We were told this is the quintessential Anchorage hike. It affords beautiful views and is nice and strenuous at the top. It's a steady climb until you get almost to the top and then it becomes a bit scrappy where you have to use your hands to help balance as you climb over rocks and steep terrain. Its gorgeous at the top but crazy windy! I swear my wife was going to blow off the mountain. The wind made it cold as well and since we weren't prepared for that we made it down in a hurry. Great hike though and would definitely do it again. read more

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Gorgeous gorgeous view of ALL of Anchorage!! It's broken up into several "tiers" -- so you can view from a more flat location (and well maintained) -- or go higher until you get to another flat area. The main view point isn't too far from the parking lot, but the trail itself can extend pretty far. When you get up high enough -- you'll see some wonderful and quite exotic (to me) vegetation!!! =) This hike won't take you longer than an hour to get to the top. (still so behind on reviews!! *face palm*) read more

We hiked up Flattop at midnight on the 21st of June - summer solstice. I'd been warned that it was a popular way to spend the longest day of the year, but I was not prepared for what we encountered. Parking lot? FULL. The hike is great - we took the old way, yes, against the posted signs. It's a bit of a scree scramble, only marginally shorter than the new route, and eroding pretty badly. Recommend you do as instructed and stick to the new path. Route was busy, top was packed - people drinking, playing guitar, several tents set up, people walking dogs, lots of families - LOTS of kids. Festive and friendly vibe. Access is from the Glen Alps Trailhead on Toilsome Road, from where you can strike out on several other trails as well: Blueberry Hill, Powerline and an easy-access Anchorage overlook. Parking fee is $5, payable even at midnight (!). I think we made the round trip in an hour and a half, and if you stick to the new route the toughest bit is going to be the last ~100m to the top. Great views! The sun set over Anchorage while we were at the summit. You've got to check it out while you're in town. Trail guide: http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/maps/flattopmountaintrailguide.pdf read more

AMAZING hike. hardcore though. I was not fit when I did this hike and certainly complained all the way up the mountain and almost face planted all the way down. We dressed warm, and thank God because it was so windy up there. Incredible view. I miss this place. Great last hoorah before leaving Alaska. read more

Flattop Mountain Trail - At the top. Almost - Hiking Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Great for a quick day hike! It's within a half hour of downtown Anchorage and provides two options to see great views of the area. There is an easy one that literally takes 5 minutes to walk up.. you get a great shot of downtown and the mountain ranges in the back. The other route to get to the top of Flatttop is about 3-4 miles roundtrip. It took us 3 hours in total, 1 to get up, 30 min to stay at the top, and 1 1/2 to get down. I've done a few 14ers in Colorado which took about 8-14 hours, which were obviously longer, but I'd say the difficulty matches those. You will have to scramble a little at the top to reach the summit. I read reviews from TripAdvisor prior to doing this and they understate the difficulty, so just be prepared! It was super foggy the day we did it so we could not see much, but I know for a fact the 360 view would be amazing on a clear day! read more

This is an adventure for anyone who does not do adventure for a living. Many exciting things...scree, boulders and the satisfaction of climbing to the top of something. 101 course in adventure. read more

This is definitely worth the effort, but effort you will have to make to get to the VERY top of Flattop. My friend, a local, told me this trail was the most popular in Anchorage as well as easy to moderate in difficulty. Umm.... maybe if you're used to hiking, but I found this to be extremely challenging. I've done plenty of hiking in Vermont and Upstate NY, but the last 15 minutes of this trail to get to the tippy top for an amazing view requires a bit of mountain climbing and the use of all your limbs. For the most part, this trail is very doable for anyone at any hiking skill set. I noticed plenty of people wearing sandals or sneakers, but were slipping along the graveled paths, so wear shoes that actually have traction to prevent falling and twisted ankles. At a few points, there are stairs to help you along the way. The trail is also dog friendly, with plenty of people making the climb with Fido tagging along. If you're in good shape, I think you can get to the last rest area before the very top in about an hour. However, give yourself more time since there can be snow, ice and other hikers preventing you from going at a quick pace. Not to mention you'll want to take picture along the way since the view constantly changes and its absolutely gorgeous. The day I went, it was extremely hot and there is no shade, so bring plenty of water. 4 bottle between 3 people was barely enough, we did have to salvage the last bottle for the walk down. There is amazing vegetation, lots of wild flowers and incredible views the whole way. It was surreal to walk through snow on an 80 degree day, making this trial one of kind in my book. The top was definitely worth the effort, but it was a little scary scaling the rocky cliffs to make it to the top. I noticed a few people going down another way and found it a little easier in some spots than others. So if you're worried, take the time to observe others and follow the locals that do the hike often. Some areas are more difficult than others. read more

Great spot for a nice panoramic of Anchorage. There's an observatory deck set up for those not interested in the climb up. It's a challenging but, rewarding climb up. Defiantly save it for a 'leg day.' Slight up climb up towards Blueberry Loop. The loop is pretty flat, once at the base of the mountain is where the real struggle begins. About half way up its pretty much a rock climb. There's usually an American Flag overlooking the city between Memorial and Labor Day. You'll usually see a lot of people during the summer month since this is the go-to climb, winter is chancey without the proper gear. read more

Flattop Mountain Trail - Home, sweet, home. - Hiking Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

Great hike with amazing views Mountain has alot of ice and snow last 1000 feet but worth the climb. read more

Flattop Mountain Trail - All the way from Maine made it to the top awesome view - Hiking Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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What a great place to hike in the snow. My family had so much fun we came back a second day and went snowshoeing. We spent 3 hours the first day hiking and 4 hours on the second day exploring and snowshoeing off the trails. $5.00 a day is one of the best prices you will find around. You can also rent snowshoes at REI for a very low price. read more

Such a fun hiking trail with a view that pretty amazing! We recently moved up here from Vancouver, Wa and this is the first hike we decided on because it's so popular! I consider myself in shape but don't hike much, so I found this hike a little challenging. Mainly the crazy amounts of stairs! LOL once you get to the top and look at the view it will be worth all those times you wanted to give up on the way up there!! read more

Flattop Mountain Trail - At the top!! - Hiking Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

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There are great views all the way up. Even if you don't go all the way to the top, it is a worthwhile hike. Best on a clear day, but be prepared for inclement weather. Once while on the top taking pictures, the clear weather suddenly became rainy and misty all around. We were prepared, but I was a wee scared scrambling down the top 50 ft or so in low visibility conditions. There are other good hikes starting from this same parking lot too, such as along the Powerline trail. You should have a map for that though. The REI on Northern Lights has a good one. read more

The view of the city is awesome! One of the best hikes I've gone on. Would do it again! read more

Flattop Mountain Trail - The struggle gets real with these steps! - Hiking Near Me - Anchorage, Alaska

5 stars because it's uniquely Alaska. I hiked this on a gloomy and rainy day but it was well worth it. Upon arrival around 7:30pm My intention was to just scope out the location but after seeing the parking lot full of cars I got the encouragement to push through. The hike starts mellow until 3/4 up the summit. You have to climb through some steep sections but it's relatively safe as long as you pay attention to what you're doing. Although the view was obstructed with clouds, it's still a phenomenal feeling being up there. Now get off Yelp and hike. Trails are marked so it's hard to get lost unless visibility is really low. read more

Nice hike. Blueberry Hill was full of big berries when we went (aug 8). The trail seems to end just before the last ascent which was more like climbing than hiking to a novice like me and my kids. My 16yo was not comfortable pressing on but my 12yo saw the flag and had to finish. It was well worth the extra effort to get to the top. read more

Tough hike but super worth it for the photo ops! In whatever weather, you will get the most amazing pictures while here. Everything is beautiful and majestic. read more

It was icky weather. Very cold, & raining well I should say snowing since the rain turns to snow on the hike!!! All that being said, it was a blast. Gorgeous (hazy) view, no one else was on the trail. I read so many mixed reviews I wasn't expecting much but it didn't disappoint. Driving from anchorage to the trail was very easy. Good trail for a family since it wasn't very long read more

Gosh, one of the highlights easily on my trip. It's a fairly tough hike - I think we clocked around 4-1/2 hours roundtrip - but my dad (who never hikes and is retired) made it to the summit with me. Suffice to say, they needed ibuprofen the next day or two. The views from the top are outstanding, and you'll have to get a photo with the flagpole for your Facebook or IG. read more

Best hiking trail in town.

Super fun hike! Stroll and take your time or run as fast as you can for a work out! Both were seen with my visit! People of all ages and sizes. Absolutely gorgeous views even when the clouds rolled up and over he mountain! Lots of fun! read more

Tired of people making fun of you for skipping leg day? Trying to get those glutes poppin'? Head on over to Flattop Mountain to make all of your leg muscle woes disappear. In retrospect I loved this hike, however the during part was kind of shaky. We went on a cloudy Sunday afternoon and it was perfect. It wasn't very crowded at all and chill in the air was welcomed as we were getting our asses handed to us by this trail. We're novice hikers and went in expecting a pretty moderate hike with a more small strenuous climb at the end. This proved to not be the case. The trail we chose was a steady climb getting more and more steep as we continued. We took several breaks and reached the top in about an hour or so. This hike will make a (wo)man out of you. As another reviewer said, its difficult (depending on your fitness level) but not impossible and completely worth it. The more active ones of our group made it up a lot faster than we did and with less trouble. If you're on the fence about whether or not you can handle it don't let me scare you off. There were a bunch of kids and canines showing us up. You can and should do it too. Also the descent was pretty scary for us. We kept sliding down on the rocks and found it hard to stay balanced. Each of us fell at least once, some of us more, so be aware and careful. read more

For those of you near Seattle, this is the Anchorage version of Mt Si. It is possibly a requirement to hike before you can apply for Residency. Ok, not exactly. I've hiked this two or three times while in the area, and it is definately worth it. I've only gone in the summer, but if you are looking for a workout while in town, this is a nice free one. read more

I have climbed Flat top many times, each an experience. What Flat top provides is great access to 'power line pass and access to many many great peaks. One summer in the late 80's a friend and I climbed every peak in the 'power line valley. One of the best memories was a long day in August with a hike in to the 'Ramp' summiting and a long hike out. This was years before there was a road and mountain bike access to this area of the Glen Alps area, hike in and hike out! read more

I couldn't believe the amount of dog droppings all along the various trails. The dog owners have no consideration towards other as far as cleaning up after their pets. Local pet owners need to organize a clean-up day. The smell was overwhelming at times. read more