This is such a beautiful state park. I had the pleasure to go here during my stay in Alaska. I…read morewould highly recommend going and just taking it the beautiful site.

I still stand by my original statement that Chugach State Patk is the best park about living in…read moreAnchorage. However, many of the lane expansion and safety measures that are ongoing on Seward Highway do and will a have lasting impact on much of the easily accessible entry points of the park. Some of my favorite points, such as Windy Corner, are going to be completely eliminated in one of the lane expansion projects for the highway, with no plans for remediation or replacement. For Tourists, I would also like to point out another very impoont I failed to mention in my previous review. Make VERY CAREFUL REVIEW OF STATE AND FEDERAL website maps to be sure you understand where the boundaries between Chugach STATE forest and Chugach NATIONAL forest are. This will ensure you understand fees and the location of campsites, cabins, and accessibility.

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.

I've been on so many food tours and this was one of the best! Jared was an enthusiastic host, as…read morewell as full of fun Anchorage facts. We ate at places that were unique and special, and that also had great eats! It's a shame that Yelp filters out so many of the positive reviews that other guests have left for this fantastic small business. If you want a comprehensive history, social and cultural tour of Anchorage all while eating and drinking, BOOK this tour.

I really cannot give a review as I was never able to reach this business. My sisters and I like to…read moredo a foodie tour when we travel together. I went online to the website but was not able to book a tour. I sent two separate emails and called and left two messages and no one responded. I checked with my travel agent who suggested I call the Anchorage tourist center as the culinary tour meets next to their office. They told me there was no office for the tour; they recommended someone else who I was able to reach with no problem. Should I be able to visit Anchorage in the future I may try again to book this tour.

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!!

This is a very popular hike. The parking lot gets filled and people crowd the trail. There is a…read morerock scramble at the top that can be tricky to reverse navigate.

My interest in visiting Kobuk Valley Nat'l Park prompted me to contact Explore Tours for an…read moreovernite trip to Kotzebue. I mentioned to Anthony (at Explore Tours) that I was also interested in a day trip to Nome. Anthony got me a good price, explicit directions and added guided tours in both Kotzebue and Nome. It was an excellent itinerary, and I can't imagine a more complete experience. Anthony (and Explore Tours) are to be commended. Added note: I loved Nome, much more than I thought I would. The surrounding countryside is breathtaking, and it's a great little town. Our guide, Richard Beneville, kept us consistantly entertained, and was so knowledgeable about Nome and it's historic past. Definitely worth the trip! THANK YOU EXPLORE TOURS!

Let me preface this by saying that what Michelle at Explore Tours planned for us may have been just…read morefine, but their lack of human decency left me very sad and disillusioned. I had been planning my dream trip to Alaska with a friend of mine for over a year. We had four different legs planned for this trip. Two of the legs we planned on our own (Brooks Lodge in Katmai and Wrangell-St. Elias) and some we planned through Explore Tours. As a side note, Brooks Lodge had to be booked over a year in advance. The two legs that I am reviewing here, and that Explore booked for us, were six days on the Kenai Pennisula and six in Denali National Park. Explore Tours booked all our hotels on the Kenai and in Denali, an all-day Kenai Fjords Tour and the Gold Star train service and bus trips up to and in Denali NP. The bottom line is that I worked with Michelle over many months to plan the perfect trip and she was perfectly nice. Obviously, this trip was not inexpensive...we booked nice hotels, top of the line train service, top of the line Kenai Fjords tour, etc. Four months before the trip was supposed to take place, my mother got sick. I alerted Michelle to this fact...she told me to keep her informed. I was hoping at that point that my mom would recover and I could still go to Alaska...especially since my mom kept insisting that I go, knowing how much this trip meant to me. Two months before the trip, my mom took a turn for the worse and ended up in the hospital again. I told Michelle then that I may need to cancel parts of the trip...thinking maybe I could still join my friend for part of it. A month before the trip was to take place, I found out my mom had cancer and would not be here long. For obvious reasons, I had to cancel the trip entirely and take care of my mom in her final days. I notified Michelle at Explore Tours what was going on. Since my friend was still planning on going, I was not asking for my money back for the hotels, but I thought I could at least get some of my money back for the train trips, the bus tickets, the Denali Shuttle and the Kenai Fjords Tour. Michelle assured me that she was going to "work on" getting some of my money back from the vendors. My mom passed away a week before the trip, I let Michelle know (since I had still not heard back from her about getting any of my money back)...and I never heard from her again. She never followed through with trying to get any of my money back, nor did she bother to let me know...her final parting words to me were "If you do ever try to come to Alaska, save my email. I will get you a smoking' deal!" Wow, really? Let me just say, that Katmailand/Brook's Lodge, the place where you have to book over a year in advance, was wonderful and so understanding about what was going on. While they could not refund all of my money, they refunded my plane fare and even some of the lodge room and I so appreciated it. I guess that is a long enough review. I think the thing to realize is that Explore Tours will not be understanding or helpful if life gets in the way of your trip...so just know that up front. I am now planning a trip to Alaska with three friends for next year...but I will not be calling Michelle at Explore Tours!

So, it's kind of hard to find information on this trail, so I'll help ya'll out…read more GETTING HERE: From the Seward Highway, go north (a right if you're heading towards Anchorage, a left if you're heading away from Anchorage) on Boretide Rd (right next to the new Turnagain Arm Pit BBQ location). Where the marker is for this Yelp listing, is where the paved road ends. Just keep going straight! The road can be a little bumpy but nothing that would require high-clearance or 4WD/AWD. Eventually, after what seems like a long time (but isn't), you'll end up at the trailhead. Officially, this trailhead is called "Indian Valley Trailhead". Chugach State Park's website is horrible (they have some great .pdf's for some of their trails, but good luck finding them anywhere on their website...), so I was only able to find most of this information from: googling, using summitpost (a climbing website), and browsing blogs. Hopefully, this consolidated source of information will be helpful to some! From this trailhead, you can access two trails: Powerline Pass: which has its other end at the Glen Alps area (Flattop) Indian Valley Trail: a trail of controversial quality (I have never done it) that goes NE from this trailhead and eventually meets the Ship Creek Trail. (About 1/4 of a mile up the trail you'll come to a junction: if you go straight you'll be on Indian Valley Trail, if you take a left, and go over a footbridge, you'll be on Powerline Pass trail) I'll be mainly speaking of Powerline Pass. Most folks start Powerline Pass up near Glen Alps. Most folks mountain bike* it, rather than hike it. Most folks would need a bike with a good suspension to do this. I do not have such a faithful, two-wheeled steed, so I hike. Why hike it from this side? A couple reasons: 1) This is the approach hike to climb Homicide Peak: this is how I originally found the trail. Homicide Peak is a fun scramble with awesome views of the Suicide Peaks. More info on climbing Homicide can be found here: http://www.summitpost.org/homicide-peak/815642 2) Crowds: there aren't many. This trail isn't as well-known or popular as many others in the area. 3) Feasting options: Froth and Forage (https://www.yelp.com/biz/froth-and-forage-coffeehouse-and-eatery-anchorage) is open till 10 pm, and located very close to this trailhead. Hiking early in the morning? Stop in for a coffee. Hiking late in the evening? Stop in for a burger! 4) Get out of your usual rut: expand your mind, hike some new stuff! Reasons you might want to be a bit leery of this trail: 1) I've heard the Indian Valley Trail can be miserable and overgrown in spots. I hope you like bushwhacking. Or 'schwacking, for short. 2) There can be lots of bear activity in this area. Carry your spray, take your dog, hike in a group. 3) If there's been recent rain, it can get pretty muddy. Definitely, give this trail a shot! *for info on mountain biking Powerline Pass, check out this slick website: https://www.mtbproject.com/trail/6452974/powerline-pass

We had a great time on our northern lights tour. Laurent was a great tour guide and we loved our…read moretrip. We were able to experience seeing the beautiful northern lights, loved the dog mushing through the forest and across the snow covered fields, and enjoyed the hikes on the frozen river and surrounding areas. The cabins in Wiseman were comfortable and clean. We enjoyed our time with new friends. We would definitely recommend this tour. FMG.

Wild Alaska Tours ROCKs!! What an amazing week viewing the Northern Lights and traveling up the…read moreDalton Highway! I have done multiple tours over the years but none compare to Wild Alaska Tours!! Laurent is an amazing tour guide! I felt like I was traveling with one of my close friends!! Thank you for showing us Wild Alaska with such heart and inspiration!! I will be back!!!

The trip itself is awesome, Alaska is beautiful and almost indescribable. We have to go back and…read morewe would again go with Alaska Excursion Caravan! They do the trip like no other crew. They go twice a year every year since 2013. They know state, the roads, tour operators and the people. When we went with them, everyone knows Cindy and jim. They are very well liked and respected and as part of their group you are treated exceptionally well. They know the tour operators so when there might be a better day for a trip they will work with Cindy to make that happen. One of the main reasons we picked Alaska Excursion Caravan was because we could tell that the care are dogs would get would be exceptional and it was. They got to know our dogs when the trip started and they communicated with us about how they did each time they were walking them. Two of our dogs were special needs and they are one of the few people with interested to take care of our dogs ever. We have an RV so they can be with us. We also love the fact that we got to know the group. We all still stay and communication, we keep track of where people are going and how they're doing. We even did several potlucks on our own just because we enjoyed being with each other. If anybody had a problem others would step up to help out. We had an unbelievable single lady with a truck and a fifth wheel and she had an issue one time and the guys were there under the truck taking care of it. Then later on the couple she had come with had trouble with their vehicle and so they had to drop out of the Caravan for a couple of days and the other two fifth wheels one got in front and one was behind her and they made sure they stayed with her wherever we were going. It truly was a trip of the lifetime and we are so thankful that we decided to go with Alaska Excursion caravans! We love Cindy and Jim!