Chugach National Forest

Girdwood, 37 miles south of Anchorage, packs Alyeska's summer tram, Crow Creek Mine gold panning, and the Winner Creek gorge trail into one day.

Portage Glacier is 50 miles south of Anchorage — take a boat cruise on the iceberg-filled lake, walk to Byron Glacier, and visit Begich Boggs Center.

8.5 miles through Chugach old-growth forest to a rope-pulled hand tram above a canyon gorge. One of the best Girdwood hikes near Anchorage.

5.6 million acres of wilderness at Anchorage's doorstep: Portage Valley, Byron Glacier, Resurrection Pass, USFS cabins, and free dispersed camping.

Complete guide to Portage Glacier: Begich Boggs Visitor Center, MV Ptarmigan glacier cruise, Byron Glacier snow cave trail, and combining with Whittier.

Resurrection Pass Trail connects Hope to Cooper Landing through 38 miles of Chugach National Forest, with USFS cabins, wildlife, and alpine tundra views.

The Resurrection Pass Trail is Alaska's classic backpacking route — 38 miles from Hope to Cooper Landing on the Kenai Peninsula, with USFS cabin options, excellent wildlife, and terrain that spans boreal forest to alpine tundra. Here's how to plan your trip.

Nearly 6 million acres of glaciers, mountains, rivers, and coastline wrap around Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula — the second-largest national forest in the US is hiding in plain sight behind Alaska's biggest city.