Alyeska Highway
MP 0
| Intersection with Seward Highway MP 90
| Girdwood is a cool little town and worth a stop even if you don’t have time to hike here. Showers are located at the Laundromall (see link). Once you get to Girdwood, there is a transit system that will take you most places, except up Crow Creek Road past the paved portion (see the “Public Transportation” link).
There are several short trails (the information is found in the downloads), in addition to the longer trails detailed in this section.
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Downloads:
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MP .2
| Glacier Ranger District Information Office
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Indian-Girdwood Multi-use Path
| Access: From the Alyeska Highway, 1st turn on the left; park in USFS Glacier District Information Office parking lot.
Lat N 60⁰ 56.658’ Long W 149⁰ 10.198’ Elevation 39’
Girdwood Multi-use path: Runs next to the Alyeska Highway, and goes all the way to The Hotel Alyeska (4 miles).
Indian-Girdwood Multi-use Path: Walk or ride back out to the Alyeska Highway and take a right toward Turnagain Arm. The Indian-Girdwood Multi-use path starts on the right (before the railroad overpass), and runs next to the Seward Highway. There are several access points along the trail, including Girdwood, Bird Point, Bird Creek Campground, Bird, and Indian.
Distance: 13.3 miles each way Elevation Gain: 300’ Difficulty: Easy Best Months: May-Fall.
Portions of the trail are open in winter, but a large section between Girdwood and Bird is closed due to high avalanche danger. If you are on foot, watch out for bikers. Unfortunately, this was named a bike path instead of a multi-use path (even though it is designated as a multi-use path), so bikers think they are the only users, and ride way too fast around blind corners. I’m giving it a 4 due to accessibility and views, but subtracting some for traffic noise and fast bikers. This is not something I would choose just for hiking. Valerie’s Rating: ❹ | Links:
Indian-Girdwood Multi-Use Path Trail Conditions
Downloads:
Indian to Girdwood Bike Path Guide
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MP 1.9
| Beaver Pond Trail, Abe’s Trail, & California Creek Trail, Iditarod Nat’l Historic Trail
| Access: Turn left onto Crow Creek Road. Drive .4 miles and park in the turnouts on either side of the road, right before the bridge. The trailhead is on the north (left) side of the road behind the guardrail.
Turnoff: Trailhead: Lat N 60⁰ 57.742’ Lat N 60⁰ 58.064’ Long W 149⁰ 08.438’ Long W 149⁰ 08.119’ Elevation 151’
Distance: Depends on trail Elevation Gain: Minimal/Moderate, depending on trail Difficulty: Easy Best Months: Year-round
These are not my favorite trails. Mostly you are just walking through the woods with little to no views of the surrounding valley, which is why I am lumping them together. There are many more interesting trails in the area. The download contains a map (page 1) and trail descriptions (page 2). Valerie’s Rating: ❷ | Links:
Downloads:
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MP 1.9
| Iditarod Trail Access
| Access: Turn left onto Crow Creek Road. Drive 1.46 miles and park on the right; there is only parking for two vehicles.
Lat N 60⁰ 58.710’ Long W 149⁰ 06.967’ Elevation 236’ |
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MP 1.9
| Winner Creek Connector
| Access: Turn left onto Crow Creek Road. Drive 2.52 miles and park on the right; there is only parking for two vehicles. The tram is 2.5 miles from here. See the description below for “Winner Creek Trail.”
Lat N 60⁰ 59.458’ Long W 149⁰ 06.107’ Elevation 422’ | Links:
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MP 1.9
| Crow Pass Trail & Cabin
| Access: Turn left onto Crow Creek Road. Drive approximately 6 miles and park in the parking lot at the end of the road.
Turnoff: Trailhead: Lat N 60⁰ 57.742’ Lat N 61⁰ 01.692’ Long W 149⁰ 08.438’ Long W 149⁰ 08.973’ Elevation 1484’
Distance: 23.1 miles one way to Eagle River Nature Center. 3 miles to Crow Pass and cabin. Elevation Gain: 2,100’ from Crow Creek Trailhead, 3,100’ from Eagle River Nature Center. Difficulty: Difficult Best Months: May-Fall (not recommended in winter due to avalanche danger)
The segment from this parking lot to Crow Pass is one of my favorite trails. You are up in the alpine almost right away, it is incredibly beautiful, and there are interesting historic mine artifacts. There is a cabin at the pass, and there are several places to pitch a tent without being crowded. There are side “routes” to Jewell Glacier and Grizzly Bear Lake. If you want to go one way to Eagle River, you can do so with a car shuttle. You drop into forest pretty quickly on the Eagle River side, and there is a dangerous river crossing that is recommended against attempting alone. There are tennis shoes left on either side of the river to wear while crossing, but I wouldn’t count on these being there, so you may want to carry river shoes if you are planning on crossing. This is part of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. Valerie’s Rating: ❺ | Links:
Eagle River Nature Center Guide
Downloads:
Iditarod Trail 20 mile to Crow Pass
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MP 2
| Laundromall
| Access: Turn left onto Girdwood Place, then the first left on Holmgren Place; the Laundromall is on the right hand side. Showers and laundry facilities. Cool décor too.
Lat N 60⁰ 57.793’ Long W 149⁰ 08.164’ | Links:
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MP 2.1
| Girdwood Campground
| Access: Turn right on Egilof, and drive .2 miles (passing the fire hall, library and ball field). Turn left on Karolius, and into the campground. There is a Frisbee golf course adjacent. Free potable water is located on side of the building between the fire hall and the Alyeska Highway.
Lat N 61⁰ 57.646’ Long W 149⁰ 08.171’ Elevation 103’ | Downloads:
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MP 2.8
| Alyeska Resort
| Access: On Alyeska Highway, at 2.8 mile you will come to a “T” in the road. Straight ahead is Alyeska Resort, which has downhill skiing in winter, and hiking and mountain biking in the summer and fall. There is a tram next to The Hotel Alyeska that operates most of the year, and in summer you can take the tram up or down and hike the other direction if you don’t want to hike both ways. Alyeska has built a number of mountain bike trails. Hiking is mostly on the cat tracks and ski runs, but if you take Arlberg road to the left at the “T” and park at The Hotel Alyeska parking lot, you can take the trail up the North Face (see below). There are a lot of good festivals and music both at the Resort and around Girdwood. Hiking is not allowed in summer until the “area closed” signs have been removed, and the snow is gone.
Lat N 61⁰ 57.646’ Long W 149⁰ 08.171’ Elevation 103’ | Links:
Alyeska Resort Mountain Information
Downloads: |
MP 2.8
| Moose Meadows
| Access: From Alyeska Highway, at 2.8 mile take a left at the “T” on Arlberg, then drive .3 more miles and park in the lot on the left (north) side of the road.
Lat N 60⁰ 57.855’ Long W 149⁰ 06.749’ Elevation 178’
Distance: Several Loops of varying length; see map. Elevation Gain: Minimal Difficulty: Easy-Moderate Best Months: Winter only (with sufficient snow cover), groomed Valerie’s Rating: ❹ | Links:
Downloads:
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MP 2.8
| Winner Creek Trail
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North Face
| Access: From Alyeska Highway, at 2.8 mile take a left at the “T” on Arlberg, then drive 1.1 more miles and park in the lots for The Hotel Alyeska. Walk past the tram ticket sales window and the base of the tram. Both trails head to the left behind the base of the tram.
Lat N 60⁰ 58.185’ Long W 149⁰ 05.700’ Elevation 266’
North Face: Distance: 2.5 miles Elevation Gain: 2000’ Difficulty: Strenuous Best Months: Hiking is not allowed in summer until the “area closed” signs have been removed, and the snow is gone.
It is muddy in spots, but the view from the top is spectacular. I’m giving it a “5” for the views (not the trail conditions). Valerie’s Rating: ❺
Winner Creek: Distance: 3 miles each way to Winner Creek Gorge. 9 miles to Upper Winner Creek. Elevation Gain: Minimal Difficulty: Easy-Moderate Best Months: Year-round
This trail is mostly through the woods, but the Gorge is beautiful. When you start getting up into the alpine on Upper Winner Creek, there are great views. In 2008, sections of the trail had a lot of water running over it. If you hike to the Gorge, there is a hand-operated tram that crosses the creek and you can connect in with the Iditarod National Historic Trail on the Crow Creek Road side at mile 2.52. The tram is difficult for one person to operate (you are pulling both the cart and yourself across by using a rope), and you risk getting stuck in the middle if you are not strong enough. When the trail is busy, sometimes people waiting on the sides will help each other get across. Though the Alyeska resort map says this is a biking trail, you are not allowed to ride on the boardwalks on the first portion; you must walk you bike. Valerie’s Rating: ❸ | Links:
Downloads:
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