Best Hikes Near Anchorage

Anchorage is the rare American city where a serious hike starts fifteen minutes from downtown. The Chugach Mountains rise straight out of the city’s eastern edge, and within that range you have everything from easy paved loops along Westchester Lagoon to ankle-burning climbs up Flattop Mountain and full-day scrambles across alpine ridgelines. Most locals keep a short list of go-to trails for quick weekday hikes and a longer list for weekends when there is time to push deeper into the range.

This page collects the best hikes near Anchorage, from beginner-friendly walks like the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail and Thunderbird Falls to steeper classics in Chugach State Park and short day trips south along Turnagain Arm. Check the listings below for trailhead directions, distance, elevation gain, and current condition notes. Weather shifts fast in the mountains here — it is always worth checking the forecast and letting someone know your route before you go.