This is a great peak to try if you want a long hike that never gets very difficult (you don't have…read moreto use your hands). The "quick" way is to start at South Fork Eagle river trail: https://www.yelp.com/biz/south-fork-eagle-river-trail-anchorage After you reach the lakes you'll want to veer right around Symphony lake and gain that ridge. You then take that ridge all the way up to the summit of Triangle. Or, you can hike on South Fork for about 1 mile. There, you will come to a junction where you can gain Rendezvous Ridge (https://www.yelp.com/biz/arctic-valley-rendezvous-peak-trail-anchorage). You take this up to the top of the ridge on your right and ride this ridge all the way to the summit. There's a lot of up and down, so it's going to take a lot more time going this route, but it's worth it. You get 360 degree Chugach views the entire time. The views of Eagle and Symphony lakes from the ridge are even better than they are down on the normal trail. You'll likely see Dall Sheep near the summit, the love this area. I was "herding" them for the last 2 miles to the summit. Getting to the summit involves some easy scrambling. There's a summit register where you can write your name, proving you made it. There are excellent views of Cantata Peak (review pending) to the north. When I was there, a storm was rolling in, creating a nice drizzle and lots of rainbows!

This is a great hike near Eagle River that I was surprised I hadn't heard much about…read more You start at a trailhead on a winding road (see my photo for exact Google Maps location), you switchback up through the trees and eventually make your way to a ridge line. You ride the ridge line, up and down, until you finally reach the proper summit of Mt Magnificent. Be advised, there are many false summits on the way. You'll think you're about to summit the mountain numerous times, then reach the "top" only to see a larger summit in front of you, in the distance. (it can be rather heart-breaking) I'd imagine this hike can go quicker in the summer/fall (the website I read said it was casually done in less than 3 hours, RT), but it takes a decent amount of time to do in the winter/spring (microspikes and a pole are a must). I think it took us maybe 4.5 hrs. There was a bit of route finding and some side-hilling you have to do because it's difficult to scramble on the rocks when they are covered in slippery snow. There are event some flat spots on here that would be great for camping in the summer. I look forward to exploring the Eagle River hiking scene. This one is a pretty big step up from Mt Baldy. Give it a shot!

To climb this mountain, you gotta start at the South Fork Eagle River Trail:…read morehttps://www.yelp.com/biz/south-fork-eagle-river-trail-anchorage Once you get to the lakes, you go climber's left and skirt the south flanks of Eagle Lake. This takes you into a peaceful valley area with multiple small streams criss-crossing over riverbed pebbles. You keep riding this valley up and trending left till you reach the south face of Eagle Peak, then the climbing begins. I chose to do this peak in non-ideal weather because I'm tired of all the rain and overcast weather in Anchorage...instead of putzing around online being butthurt that it wasn't "climbing weather", I decided to just go. Eagle Peak is about 22ish miles R/T. Most of it is pretty flat until the very end. Trailhead is at 2,000 ft. Summit is at ~6,900 ft. The mileage is what really makes doing it in a single day a doozy. It's a class 2/3 hike (a "scramble") in the summer, allegedly. That's not how I would've characterized it on Sunday (5/20). The south face was a mess of wet crusty, ball-busting snow and frosted, verglass-glazed rocks. I roughly followed the beta from summitpost and peakbagger, making my own adjustments for the wintery conditions. Despite it being cloudy and windy, snow/rain was only occasionally falling down. And temps were pretty warm for the most part. I never even had to get out my belay jacket. My feet though, were soaked. Even with gaiters, the wet snow was building up in and around them, and in my boots. I did something I never do anymore: I took a second pair of socks because I heard the approach can get wet (thanks to low flow on the streams and snow bridges, it wasn't!) I ended up using them anyway because my mountaineering boots were filled with water. I took a small iceaxe (the old, short hammer-design of the Petzl Sum'tec) and a whipper. I used the whippet for 99% of the ascent. I got the axe out for a short, very steep constriction that was filled with some water ice. However, the water ice was too rotten to trust (at least for someone of my risk tolerance), so I ended up down-climbing and finding another way around, and up. I took aluminum crampons because of all the mileage, they worked fine. Even with tons of clouds, gusts of wind, and scattered rain/snow showers...the summit was a sight to behold! Well worth the effort. I'm glad I got to scale it while it still has a snowy coat!

A word of caution: this trail is BRUTAL in the winter…read more I think it's because the people of Hope rarely hike it then. The final 3 miles were pure misery, non-stop post-holing. It took us nearly 7 hours RT, this shocked my climbing partner and I both. In the summer, I imagine it can comfortably be done in half that time. The trail is mostly flat, and 5 miles, one-way. At the 5 mile mark, there are some places to camp. This would be a great trip for a beginning backpacker. Most of South-central was socked in when we hiked it, so the views at the end were just OK. Already dreaming of a warm, summery, Corona-free hike in the future. Will re-review it then. As it stands now, it's high-effort, low-reward. You'd be better served by a higher elevation, but more frequently used trail in the winter. (like Flattop, Powerline Pass, Rabbit Creek, etc)

Gull Rock Trail, located in the Chugach National Forest, is a really excellent, moderately easy…read moretrail that has a lot to see and explore. Able bodied adults, children and seniors will enjoy this trail as long as they go prepared for some terrain changes and the misty rain that enevitably descends on hikers in this part of Alaska. To access Gull Rock Trail, take Hope Highway to the end and the entrance and parking lot are on the left. If you are camping at Porcupine Campground, you can access the trail from a 2ndary trail head there as well (which carves .5 miles off the one way distance of the hike.) There is no public parking in the Porcupine Campground to access the trail, so hikers are best off parking at the main trailhead (or camping at Porcupine... make reservations online or you'll NEVER get spot !) Unfortunately I jacked up my knee right before my vacation (argh!) so I was only able to hike about half the trail but it was very enjoyable but not terribly challenging. There's some elevation changes, but not more than about 500 feet elevation gain total. The terrain, however changes a lot. There's rainforest, birch forest, pine forests, talus (rockslidy areas), views of the inlet and the mountains. It's a nice bit of everything. There's some minimal berry picking as well, but nothing particularly exciting. There are some water sources about, so if you bring a water purifier along with you you'll stay well hydrated. There's also, unfortunately ample mosquitos. It's DEFINITELY a trail you want to be prepared for wildlife encounters (bear spray/gun), injuries (first aid pack), and basic survival stuff (a way to purify water, start a fire and a space blanket). Most of the trail has cell service since across the inlet is Seward Highway (which you can see in some spots). But there are dead spots and if you get hurt, no one's gonna find you for a while, so be prepared to hunker down. We had a bear scare on the trail because in some places the brush and shrubbery is flush with the trail. That always makes me a little squirrley. Especially if you take kids with you, be prepared for large animal encounters. There's not a lot of traffic on this trail past mile 2, so it's pretty secluded for some nice quiet time with nature. Enjoy!

Kudos to Joy G for snagging the FTR on this one! (and shame on my for missing it!)…read more This is one of two trails in Hope. Both are very well maintained. The other one, Gull Rock, is flat the entire time: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gull-rock-trail-hope This one, should you take it all the way to the top of Hope Point (3,708'), if you want to take it that far! Views from the top are incredible. You get views of the many peaks of the arm that you just can't get driving to Girdwood because, well, you're too close to the mountains to see their full profiles! This trail is also unique in that it melts out pretty early season (May) for how relatively high it is. More details on Joy G's review, check it out!

Hope Point trail has 2 access points. You can park at the free parking lot that shares the trail…read morehead will Gull Rock Trail for the first mile. Or, if you're lucky enough to be camping at Porcupine Campground, you can start your hike at the unmarked trailhead that starts at the entrance to the campground where the bridge crosses Porcupine Creek. It takes through a much prettier walk through the forest full if beautiful flora and the sounds if rushing water. We hiked both and agree this was much nicer. We didn't have time to hike the whole trail since we also did part of Gull Rock this day, but turned around due to overgrowth and a TON of bear scat on the trail. Hope Point is much rockier and steeper, and doesn't have the same pretty views as Gull, but I also don't want to be mauled by a brown bear. We'll definitely do this trail again.

You may not know the name of this mountain but, she knows you…read more.. if you've driven through the Arm more than a couple times, you've definitely seen it. If you're driving back into Anchorage, it's visible as you're approaching the small village of "Indian" (home to one of the best restaurants in the state: Froth & Forage, https://www.yelp.com/biz/froth-and-forage-coffeehouse-and-eatery-anchorage) It's flanked by two official trails: Falls Creek Trail: on the "Anchorage side" (west) https://www.yelp.com/biz/falls-creek-trail-anchorage Indian Valley Trail: on the "Indian, AK side" (east) https://www.yelp.com/biz/indian-valley-trail-anchorage The trail that goes up to Indianhouse is not an "official trail". Because of this, I was always leery about climbing Indianhouse Mountain. I'm not super-thrilled about bushwhacking, and I thought getting to the mountain proper would require a ton of it. Oh, how wrong I was! The trail that goes up here is actually shockingly well maintained. No 'schwacking at all! It is, however, incredibly steep. Probably steepest trail I've been on in the Chugach State Park area (maybe that's why it's not "official"). Anyway, for the first (steep) mile, it's a very steep hike. You'll eventually top out on nice, wide prairie-like area. From here, casual hikers should probably turn around. You'll know you're at the turnaround point because the trail will start to become faint and eventually disappear into a ridge that leads to the much larger ridge of Indianhouse Mountain. To summit Indianhouse, DO NOT ride this ridge up to ridge of Indianhouse and then try to take that to the summit! This is a tempting move to make but the rock that lies ahead for you is of very poor quality and the moves are very much 5th-class! (e.g. you'll need a rope) Go partially up the ridge, but, before you connect with the summit ridge traverse right. And keep traversing right. This...can be kinda bushwhacky, but you're largely on tundra (and/or garbage snow). I'd say this is probably the crux of the hike/climb. You're looking for a large couloir (narrow gully) that leads up to the summit. It usually has snow in it until later in the summer. You might want to bring an ice axe and crampons or, at the very least, a trekking pole and some microspikes. The summit is exposed and complex, with incredible views in all directions. Views of the nearby Suicide Peaks are one-of-a-kind!

To get to this trail, first go to Glen Alps…read more Then got down Powerline Pass for about 1/2 mile. The hang a left. You'll eventually reach a signed junction. The trail leads to the gorgeous Williwaw Lakes area. An awesome place to backpack. It's also the starting point for most routes up Mt Williwaw. It's generally well-graded and maintained, but there are a couple of rockslides and brushy sections to contend with.

This is a point to point hike, that for the average hiker takes several days. I'm a serious slow…read morepoke, so I always out and back the first couple miles. The hike is fairly steep, that in the summer doesn' require cleats, but walking poles or a stick is nice, especially if your knees are garbage like mine. You definitely want to being a well equipped pack and plan for everything, since this location is somewhat remote, and if something goes sideways you want to be prepared. Animal encounters are a real possibility. The weather and temperature fluctuates in typical Alaskan style as well. If you go far enough, you'll have to cross a creek, which depending on the time of day, can be unpassable. In fall the colors are absolutely stunning. I highly recommend this trail for adults. Leave the kids and pets home.

Great hike in Girdwood, more exciting and less crowded than the "other" trail in Girdwood…read more You'll pass old mining debris and wander up a hill. As things get steeper watch out for Mountain Goats! I saw a Nanny and a Billy last time I was here. Eventually, you'll get pretty close to some assorted waterfalls and then top out on the pass proper. At the top is a lovely A-frame hut (reservation only, don't mess with the people in there, give 'em some privacy!). If you continue onward you'll see great views of the Raven Glacier. We brought some ice tools and crampons so we could play around on it. It was a great time! Most people turn around here. But, if you're well-equipped, you can continue almost 20 miles, all the way to Eagle River. Definitely a must-hike in the Girdwood area. If you get back in time, I recommend dinner at Jack Sprat!