Anchorage, AK: Bird Point
Watch the bore tide in Turnagain Arm and tour a scenic section of the Indian-to-Girdwood bike path on this easygoing, 1.9-mile hike less than an hour from Anchorage.
| NATIONAL PARKS QUICKLINKS |
Alaska featured hikes / reader trips
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Denali National Park: Healy OverlookEnjoy fabulous views of the highest peaks in the Alaska Range (Mounts McKinley, Deborah, Hess, and Hayes) on this 6-mile round-trip. Denali National Park: Mount Eielson LoopThis 14.6-mile hike in Denali National Park circles Mount Eielson and features scenic creek crossings and jaw-dropping views of the Alaska Range. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park: Southern TraverseThirteen days of tough travel takes you through the heart of the world's largest protected wilderness.
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Chilkoot TrailChilkoot Trail is 33 miles from the trailhead near Skagway, Alaska to Lake Bennett in British Columbia. The trail was the route used to get to the Yukon during the Alaskan Gold Rush until the White Pass Railroad began running out of Skagway to the Yukon. Swanson River Part IIThis paddle goes through 26 miles of Alaska, through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. It starts almost north of Sterling and ends in the Cook Inlet where there is about a mile of portage to pull the canoe out. The paddle takes you through conifer spruce forests and marsh finally ending up in a tidal zone. The Pulse: Steve Howe on DenaliFollow Rocky Mountain Editor and Pulse blogger Steve Howe's progress as he climbs Mount McKinley and sends his GPS location from a SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker.
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Top 3 Ansel Adams HikesThe legendary shooter once said that photographs were "usually looked at, seldom looked into." Take a look into three hikes that inspired some of Ansel Adams greatest photos, and take a few pictures yourself. America's Scariest Trails: VanishedLost? Murdered? When the wilderness swallows people without a trace, who's to say what happened? |
Backpacking Alaska: Glaciers, Wildlife, & Peaks On Every CornerDuring a one-month August journey, BACKPACKER undertook multiple crowd-free Alaskan backpacking routes and returned with extensive photos, video, & GPS. Hike It, Save It: Utukok Uplands, AlaskaOn the Brooks Range's Arctic slop, coal mining and oil and natural gas drilling are threats to half a million caribou, and the Arctic's highest concentration of grizzlies. 
The Unlikeliest MountaineerTake a fatherless herd boy from poverty-wracked Swaziland, endow him with an indomitable will and a few wealthy friends, give him the lungs of Ed Viesturs, and you have... |
Glacial AlaskaThe Castner Glacier proved a picturesque teaching ground for glacial terminology. Photos by Katie Herrell 
Entering Alaska: Pipelines, Rations, and One Major Wrong TurnThe first couple days of an Alaskan backpacking trip were filled with organizational efforts and one false start, plus plenty of stunning scenery. 
November 2008 Reader PhotosThis month our readers found sun in Sedona, Arizona and snow and ice on Rainier–plus everything in between. |
September 2008 Reader PhotosCalifornia, Argentina, Mexico–our readers sought the endless summer this month. |
Dogs of War Part 3: Witness a Wolf SkinningVIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED. Alaska wolves are prized for their pelts. Here, trapper and tanner Al Barrette skins a wolf and makes the case for continued hunting and trapping. 
Dogs of War Part 1: Hunting Denali WolvesCoke Wallace lives to hunt wolves. Follow him into the Alaskan backcountry to learn how wolf hunters find, catch, and kill their prey. 
Dogs of War Part 2: Tracking the Toklat Wolf PackJoin wildlife scientist Gordon Haber on a trip into Denali to track down the threatened Toklat pack's den, where he hopes to see wolves thriving in their natural environment. |
3D Flyover: Denali National ParkOn this seven-day trek through the legendary Toklat Valley, we've watched wolves hunt snowshoe hares, dodged caribou running up riverbars, and stood our ground while grizzlies bluff-charged camp. 
Preview: Alone Across AlaskaIf there were an Oscar for indie adventrue films, Bruce "Buck" Nelson would be a runaway winner |
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Photos + Videos
Gear Lab: Boots Torture TestCan any hiking boot survive 15 minutes in a cement mixer filled with rocks, sticks, dirt, and bricks? Gear Lab aims to find out. |
Gear Lab: Tents Torture TestWho wants a mountain tent that buckles under pressure? Not us--so we blasted four top tents with a carwash pressure washer to see which one comes out on top. |
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Adventure Weekends: Luxury Hiking and Camping
We've got a selection of cozy shelters and trail-side restaurants from Washington to Maine. Check out these hikes in the Rockies, the Northeast, and the Northwest.
Hiking The Annapurna Circuit: Q&A With Shannon Davis
Associate editor Shannon Davis tells us more about the highs and lows of his honeymoon trek (featured in March 2009's "The Perfect Circle") on the sky-scraping Annapurna Circuit in Nepal.
American Classic: Hiking the Appalachian Trail
In this ultimate guide to the country's favorite footpath, you'll find our picks for the best hiking and camping, and a complete plan for thru-hikers. Plus, meet a man who has made it his job to help AT hikers.
Mt. Adams: Solitude On Ice
Test your self-arrest skills on Mt. Adams's 12,276-foot fractured glacier.
Hiking Hip Deep in Florida's Swamps
Get your feet (and more) wet on the Florida Trail's best section.
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