Winter Hiking in Anchorage: Trails, Gear & Safety
Anchorage has a strange winter problem. The mountains start at the edge of the city, so you can be at a trailhead twenty minutes after leaving work, but on the shortest day of the year the sun is up for less than five and a half hours. Trails that feel like a casual summer evening walk turn into something else once snow loads the slopes above them, and the city's most popular peak has a long avalanche history. Winter hiking in Anchorage is still very good if you choose well. This guide sorts all eight of our Anchorage-area trail guides into three groups: the one that works all winter, the ones that need avalanche training and a forecast, and the ones to leave until summer. It also covers ice traction, daylight planning and moose, which are the three things locals talk about most from November to March.
Planning around five and a half hours of light
The Alaska Climate Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks lists Anchorage's winter solstice sunrise at 10:15 a.m. and sunset at 3:41 p.m., a day length of 5 hours 27 minutes. In practice, that means a late-morning start and a plan to be back at the car before the light fades in mid-afternoon. Treat a headlamp as essential, not optional, and carry a spare battery, because lithium cells last longer than alkaline ones in the cold. The short days change how you judge distance as well. A route you would finish easily on a June evening can leave you walking out in the dark in December, on ice, with tired legs. Pick shorter outings, set a firm turnaround time based on sunset rather than on how far you've gone, and tell someone at home when you expect to be out.
Ice is the usual surface
Anchorage winters often swing between thaws and refreezes, so the city's popular trails are often glazed and packed hard rather than covered in deep powder. On packed or icy trail, microspikes usually work better than snowshoes, and our Thunderbird Falls guide recommends traction for exactly this reason. Snowshoes earn their place after a fresh dump of snow, on unpacked trail. Bring trekking poles with winter baskets either way.
The one that works all winter: Thunderbird Falls
Of our eight Anchorage-area guides, Thunderbird Falls is the only one we list for winter, and it's a good one. Alaska State Parks gives the trail as 1 mile one way with about 175 feet of net gain, and mapping apps put the round trip at about 1.9 miles with around 330 feet of total climbing. The trail is wide and well graded through birch forest above Eklutna Canyon, and a viewing deck faces the falls. Alaska State Parks notes that the falls often freeze in winter into ice sculptures, which is why this is one of the most popular winter walks north of Anchorage. It's about 30 minutes north of downtown off the Glenn Highway, between the Eklutna and Mirror Lake exits. Parking costs $5 per day, or display the $60 Alaska State Parks annual pass. Wear microspikes for the packed, icy tread, and take extra care on the steeper side trail that drops toward the base of the falls, which gets very slick in winter.
Cliffs and moose on a family trail
The easy grade hides two real hazards. The trail runs along the top of Eklutna Canyon, and Alaska State Parks warns about the cliffs, so keep children close and stay behind the railings, especially when the ground is icy. Moose are common here and use packed trails in winter, because walking is easier for them there too. Part of the trail borders a private subdivision, so stay on the trail.
Glen Alps and the Hillside: avalanche terrain at the city's edge
Flattop Mountain, Wolverine Peak and Rabbit Lake all start on Anchorage's Hillside, and that's the problem. They're so close to town that they don't feel like backcountry, but in winter they are. Alaska State Parks' own Flattop trail guide says the area is avalanche-prone in winter. The Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center's accident records include a December 1973 accident on Flattop, when a church group slid down a gully on the way down and one chaperone was killed, and a February 2006 accident in which a snowshoer was buried and killed in Boy Scout Gully beside Flattop, within a mile of the Glen Alps parking lot. That pair carried no beacons, shovels or probes. The center also lists a near miss near the Flattop summer trail in December 2019. Our Wolverine Peak and Rabbit Lake guides say the surrounding slopes become avalanche terrain in winter and spring. The upper part of Wolverine is a long climb above treeline, and Rabbit Lake sits in a valley under the Suicide Peaks. Put all three in the category that needs avalanche training, a current forecast, rescue gear and partners. If you don't have those, skip them until summer.
What the forecast does and doesn't cover
The avalanche center lists Chugach State Park among its forecast areas. The Chugach State Park products we checked from recent seasons were weekend outlooks, described as general backcountry conditions summaries, not the daily forecasts it issues for Turnagain Pass. Read the current one before any Hillside trip, and remember that a general summary can't assess the gully you're standing below.
Along Turnagain Arm: Bird Ridge, Crow Pass and Byron Glacier
The Seward Highway trails get more avalanche terrain, not less. Bird Ridge is a famous spring hike because it faces south and loses its snow before anything else in the park. That same sun heats the snow on the steep slopes. The avalanche center's records include a fatal accident on Bird Ridge in April 2011, in which a hiker was killed, and a March 2020 wet slab that caught a hiker who crossed a snowfield off the main trail and carried them about 100 feet. Our guide puts the round trip at about 5 miles with 3,400 feet of gain, and the upper ridge is exposed and windy. Treat it as an avalanche-terrain trip until the snow is gone, not as a winter workout. Crow Pass, near Girdwood, is the same story with more snow. The Forest Service warns that hazardous avalanche conditions may exist on the route from as early as October to well into June, and the center's records include a fatal ski accident there in 1997. The day hike to the pass is about 6 miles round trip with 2,080 feet of gain. Only go in winter if you're trained, equipped and have read the Turnagain Pass forecast. Otherwise, wait until summer.
Byron Glacier: skip it until summer
The Forest Service lists Byron Glacier's season as mid-June to October and warns that very large cornices overhang the valley, with avalanche danger lasting into summer. Our guide says winter travel there is unsafe and not recommended. The snowfields and ice caves near the glacier can collapse without warning in any season. This is an easy summer walk that you should not attempt in winter.
North to Hatcher Pass: Reed Lakes waits for summer
Reed Lakes is the long drive north into the Talkeetna Mountains, via Palmer-Fishhook Road and Archangel Road, and it belongs on the summer list. In summer the round trip is about 8.6 miles with about 2,000 feet of gain, and the main challenge is a large boulder field. Our guide notes that the whole route is above timberline and exposed to wind all day. In winter, snow fills the boulder field, hiding the holes between rocks. The valley walls are steep, and the Archangel Valley lies within the area covered by the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center, a nonprofit that issues public avalanche advisories for backcountry winter users there. If you're a hiker looking for a winter outing, Reed Lakes is the wrong choice. Come back in summer or early fall, when our guide recommends it. If you're set on a winter visit to Hatcher Pass anyway, read the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center forecast first, check road conditions with the state before you drive, and plan around the very short daylight.
If you're building toward winter backcountry
The gap between Thunderbird Falls and a winter Hillside or Hatcher Pass trip is a skills gap. An avalanche course, practice with a beacon, shovel and probe, and partners who carry the same gear are the starting point, and so is the habit of reading the forecast every time. Both avalanche centers publish observations and education. Use them before you go into steep, snowy terrain.
Moose, cold and an Anchorage winter pack
In Anchorage, a moose is a more common winter hazard than a bear. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game says moose aren't normally aggressive, but they can become aggressive in winter when they're hungry, tired from walking through deep snow, or harassed by people, dogs or traffic. The warning signs it describes include raised hair on the hump and ears laid back. If you see either one, you're already too close. Moose like packed trails as much as you do. Wait, back off, or find another way around. Fish and Game advises that if a moose charges, you should run and get behind something solid, such as a tree or a car. Keep dogs leashed and close, because a dog can provoke a moose into charging. Our Bird Ridge guide also notes that trapping takes place there in winter, which is another reason to keep dogs under control. For the cold, pack in layers rather than relying on one heavy coat, add a hat, mitts and a thermos, and bring a foam pad for stops.
Calling for help on a dark afternoon
A sprained ankle at 2:30 p.m. becomes a night-time rescue by 4 p.m. in December. Carry an insulated jacket you could sit in for hours, and a light that will last through the dark. A partner makes a real difference here. Our guide on what to do if you get lost on a trail covers staying put and signalling, and it's worth reading before your first winter outing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best easy winter hike near Anchorage?
Thunderbird Falls is the one we recommend. It's about 1.9 miles round trip on a wide forest trail to a deck facing falls that often freeze in winter, about 30 minutes north of downtown. Bring microspikes, keep children away from the canyon edge, and pay the $5 parking fee.
Can you hike Flattop Mountain in winter?
People do, but Alaska State Parks says the area is avalanche-prone in winter, and there have been avalanche deaths near the main route. Only go if you have avalanche training, a beacon, shovel and probe, partners who carry the same, and you've read the avalanche center's Chugach State Park product. Otherwise, wait for summer.
Do I need snowshoes or microspikes in Anchorage?
For most winter trips on popular trails, microspikes, because freeze-thaw cycles leave the packed tread icy. Snowshoes help after fresh snow on trails that haven't been packed yet. Many locals carry both in the car and decide at the trailhead after checking what the trail looks like that day.