We drove by the Portage Glacier area while heading to Anchorage. It is located fifty miles south of…read moreAnchorage off Seward Highway. The mountains surrounding it are just stunning. Portage Glacier is one of Alaska's most visited attractions and is accessible by taking five-mile Portage Glacier Road from Seward Highway. You can no longer see it off the main road because it has receded over three miles and is no longer visible. But you can drive to Portage Lake and get up and close to it by boat. The Begich, Boggs Visitor Center has a lot to offer and is near Portage Lake. The sightseeing boat tours are a short drive from it. In the winter, the lake freezes over and can be used to ice skate and cross-country ski on. If you like to hike, a few popular trails near the area are Portage Pass Trail, Byron Glacier Trail and the Trail of Blue Ice.

Stunning glacier! Portage lake is everything you can imagine in a glacial lake, my only grievance…read morewas with the tour company that does the cruise to the glacier. They were not ideal and the operation felt very rinky dink. I do think it would be cool to kayak to the glacier and around the icebergs! This is a fairly easily accessible glacier! 10/10 would go again!

Good place overall to go kayak around a smaller lake. The lake is close to the highway so you can…read morehear all of the highway noise so its not as peaceful.

We stopped by here on our way to Denali, it is was a random stop but turned out to be absolutely…read morebeautiful. We were here on Thursday afternoon and there was no one here. We had the lake to ourselves. The area around the lake was clean, there are plenty of picnic tables, bbq pit and kids play area around as well. They also have a boat launch area on the other side. Tip: Come here during week day to enjoy the quaint lake, 'cause when we stopped by on our way back on Saturday, the place was fully packed.

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.

This park/ campground was amazing with epic views and there were play areas for the children or…read morepavilions for parties. Many campgrounds sites were available, but we were just there for a walk and taking some photos. Planes were flying above as it's near the Palmer airport and I got some great shots of the airplanes flying above. This airport is predominantly single engine planes. Trails were marked well, but keep track of where you are, as we were not sure on the way back, but you have cell service to look at where you are exactly to find your way back. It's next to a cemetery, which was a great spot for photography also. Overall a great choice for an easy stretch out your legs hike, with marked options for longer hikes/ mountain biking trails.

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.

I love, love, love this picnic park. It's well hidden and unknown by most people unfamiliar with…read moreWhittier (well, I've gone and ruined that now haven't I?) The park is tucked away in Shotgun Cove at the confluence of a glacial stream and Prince William Sound. The protected cove offers a lovely vista of mountains, water and trees (ok and a parking lot.) It's got several grills, tables and a picnic pavilion that is perfect for small gatherings. Midweek, the park is an ideal place for contemplation. The only issue here is the mosquitoes, which are significant. But if I could plunk a house down anywhere in the world, it would be right here, a little piece of paradise.

One of my absolute favorite places to spend time in Southcentral Alaska. I didn't actually…read morediscover Lu Young Park in Whittier until June of 2016. I happened to have a day off and decided to drive down to Portage area for some photography and enjoy a beautiful summer sunny day. Even though I have lived in Alaska for over 45 years, I didn't visit Whittier or go through the tunnel all that often. Maybe only a handful of times since I was young. A few times included taking the train while another was driving down there with a friend where I was riding shotgun. But something that day made me decide to pay the money to go through the tunnel and do a bit of exploring. And given I'm one with an insatiable quest for exploring, I found myself on the road to Shotgun Cove. And that is where I found Lu Young Park. To access Lu Young park drive up Blackstone Road and then turn right on Salmon Run Road just past the abandoned Bucker Building (hard to miss, one of the tallest buildings in Whittier). Continue on the dirt road for about a 1/2 mile and you will see a pull out with a covered picnic area. The area has a couple of picnic tables, bathrooms and an overlook. It is a great place to explore both at high and low tide. Additionally the area is teaming with thousands of pink salmon during their run in August. It is not uncommon to find kayakers and SUPs in the cove. There is always something different to see and experience here. During the evenings after work during the summer I like to grab a bit of food from somewhere and drive down and catch the tunnel opening and then have a picnic. It is always serenity to me.

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.

This park has everything: pavilion for parties, walkway for exercise, open play area for dogs,…read moreplayground for miniature humans, lots of parking on north and east side, and a lot of open grasslands to just enjoy the sun and wind. Everything! Everything downtown surrounded by roads, backyards, businesses, and bus stops. What more do you want?

Nancy Lake State park is HUGE. If someone has a negative experience, it's likely due to their…read morefailure to explore. In addition to two campgrounds cabins, there are countless lakes, ponds, streams and creeks, trails, parking lots and toilets. There's even canoe rentals. In winter theres some limited trail grooming as well. Fishing is popular in some of the lakes- see the state website for deets. Berry picking is excellent you're willing to explore as well. Bears are a real concern here so be prepared, we've seen them. Amazing bird watching as well. My only negative comment is the smaller campground by Nancy Lake proper is garbage- it needs a total overhaul. Head toward the campground by Rollly Lake deep in forest for the goods- you won't be disappointed.

This area is a perfect close to home getaway location. Lots of winter exploring to be had, and I'm…read moresure even more fun in the summer time with additional water activities. If the ratings are good definitely a nice spot to view the aurora. We rented a dry cabin for an overnight trip, and we're upset we didn't book for 2 nights. We were in cabin #4 as a party of 4 adults, 1 toddler & a lab with plenty of space. This cabin could easily accommodate 6 adults comfortable, but there was bunk space for 8. There are quite a few state owned dry cabins in this area. A few of them are even newer constructions, and very nice. We thought we were going to have to snowshoe into the cabin, but to our surprise the trails were groomed for cross country skiing so it was a very easy walk to cabin #4. The only downside of renting this cabin is this area is pretty busy with skiers and snowmobilers (snowmachiners) accessing the lake. We took a few mile walk around the lake. We considered ice fishing, but didn't due to lack of daylight. We saw a few people out fishing, but Nancy lake isn't exactly known to be a fishing location. We had a very nice time staying at the dry cabins, and I think they're a really fun activity to get out in the winter time!

I was expecting more. We've driven past here countless times over the years. We had grabbed take…read moreout to eat at the park and grabbed a picnic table. The tables were in very poor condition. The handicapped tables didnt even have an accessible path to them. The play area was of poor quality. For such a huge park surrounded by rich people houses, it was in dispicable condition. They clearly dont care about their kids nor people with special needs. Do better Wasilla.

It's a decent park and a decent place to swim…read more If you live in Wasilla, maybe one of the only places? I can't get over how dangerously close it is to the Parks Hwy though! Lots of car noise here and if some doozy tourist nodded off, it wouldn't be good. Give it a try if you're in Wasilla, if you're in Anchorage, check out my "Anchorage Parks!" list, there are many quieter options available in our more crowded city to the south!

I take it that not many people are familiar with Barbara Falls/South Forks Falls because for the…read moresecond time in 2 years, I've had no issues with parking, and the trailhead is fairly empty. There's only a very small number of people normally there. But to be transparent, I've only done this hike twice out of my four visits to Anchorage. Yet, this is one of the most beautiful waterfalls that I've seen. This time I was lucky enough to see a few red sockeye salmon struggling to swim upstream of the waterfall. I must admit, they were beautiful. This is a very easy hike. No effort or special equipment is needed. Be wary of the extremely cold water and massive insect nests throughout the trail. Overall, it takes approximately 10 minutes to experience the whole waterfall. Ideal for families and pets who just want to experience the serenity and beauty of nature minus the difficulties. I highly recommend this waterfall; it is one of my favorites.

We went here to do a little hiking and to check out the waterfall. The trail to the waterfall was…read morepretty good, but a bit close to the edge in 1 or 2 places. The waterfall itself was impressive. I really felt the power of it, being so close to it. I did not see any wildlife on the trail other than a few ducks in the stream. I would recommend this trail.