The Campbell Tract is tract of (park) land controlled by the Bureau of Land Management adjacent to…read morethe Far North Bicentennial Park. Most people visit Campbell Tract to see the "technically" active 1 mile airstrip (kept operational for emergencies). As you weave in and out of the 12 miles of trails controlled by BLM, it's virtually impossible to distinguish where one park ends and the next begins unless you're really good at reading maps. It's a spaghetti of trails back there! In August and September this stretch of birch forest is especially beautiful with fall colors. High bush cranberries and mini dogwoods changing color, and lots of wild berries, mushrooms and other fungi provide a rainbow colors in all shapes and sizes. Be aware that black and brown bears frequent this area. One of my pet peeves in this area are rude hikers. Lots of off leash dogs and people who don't clean up after them. Also, hikers using the sled dog trails that explicitly designated as for them alone. There are gazillions of trails back here, but people always want what they can't have.... (For more details about the BLM Campbell Tract, go here: https://www.blm.gov/programs/cultural-heritage-and-paleontology/archaeology/what-we-manage/alaska/campbell-tract-WWII

If you do not get lost, you are doing it wrong. Or maybe it's just me…read more The trails located around the Campbell Airstrip and Airport offer miles of intertwining trails. Walk em, run em, cross country ski on em, and if you really wanted to, you could get your sled dogs ready on these trails. This is another one of those areas where you need to be wildlife aware. There aren't too many "wow" or "super cool" spots to check out here. But if you are looking for a 'walk in the park' to get away, this could be your spot.

Great trail for a trail run. Mostly woods but some great views of the mountains and ocean every now…read moreand again. Some awesome wildflowers and berry bushes.

Read my previous review for details- since my original review is so old, I'm not able to edit it. I…read morewant people to made use of the last two miles (starting at Windy Point) while they still can. In my opinion this is the prettiest section of the trail, but it is unfortunately slated for destruction. They would have us believe this is for "improvement " but anyone whose lived in Alaska for any length of time and read the report on the plans knows this is hogwash. My point is, enjoy this trail while you can.

The trail Joy G describes, is also known as "Ship Creek Trail" but it is very much an…read moreunderdeveloped wilderness trail near the Arctic Valley ski area (much higher up), you can read more about it here: https://alaskahikesearch.com/hikes/ship-creek-trail The trail I'm going to be describing starts north of downtown, at very low elevation, near the Ship Creek "urban" mucky fishing area. From there, it goes east for a couple miles. It's beautifully thought-out and well-maintained, but it soon peters out. It's a shame. It would be wonderful to have this trail cross-cut the entire town from West-to-East. My favorite feature is a pedestrian/bike only bridge that goes over the railroad tracks. If you want to extend your walk/ride, you can easily link this into a walk/ride of the Coastal Trail: https://www.yelp.com/biz/tony-knowles-coastal-trail-anchorage

This trail is something of a secret. Ask most Anchorage-ites about this trail and they'll look at…read moreyou quizzically and think you mean Ship Creek outlet down by the Port of Anchorage, which is famous for summer time combat salmon fishing. No, this trail is at the other end of Ship Creek, high in the mountains closer to where it starts. Well, I say high, but it's actually below the tree line, but potentially below the low clouds that stick to the mountains in Arctic Valley like thistles in a dog's fur. This makes for a very moist and potentially magical hiking experience. There were times I felt like I was in some mystical realm when the clouds would come and kiss the mountains. It's very surreal and dreamy at times. I say that, but it also isn't my favorite trail by a long shot. I hike here for one purpose, watermelon berry picking in late summer and early fall. I've never seen them as abundant anywhere else as here. I hear that somewhere in the Arctic Valley there is also the mother lode of blueberries, but I couldn't find a single one. Anyway, about the trail. It's not highly used and not maintained. But enough locals use it to keep the first few miles of weeds squished down so that the trail is easy to follow. It does fork off into 2 trails about 1.5 miles in. I take the left fork that follows Ship Creek because we like to play in the water. Someday I will scope out the right fork.... I understand that this trail is favored as a cross country skiing trail. It's gently sloped downward for the first few miles. I turn around and hike back after the trail gets harder to follow. I hear you can actually hike it 22 miles to Indian if you like bushwacking and mud. We just go as far as this cool old abandoned bridge that had trees growing out of it and turn around. At one time this must have been an unpaved auto road because there are several abandoned cars along the trail. Nice little trail. I wouldn't make a special trip for it, but if you live in the area and want to experience new, check this neglected trail out.

Nice walk, bring bear spray, very long trails miles and better, I went late in the day, couldn't…read morestay long because it started to drizzle a little and it was getting dark, great for bicycling to. I met a gentleman walking with his two dogs and he aloud me to take his photo so the people seem friendly

This trailhead is halfway between a "city walking trail" and a "hiking trail"…read more This makes it hard to review, as it's hard to know what other trails I'm comparing it to. As a city trail, it's one of the best. There is lots of tree cover, and "babbling brooks" frequently interweave with it. As a hiking trail, it's kind of a snooze. You *might* see a moose, but you probably won't see a bear. There aren't really any mountain vistas, either. It's a great trail to walk your dog after work or to go for a quick run, though.

We made a stop here while traveling on the Seward Highway during our trip back to Anchorage. Beluga…read morePoint is named for the white whales that are often spotted in the Turnagain Arm waterway. I personally didn't get to see any Beluga Whales while I was here. But I did enjoy walking around the area and taking in the view. There are interpretive signs and spotting scopes at this overlook. Beluga Whales can usually be seen from mid-July through August when salmon are running in Cook Inlet. Belugas are predators, but also are prey. They are relatively small and turn white by the age of five. After a long drive, it was nice to get out of the car and walk around here for a little bit. There are large rocks all over that you can climb on to get a better view of the water. A train track also runs through here. Beluga Point is also an archaeological site and a place that was once used by Native hunters.

Leaving Anchorage, heading back to Sterling. Was hoping to see a significant bore tide come in…read more No such luck Love stopping at these places. Alaska is so beautiful rain or shine. I'm always amazed at how well kept the parks are. I truly appreciate all the bathrooms along the way lol.

Overlooks Cook bay…read more Tribute to Captain Cook. Some great views. It is worth the walk to this location. You can park and walk to most places in this part of the city.

This is a cute little park you can visit while you're in Anchorage, with great views out to the…read moreCook Inlet. The park features a statue/monument of Captain Cook, looking across the Inlet as he might have done during his explorations. There are also a few wooden paths you can walk around the monument, if you want to get some exercise while visiting the park. Within the paths are a couple of wooden benches where you can sit and look out at the view or take a break. Aside from seeing the statue, taking in the view, and walking around the wooden boardwalk, there isn't much else to see or do in Resolution Park. But it's still worth a photo op and a little stop to admire the scenery!

This is a great trail!…read more But I don't hike it much... Why? My (your, kind reader!) State Park pass doesn't work here. You need a special pass to park here. Or, you can buy a day pass. The year membership is $25, you are effectively joining the Anchorage Ski Club. More details here: http://arcticvalley.org/anchorage-ski-club/ However... You can also access this trail by going to the South Fork Eagle River trail: https://www.yelp.com/biz/south-fork-eagle-river-trail-anchorage After about a mile of hiking, you'll see a sign post pointing right (if you are hiking in) to Rendezvous Ridge. This will take you up onto the ridge where you can hike parallel to the South Fork trail with WAY better views. There is a lot of up and down on the ridge, but none of it is the type of climbing that requires a rope. It's the perfect way to spend a long day when the weather's good. There are even numerous flat spots where you could backcountry camp. (there isn't any water up here though, so plan accordingly!) Eventually the ridge connects to Triangle Peak. This is a hideously difficult-looking mountain from the South Fork trail but...it's a puppy dog when you're right up on it. It's a scramble up loose blocks of rock, similar to Flattop, although much longer. It's about 8 miles from the car to Triangle Peak from the East Fork Trail. There are tons of Dall Sheep all along the ridge. They kept sauntering ahead of me, I felt like I was herding them. This area (the area near the parking lot) is also very good for berry picking.

This is the sister trail to the South Fork Trail…read more It's very interesting because you walk under and around all the ski lifts connected to the ski lodge. I'm going to try and give a comprehensive review for this. From the Glenn, take the Arctic Valley exit like you are headed to Moose Run Golf Course. You'll pass the golf course on your left and the driving range on your right. The road will turn to dirt/gravel and head up and incline. Just keep going until the road ends at the ski lodge. There is a 5 fee per vehicle and a trail map guide at the parking lot. From here you have lots of options. We headed out to the overlook. It was about a ten minute walk. Right before the overlook there is a four way. The overlook is straight ahead and the left trail heads up toward the ridge. Once you head up to ridge. It is a clear gravel/dirt trail at least wide enough for an ATV. I would say the hike is moderate. You head up for quite a while (about 2 miles). At around the two mile mark you will be able to see down into the valley with the South Fork Trail. As best as I could gather, you're to the left of the South Fork Trail parking. From here you have several options. You could head down following the trail along the chair lift. It's muddy. It's about a 1.5 mile stretch down. Or You can continue up the next ridge or around the peak in front of you and check out all the trails you see across the valley. Lots of options. Hope this helps!

Another case of the disappearing review. Yelp, if you were a person, I'd have you evaluated for…read moredementia. Anyway.... Little Campbell Lake (aka Beer Can Lake - a truly undeserved moniker) is a sweet little lake trail tucked away at the entry of Kincaid park. It has it's own parking lot and is several miles away from the Chalet and soccer fields. It's really in it's own world. It has a loop trail around that is shy of a mile. There are several trails that connect at this location at or near the parking lot. The Little Campbell is also a stocked Lake, so although it's small, its a popular fishing location. And I frequently note kids and dogs swimming here. Frankly, the water looks too... healthy with plant matter (slimy!) for swimming, but that's just me. This is an awesome location for scouting mushrooms and berries, I always find awesome stuff in this area. Rarely do find the parking lot full. As with most parks in Anchorage, the one thing that irritates me is unleashed dogs and crap that is left behind. Nothing like dog crap to ruin our pristine landscape. But other than that, this is a very accessible, but fairly unspoiled location for a quick get away.

fishing is good. the place is nice. i gooned there. on a tree. we both had a lot of funread more