Category: Alaska State

Point Bridget State Park
The 2,850 acre Point Bridget State Park is forty miles north of Juneau and has muskeg, meadows, cliffs,  salmon spawning streams, and rocky beaches on the sea. Point Bridget Trail is said to be easy.
Point Bridget Trail  3.5 miles one way.  Description from Alaska.org:  The trail “meanders through muskeg, mature forest, and grassland until it reaches a beaver dam and views of the Lynn Canal. Bears often visit the meadow, but leave it to fish the stream. In spring, thousands of white-winged and surf scooters swim wing to wing in one giant raft. It is quite a sight to behold. Sea lions and harbor seals are often seen near shore and every once-in-awhile a humpback whale is offshore.”
At 7 miles round trip with an elevation gain of over 400′ this trail is likely to be too long and have too much elevation gain for you to do the entire trail, although it is described as suitable for all skill levels and “kid friendly”.   The wildflowers and scenery may make it worthwhile walking part way.  Here is the park website    and a description of  Trails in Point Bridget State Park     Park Map  Park Guide
Phone 907-465-4563

Mendenhall Wetlands – State Game Refuge easy, accessible trails
Mendenhall Wetlands State Game Refuge at Juneau, Alaska has some accessible trails.  The refuge is a saltwater wetlands which provides a vital feeding and resting area for both resident birds and migrants traveling to and from their Arctic breeding grounds. The 4,000-acre wildlife refuge stretches nine miles along the shores of Gastineau Channel  and is enjoyed for waterfowl hunting, hiking, wildlife viewing and photography, boating, fishing, and scientific and educational studies.  Here is their website.  Phone 907-465-4266  A fuller description of these trails is found on Alaska.org’s  Juneau Hiking Trails.
Airport Dike Trail   1.2 miles paved.  Elevation gain 3′.   “It has many opportunities for waterfowl and bird watching.”
Mendenhall Wetlands Trail  1 mile “…runs through the wetlands between the mainland and Douglas Island. It’s a great walk for families, birdwatchers, and exercisers. There are interpretive signs along the trail, with information about the birds, animals, and the wetlands ecosystems. “

University of Alaska Fairbanks Trail System
The university maintains an in-town trail network.  “North Campus consists of approximately 1,100 acres of largely forested land on the north-to-northwest side of campus. ”  Thank you, Kara Axx, North Campus Manager, for writing”…our trails are not officially up to the ADA standard for wheelchair accessibility. That being said, most of the trails on the UAF network would be considered on the easier side. Our Viereck Nature trail is actually in a steeper area of our trail system, but a senior in relevantly good shape should be fine completing. It is about a 1K – 2K loop of fairly level natural surface with minimal tripping hazards. There are signs identifying plant species, so it is like a self guided nature walk.  Here is the website for the Trail System.
“Other areas that might be more friendly would be Ballaine Lake (east side of campus) because there is easy access via a state maintained wayside with ample parking and a picnic area. There are several trail connections, so trips can be very short to loops, to mid range. The trails are all relatively flat in that area with a level surface and minimal tripping hazards. One thing to highlight for our trail system is that they are open for walking with or without dogs, wildlife viewing and bird watching (even rainbow trout fishing at Ballaine lake) during the summer months, but in the winter almost all of the trails become a network of groomed ski trails that are closed to walking and dogs. ” 
Map   Phone 907-474-2648   Facebook

 

 

Settlers Cove State Recreation Site
Settlers Cove is a quiet spot on the Clover Passage in the Ketchikan Region of Southeast Alaska.  Red Cedar, Western Hemlock and Sitka Spruce grow here in the temperate rainforest.  There is a sandy beach and a series of trails.  Their website. Phone 907-465-4563
Hollow Cedar Beach Access Trail  200 yds to Lunch Creek Bridge

Old Sitka State Historical Park
A settlement here along Starrigavan Bay was built by Russians in the early 1800s. This site has been designated as a National Historic Landmark and there are interpretive panels with information about the history here. The park is 7 miles north of downtown Sitka.  Here is their website.
Forest and Muskegs Trail 1.25 self-guided mile “…hard-pack gravel, with sections of boardwalk. Approximately 100 feet of trail has a 14% gradient. The rest of the trail has a gradient of 12% or less.”

Interpretive Panels   Map  Phone 907-269-8400

Lake Louise State Recreation Area
This 500 acre area “…provides opportunities for “camping, fishing, boating, bird watching, hiking, biking, berry picking, snow machining, skiing, skating, hunting, and Northern Lights viewing. Lake Louise offers great year round fishing and sports four species of fish…”  There is a great variety of wildlife including moose, bear, wolves, fox, sheep, lynx and caribou.  You may see loons and trumpeter swans.   Here is their website.
There is a “hard-pack gravel” interpretive trail.  Length not given.
Map   Campground phone 907-441-7575

Know more about Lake Louise?
Have you visited this location and know of more accessible or easy trails?  Is any of the information given here incorrect?  If so, please contact me using the form to the left and let me know what should be changed or added so I can update this post.

Matanuska Lakes State Recreation Area
Matanuska Lakes State Recreation Area used to be known as Kepler-Bradley.  It  lies northeast of Homer, west of Palmer.  The trails around the lake are accessible.  Visitors come for fishing, hiking, camping and biking.  The area includes several lakes stocked with trout and grayling.   Here is their website.
Trails around Matanuska Lake are hard-pack gravel  Map
Phone DPOR  907-269-

Know more about Matanuska Lakes SRA?
Have you visited this location and know of more accessible or easy trails?  Is any of the information given here incorrect?  If so, please contact me using the form to the left and let me know what should be changed or added so I can update this post.

Denali State Park
Th 325,240 acre Denali State Park provides a great variety of recreational opportunities, ranging from roadside camping to wilderness exploration.  Lying between the Talkeetna Mountains to the east and the Alaska Range to the west, the landscape varies from meandering lowland streams, to montane forest, to alpine tundra. 
Denali View North has about 1200′ of paved trail with interpretive signs.
Here is their website.   Brochure & Map   Phone 907-745-3975

Know more about Denali State Park?
Have you visited this location and know of more accessible or easy trails?  Is any of the information given here incorrect?  If so, please contact me using the form to the left and let me know what should be changed or added so I can update this post.

Chugach State Park
This large Southcentral Alaska park has several accessible trails.  The landscape includes “….diverse land forms and rugged topography, bounded on the north and west by the Alaska Range, and on the east by the Chugach and Wrangell Mountains and Prince William Sound. The region contains extensive ocean shoreline, abundant lakes, massive glaciers and ice fields. The park’s westernmost boundary lies in the western foothills of the Chugach Mountain Range and is a mere seven miles to the east of downtown Anchorage. ”  Here is their website.   Phone 907-345-5014
Anchorage Overlook trail 0.25 mile paved and gravel trail view of Anchorage, Alaska Range and Cook Inlet.  Anchorage Hillside Trail System Guide    Map    Chugach Hillside Brochure and Map
Bird Creek to Indian Bike Trail  c 3 miles paved along Turnagain Arm to Bird Creek Campground
Bird Point to Girdwood Bike Path 6 miles paved

Bird Ridge Trailhead. 0.3 mile with viewing areas at either end. paved

Eagle River Nature Center  Trail System  There are 3 easy trails and one rated easy to moderate.  The trails are hard-pack gravel, so some wheelchair users may find them accessible.
Potter Creek Interpretive Trail 0.46 miles, 220 feet paved.

Trail Descriptions

Know more about Chugach State Park?
Have you visited this location and know of more accessible or easy trails?  Is any of the information given here incorrect?  If so, please contact me using the form to the left and let me know what should be changed or added so I can update this post.

 

Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve 
The Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve was created by the state in 1982.  The preserve protects the world’s largest concentration of Bald Eagles and their habitat.  There are accessible paths and boardwalks.   The preserve also protects the natural salmon runs in 48,000 acres of river bottom land of the Chilkat, Kleheni, and Tsirku Rivers. 
1.75 miles of pavement and boardwalk for viewing eagles along the Chilkat river.
Map  Haines Ranger Station phone 907-766-2292  Preserve’s website