the trailhead is not plowed, so use good judgement if you don't have good: tires, clearance, etc. (but it's so short, you can park on a pullout and walk in) There is no sign marking this trail either. Most of the falls was under snow when I was here. The falls were at least partially frozen underneath. Still, this is a nice place to go. It's shockingly short and feels shockingly remote. I'll be back in the summer, I wonder how far up you can wade?

I have no idea why, but Pioneer Falls is one of the best kept secrets in the valley. People who've…read morelived here their whole lives have never heard of it, it's not in any guidebooks, it doesn't have an address, and the sign is so inconspicuous it's like they WANT you to miss it. The falls is absolutely lovely and is very very close to the road, but not visible from the road. From the little parking lot, it is a Very short walk to the base of the falls. The walk to the base is an easy walk less than a city block's distance the should be accessible to anyone on foot. The falls is (guessing here) is probably about 800 feet, but cannot be viewed in its entirety from any one vantage point. The trail isn't maintained, but if you have good footwear and a walking stick if you like, you can leapfrog over rocks and fallen logs up a few hundred feet (less than a half mile) to the widest part of the falls. At this point you can go no further because the canyon walls close in. I would LOVE to see these falls from above. We did find ourselves in need of bandaids after this little jaunt due to bare legs and leaping over fallen logs. I've got crappy knees and the was also one little spot I had to scooch down on my but because if I had tried to step down I probably would have blown out my knee (hence why I use a walking stick ) I think most people wouldn't have this issue though. These falls are exceptionally beautiful in my opinion, second in the Anchorage area, only to Thunderbird Falls. However, I wouldn't make the trip to the Valley solely for the falls, since it's such a short little hike. I suggest if you drive out that way, visit other nearby sites such as Knik River Public Use Area, Eklutna Tail race, the reindeer farm, Pyrah's U-pick, or Austin Helmers Pioneer Ridge Trail. Enjoy.

I'm with Joy G, this place is like a liquor store for Baptists: a place everyone goes, but no one…read moretalks about going to! I had only heard about it when my brother was visiting. He's a avid fisherman and did extensive research, and stumbled upon this area. Now that I've finally visited, I recognize it as the place where a lot of drone videos posted on social media are shot. There's a well-maintained parking lot with no fee. From here, you can go right to the water and fish. There's also a very short, but very well-maintained hiking trail. (maybe ¼ of a mile) The highlight here for me is the small bridge. It's right at the start of the hiking trail, over a milky-turquoise canal, and Pioneer Peak almost perfectly frames the scene in the background. It's an easy-to-take show that will blow away all your non-Alaska friends. If you're a tourist: this place is a must-visit. If you're a fisherperson: this place is a must-visit. If you're an avid hiker: this place is a must-visit...once. It's probably a good place to look for the Northern lights though! Decent sky views and you can stay close to your (warm) car!

Wanted to visit this area after reading great reviews from Elite Yelpers. I call the road you need…read moreto take to get there the "Palmer back road." Growing up religious we had these yearly summer camp meetings and that road is the only road I know to use to get there. Funny, I never noticed the sign for this place before, which is pretty large and obvious. Any way, it was my birthday and I wanted to get some fresh air with my family. We get there about 10am on a Monday morning. I was surprised to see a lot of fishermen in spots all around. I think they were just as surprised to see us. We started off strolling my youngest then found it easier to put her in a carrier. This place is breathtaking. The water is so calming and so tranquil. Love the bridge and as other yelpers mentioned, it is super close to the parking lot. Luckily it was sunny and we enjoyed the short hike through the wooded area. We were definitely the only people there not fishing. Greatful to have found this place.

Pura vida - is the best suitable word to describe this park…read more Located two miles south of Talkeetna downtown, we walked from downtown to here to enjoy peaceful time. Parking is $5. Outhouse is at the parking area. They have several lakes with lots of trails. We spent a few hours at the park but only saw another group of people just once. Trails are well marked and mostly flat. When the weather cleared up, we started hearing many airplanes take off but until then, all we heard was the sound of wind. We took a break at one of the dock area where they have free life jackets to use if you bring your own canoe. We just sat at the dock and used our backpacks as pillow. Laid there and enjoyed a whole lot of quietness and tranquility. Water was very cold. I saw some small fishes swimming. Away from people, away from deadlines and busy work. This was truly a vacation. Loved this park.

Informative and rich in unique history in a stunning place. The placards are full of great…read moreinformation. Love the cross country skiing, hiking, plus blue berries.

This beautiful tourist attraction is located right outside of Hatchers Pass…read more There is ample parking available very close to the mine. We saw many folks park too far away (nearest the lodge, with the popular dry cabins) and then had to trek unnecessarily. Lots of bathrooms, a few snack and drink areas. We recently visited on a sunny day with tons of traffic. We were able to enter and explore a few of the buildings and artifacts. Lots of reading material available throughout the "tour." I would return and bring visitors.