Explore the best rated trails in Whittier, AK, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail and Campbell Creek Trail . With more than 6 trails covering 46 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
There is a parking area at Taku Lake Park North (near intersection of King St. & E 76th Ave.). Holds about 30 cars. Can be busy at times.
There is a Greenbelt parking area near intersection of Fischer Ave. & Lynnwood Dr. Holds about a dozen cars.
At Campbell Park there is a new parking area on the east side of Lake Otis Pkwy., 200 ft north of the Campbell Creek bridge. Holds about 30 cars. South of the bridge 200 ft is another parking area off E 48th Ave. (also on the east side of Lake Otis Pkwy.). Holds about 20 cars; may be busy at times as there is a playground adjacent to it. Directly from these parking areas you can follow the Campbell Cr. Trail easterly (upstream). To travel westerly on the trail: Take the bike path south along Lake Otis Pkwy., 1/4 mile to and thru a pedestrian underpass. Then follow a bike path north along Lake Otis Pkwy., 1/4 mile to quiet E 47th Ct. Follow this west 1/4 mile to find Campbell Cr. Trail at the end.
At the Chuck Albrecht Ball Fields there is a parking area that can hold over 100 cars. This is located on the south side of Doctor MLK Jr. Ave., 1/2 mile east of the intersection with Elmore Rd.
SKATERS BEWARE, TRAIL HAS STEEP GRADES!!! I have logged hundreds of miles skating on a portion of this trail, and never seem to tire of it.
The portion that is best for skating is from the pullout at Milepost 100 of the Seward Highway to Girdwood. This is a 20 mile round trip. The beginning and end are 8 feet wide; the bulk of this is 10 feet. There are 2 steep hills that are 12 feet wide.
West of Bird Point the trail has a mile-long level section (always fun to skate, especially with a tailwind), the rest is hilly and winding.
East of Bird Point it climbs then descends a couple hundred vertical feet. I have measured grades greater than 6% in this area.
The trail has its share of root cracks (even on one of the steepest slopes) to be aware of.
SKATERS NEED TO HAVE GOOD BRAKING SKILLS ON THIS TRAIL!!! I always carry a "brake pole" (similar to a hockey stick with a rubber foot instead of a blade). I drag it to slow my speed; I have never skated the 20 miles without needing to use it.
Approach it cautiously, control your speed, and enjoy the trail!
A nice little shaded trail following the meandering creek. I made a giant loop by taking the Chester Creek trail to the Tony Knowles trail and then did some on road riding to hitch up to Campbell creek. About 30 miles total. Only minor issue was that you had to cross a major road toward the end.
My first visit to Alaska and my first trail. I found this trail amazing, not real hard to bike or walk, wild life, beautiful creek, great sitting areas and a cozy lake as my nephew say's to sit and relax by. Everyone on the trail was friendly from the human to the dog ¿¿.
I had pedaled up the Ship Creek Trail to Vandenberg Ave were signage indicated 3 Choices, left Elmendorf AFB, right Boniface or straight ahead Eagle River. I chose to go right through the Mountain View Dr underpass and along Bonidface Parkway to Trails in Russian Jack Springs Park to E Northern Lights Blvd, joining the Chester Creek Trail west bound. to Westchester Lagoon. Lots of tree root heaves on upper part of Trail, but interesting scenery. Active use. Most street crossings had underpasses. 24 Jun 2014
A great ride from the Trailhead on W Whitney Rd to William Tyson Elementary School. The City Bike Map showed the trail continued up Richmond Ave to Meyers St, left for one block to a right on Peterkin Ave to N Lane St were I joined the trail along Mountain View Dr to the 3 choices of trails at Boniface Rd.24 Jun 2014
A perfect ride the trail has a few hills and excellent vistas. Bike to Girdwood have ice cream or lunch and then bike back.
This is a great trail, which travels alongside the Alaska Railroad right of way down Turnagain Arm, just south of Anchorage. It connects the communities of Bird and Girdwood, hence the name. ( I think it's called Bird because the original residents didn't know how to spell Ptarmigan, Alaska's state bird...) There are often sightings of Beluga whales and Dall sheep along the way, and always the entertainment of the ravens and magpies so common in Alaska skies. Some of the trail travels through wooded areas, and near the start of the path, at Bird Creek, there is a small state campground--a perfect place to park and ride. Or to camp overnight, if you are making this a part of a longer trip.
The trail is mostly flat, at least when it is following the railroad right of way. But about halfway along, the trail passes under the Seward Highway and follows the old road, now bike path, up and over a point of land. Even then, once you are up on the hill, out of noise of the traffic below, the path levels out until you get close to the Girdwood road turnoff. After that it is all slightly uphill to the town and ski resort, where there is a wonderful cafe and bakery to refresh yourself at!
And speaking of refreshing one's self, there are toilets at the campground, at a vehicular rest area just where the bike path goes under the highway, and at a rest station on the path very close to the Girdwood road intersection. This is a delightful afternoon interlude, only about 30 miles south of Anchorage. One more proof that the nice thing about Anchorage is that it's only a short distance from Alaska!
TrailLink is a free service provided by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (a non-profit) and we need your support!
Scan the QR code to get TrailLink on your phone
