We used their canoe at Red Shirt lake and it was in fair shape and I had no problems with it and…read morehiking in 3 miles and being able to unlock the canoe and use it was perfect! They we're flexable on the pick up and drop off of key and paddles! A great service for our community!

Super easy experience, even for some of us novice canoer. Nancy lake was so gorgeous and such a…read moregreat time! Thanks!

Willow and Houston have A LOT of ponds and lakes. Like, ALOT. And most of them are inaccessible…read morebecause they are surrounded by private properties like most lakes in Alaska. But we discovered a few lakes and ponds that had left public access with children's floaties, limited parking and lookouts. Prator Lake gets a 4 star review for clear signage, adequate parking, and by Alaskan standards- a decent swimming hole.

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.

Get ready, it's spendy. And $900 per month doesn't mean your horse will be looked at every day. I…read morefound boarding horses without water. I found injuries on my horse after they "relocate" her to a "new, improved pen." My horse moved 12 times in the 16 months I paid to board her there. Our personal equipment often was "misplaced" and gone forever. Lynda is personally unkind and unprofessional. Lynda cycles through staff quickly - very very few make it past a year. I ve seen them come and go. Just like people boarding horses- they don't stay too long. Unfortunately if you are new to horses, you will be putty in her hands until she bleeds you dry. I was asked to move because I spoke up about the shitty care our mare received AT GREAT COST. 100 out of 100 times I am greatly unburdened to be out of there! BEWARE!!

The Alaska Horse Ranch is a working horse ranch. They offer riding lessons with experienced…read moreinstructors for all ages and riding levels. It has horse boarding options with outstanding food options. AND there's a feed store! Definitely call ahead to get ahold of the desk for that. The aesthetics need some updating, but you can't argue with the solid bones and functions of the operation.

Looking for a well groomed, mostly flat, road to learn how to nordic ski?…read more Well look no further. Archangel, normally the road out to the Reed Lakes Trail in the summer, is a wide, well groomed trail in the winter. The space for skate skiing is broad. The grooves for classic (or is it Nordic?) are deep. Sometimes the classic grooves are over run by the skate skis. Here, the space for the skate skiers seems so wide, the classic grooves are clear. There is a parking lot at the beginning of the road. It's a state park fee lot. Five dollars to park per day or the annual pass. The trail goes 7.5km (one way) according to signage. On the way out, there are views, almost immediately, of the Gold Mint Trail and the Little Susitna River. On the way back there are clear views of the Pioneer Range in the distance.

Wow!!!! How in the world has nobody, nobody, in all of the Unites States of America not written a…read morereview about this West Butte Trail??? That absolutely blows my mind!!! Okay! Well, West Butte Trail is without a doubt one of my new favorite hikes of all time! I visited Palmer, Alaska in June of this summer 2021. Palmer was actually just a town I was passing through along my 2 week voyage throughout Alaska. But...the reason I discovered this West Butte Trail was from a friendly girl I had met on the airplane flying to Fairbanks. This girl, who was obviously from Alaska...highly recommended this hike. Well...here I am now fully grateful to this random stranger for giving me info about this hidden gem of a hike! I am humbled by my journey and for the sights and surroundings when finally arriving at the peak of this West Butte Trail. Now...let me just back up a few moments. When arriving in Palmer...all you have to do (which I did) is plug "West Butte Trail" into Google Maps and it'll perfectly guide you to the trailhead. I came here in mid afternoon during the week back in late June. Although the parking lot was decently sized...I could envision on busy days the place being packed with hikers! It was $5 for the parking fee. That's all it costs. Basically, just like you do when you arrive spontaneously at a campsite, you grab a little envelope, fill it out and put $5 in the drop box. It's that easy. This West Butte Trail is specific and straight to the point. It's a 1.5 mile hike each way gaining roughly 800 feet in elevation. I was thinking 1.5 miles? No problem! But...towards the end of the trail it was sort of straight up the stairs with a few switchbacks. I definitely had to stop a few times just to catch my breathe. I wouldn't underestimate the hike, but overall it's casual for the entire family. Before I started the hike, I did read the trailhead sign and according to what it mentioned, the pathway to the top sounded inspiring. I'd like to relay to you what it said...."West Butte Trail begins in the forest and leads to the unique granite summit of the Bodenburg Butte. Look forward to breathtaking 360-degree views of Knik Glacier, Pioneer Peak, the Chugach Range and Talkeetna Mountains, and local Mat-Su Valley farmland. It is worth the climb!" I couldn't have said it better myself! Finally making it to the summit of Bodenburg Butte...the views (imo) were indescribable! I had chills! Just like the sign said...breathtaking! I was in awe of the 360 degree scenery and surroundings. Lol, alright I may be taking this explanation too far, but I felt like I was ready to cry. I had discovered salvation! Okay, okay....after about 15 minutes I believe my legs had settled down and I had my head on straight, hehehe. But...it was just beautiful...that's all I can say. The terrific aspect about arriving in early afternoon was that the sun was perfectly positioned for picture taking. The sun was at my back for 3/4's of the views. So...I had 3 incredible perspectives for which to snap pictures, take videos and breathe in the fresh Alaskan air. Another amazing detail was that from this granite butte, the weather was perfect. There wasn't any wind. It was like being in still air from high above. I was so impressed with how calm the setting was. Usually when you hike to the top cliff or overlook, it can be very very windy. This was the furthest from what you'd expect. No wind whatsoever. I believe the best part about being at the overlook was gazing out into the distance of Knik Glacier. It was the perfect backdrop. Another angle that was stunning was Pioneer Peak. There was 1 lazy cloud sitting next to it but that actually added a terrific element to the entire photogenic moment. Finally, the Talkeetna Mountains were also pretty special. I was just so happy to be here at the summit. It wasn't even crowded up top. I had tons of space to walk around and without having anyone "photobomb" my pictures. There were a few kids flying some drones but I didn't mind. I spent about 90 minutes up at the summit. After capturing plenty of photos and videos, I just had to sit down on a rock, bow my head and appreciate how far I had come being from South Florida to here in Palmer, Alaska. One last thing...for those who aren't familiar with the city of Palmer, it's located about 44 miles northeast of Anchorage. So...it's not out of the way for anyone to come and hike this trail. Lastly, just again, during my 2 week Alaskan vacation, this West Butte Trail was absolutely one of my highlighted and favorite memories...and all coming from a friendly stranger who recommended it while sitting next to me on my flight here. I am grateful. You never know. Kindness goes a long way. It pays to be nice to people, lol.

We got engaged here! Loved it. Challenging vertical at times but overall a manageable hike for…read moreanyone relatively active.

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.

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!