At first I thought this park wasn't even listed on Yelp. Which is insane, it's MASSIVE. Then I realized it was listed simply as "Russian Jack Springs", which makes it sound like a quaint Canadian hot springs in the mountains...(I've since submitted an edit, it should show up with "park" in the title now) It's not that. It is a shockingly great park. It's in an area of town where you wouldn't expect to find a park, and it's quite massive. It's got green houses you can tour, a hill for sledding, trails for hiking/running, and even a GOLF COURSE and CLUBHOUSE. Is it a bougie golf course and clubhouse? Of course not. But it's cheap and solid. Golf for the people! I got some BBQ from Smokehouse which is less than a mile away, ate in the park, then went for a short walk on the trails to burn off that brisket, and I was still back to work in time. Don't take Anchorage living for granted! I hope to come back in the winter to get on that sledding hill! read more

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Is there an Alaskan Snow Snake? (see pic) After the fresh snow, there are so many cool things to gander upon. And even though there is a fresh powder, the tracks are still visible and ready to be skied. I can only speak on the cross country ski trails here, but I've been super impressed with them. There is also a sledding hill, skate skiing area and a lodge style building that I've never seen open. I understand there are also community greenhouses on the property that you can check out. After three trips here and over two hours spent, I have yet to see the entire park. So much to explore, great for beginners, and well lit. For being so close to a major road, I'm amazed at how quiet and serene this place is. There's a private parking lot, off Lidia Selkregg Lane. I've never had a problem finding a spot. I think parking is free because I didn't see any fee stations. read more

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I visited the park twice in early March to go snowshoeing. I got to the park on the number 15 bus. There are three stops on either side of DeBarr Rd which bisects the park. When I visited, the park was a winter wonderland. The ground and trees were covered in fresh snow. The trails were freshly groomed making them great for skiers. Since I was on snowshoes, I was able to blaze my own trails. Once you get away from the edges of the park, the hills and trees make it feel like you are in the middle of the woods instead of three miles from downtown. In the north side of the park, I saw three moose. I was excited since this was my only moose siting during my two weeks in Alaska. The south side of the park has a nice river which was partially frozen and picturesque. I saw a man dragging a sled filled with firewood he probably gathered from fallen branches. For a guy who has been living in California for twenty years, Russian Jack Springs Park was a beautiful wonderland filled with classic winter scenes. It was a great place for my first snowshoeing experience. After two hours, I was getting hungry. Luckily I noticed a McDonald's right outside the park as I was coming over a hill. If you want to warm up, you can visit the green house which is near the parking lot on the south side of the park. read more

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Course design/playability: 3 stars Walk-Ability: 4 stars Condition/maintenance: 2 Driving range/practice area: 1 star Pace of play: 3 stars Avg. wait for tee time: 3 stars Pro shop staff: 2 stars The first time I opted to play golf on my annual business trip to Anchorage, it was a rainy Friday and the only course open was Russian Jack Springs. I found my way to the "club house" which also serves as a community rec center for the park. The staff are city employees who are NOT encouraged to play golf, so they don't know Russian Jack Shit about the game. Horrible rental clubs that I think I saw in the bargain bin at Play it Again Sports the day before. Wait for my tee time, finally get going on the first par 3 and knock a solid drive to pin high but 30 yards right. Make a smooth pitch with my wedge, the ball lobs high in the air, soars towards the green, comes down and...BOUNCES off of the green twice as far away as I was. The greens are all astroturf set on top of concrete pads. Let me repeat that, in case you skimmed over it: instead of grass, the greens are astroturf, and instead of dirt they are built upon concrete. Golf? Hardly. This was so unlike golf that there was no point in even keeping score. The best thing to happen to me that day was when the guys in the pro shop took pity on my plight and let me play a second 9 for free. Oh, joy: twice the crap for the price of one serving. Seriously, these greens f'd up my game for weeks following. I'd be looking at a bump and run worrying that it was going to bounce and sail. Better to not play golf than play this sort of bastardization foisted upon the public by a recreation department that can't find the time or resources to maintain grass on a golf course. Makes me wonder if the pools in Anchorage even have water in them, or some other substitute that is easier to maintain - like sand. read more

This is a great park but due to location it can be a bit sketchy and dirty. I came the other day and a caretaker was repairing one of the bridge rails. My dogs loved running around and being free. Unfortunately, one of the entrances was littered with garbage and a mattress and a box spring. I do not get why people think it's okay to be trashy, but hopefully the park services will clean it up. read more

I must have visited this park at the wrong time of year. The type of trees that are in there drop these sticky pods on the ground, and I think that must be what stinks to high hell in the fall. Don't drive by here with your windows down at certain times of the year, it smells like crap, literally. read more