hiking in Alaska … disappointing

Obviously there is great hiking in Alaska. The State has two-thirds of the Nation’s parkland.

Why did I have so much trouble finding great hiking?

I bought Hiking Alaska, 2nd: A Guide to Alaska’s Greatest Hiking Adventures by Dean Littlepage. (The second Falcon guide I purchased this year if you are keeping track.)

Littlepage provides a good overview — 100 hikes sorted in a convenient “trip finder”. He even list hikes for those without vehicles. (Thanks Dean.)

But we still had trouble finding the “best hikes in Alaska”.

Problems:

many of the listed trails are tree-locked (few vistas)

many are very short

few have public access to the trailheads

very few hikes in the Littlepage guide are loop trails

Fortunately we had our own vehicle. Unfortunately we had no mountain bikes (which would have been convenient for getting back to the car from the finishing trailhead).

The weather is always a worry in Alaska, especially coastal Alaska.

There are many wonderful things to do in Alaska. My feeling is that hiking is not highest priority for most visitors. We found the Yukon much more hiker-friendly, by comparison.

So far, here is our list of the best hikes in Alaska. If you can add to the list — hikes or hiking areas as good or better — leave a comment below.

• Chilkoot Trail Yukon / Alaska
• Chena Dome Trail (and Angel Rocks)
• Kesugi Ridge Trail Denali (McKinley)
• McGonagall Pass Denali (McKinley)
• Gates of the Arctic

(Feel free to include major treks requiring fly-in access, time and money.)