What better way to experience the beautiful and almost untouched wilderness of Alaska than to hike through its forests, around glaciers, and through mountains? If you’re up for a hiking adventure near Anchorage, AK, we recommend that you consider vacationing at Chugach State Park.
This Alaska state park is known for its diverse recreational opportunities, but due to its close proximity to the Anchorage area and easy access for visitors, the Chugach State Park is a popular Alaska hiking attraction. Chugach State Park actually has over 25 trails that run throughout this nearly half-million-acre state park — the third largest state park in America! In this post, we will describe four of the trails that you can hike in Chugach State Park. The others will be left for you to explore on your next trip to Alaska.
If you’re interested in a fairly short but challenging hiking trail, you may be interested in the Twin Peaks Trail that begins at the Eklutna Lake Trailhead within Chugach State Park. The Twin Peaks Trail is 2.5 miles long and features a steep 1500 foot climb with loose gravel and other difficult trail conditions that pushes hikers. However, the beautiful lake view from the top, in sheep country, may be well worth the effort to get there.
Nature lovers will enjoy the Rodak Nature Trail that departs from the Eagle River Nature Center. This trail is considered easy because it is graveled and includes several benches en route. However, this 2/3-mile nature trail does have some great interpretive signs that allow you to get to know more about the Alaskan plants and wildlife as well as a viewing deck where you can see salmon rearing in a nearby stream.
For a little longer, but moderate hiking trail, you could try the McHugh Lake Trail, which is located near the McHugh Creek Trailhead off the Seward Highway. The McHugh Trail is a foot-hiking trail and is approximately 7 miles long (one way). From the trail, you can expect to see both the Rabbit and McHugh Lakes, surrounded by AK alpine tundra and the Suicide Mountain Peaks. Note that you can connect with other trails if you want to hike a loop; however, this route is recommended for experienced hikers only.
Last but not least (for this post), we suggest that you consider traveling on the Peters Creek Trail. This trail is actually a multi-use trail that allows hikers on foot, bicycles for the first 5 miles, and even snowmobiles when there is adequate snow covering in the winter months. Marked trails are 5 miles one way, but with additional unmarked trails, you can actually hike 11 miles up to the tree line and open tundra.
Because Chugach State Park has over 25 trails, many of which may take at least a day to hike, we recommend that you set up camp in your Alaska RV rental at one of the Chugach State Park camping facilities; the park has three campgrounds total. You can easily fly into Anchorage, AK, get your motorhome rental in Alaska, and then travel only about a half hour (from the airport) to reach the Chugach State Park Eagle River entrance. From any of these campgrounds, you can explore the trails at Chugach State Park for your entire vacation, whether you plan to stay for a couple days, a week, or even longer.
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