50 Hikes in Alaska's Chugach State Park

By Shane Shepherd

Book Overview

* The first hiking guidebook devoted to Alaska's Chugach State Park * Includes great hikes for families as well as serious backpackers * Both authors are avid Alaska hikers and know these trails intimately Attracting over a million visitors each year, Alaska's Chugach State Park spans a half-million acres and eight distinct environments -- all within easy reach of Anchorage. This is the most comprehensive trail guidebook to the region. 50 Hikes in Alaska's Chugach State Park includes nearly all the hikeable trails and peaks in the park, from popular Flattop Mountain to rarely seen valleys. With a mix of hikes for all ages and abilities, you'll be able to find exactly what you're looking for, whether it's a two-mile week-night stroll or a multiday backpacking trip or scramble. For each hike you'll get detailed driving directions to the trailhead; complete information on elevation, hiking time, difficulty, distance, and terrain; and helpful maps and photos. Rounding out the guidebook is information on flora and fauna, history, and geology of Chugach State Park.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0898867657
• ISBN13: 9780898867657
• Release Date: April 2001
• Publisher: Mountaineers Books
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.3" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Great guide to local hikes

This book is just fantastic. I grew up in Alaska and have often gone back for summers, and my family uses this book all the time. Hiking trails in the Chugach aren't always so well-defined (esp above the treeline), so it's helpful to have a sense for where you're going before you head out. I always found the book to be super accurate and helpful. As advertised, 50 hikes, all well-described. Easy to pick where to go based on your energy and the time you have available. Word to the wise: the Rabbit Lake route in this book is insane, presumably because the authors didn't want to advise crossing private land (which was long the best way to get there). Now the land has been bought by the state, so an easier trail there is totally legit. The trailhead is at the end of Canyon Road.

The hiking guide to Chugach State Park!

Enormous Chugach State Park abuts the City of Anchorage, Alaska, the largest city in Alaska and the hub of tourist travel into the state. Easily accessed from Anchorage, Chugach State Park provides a variety of year-round recreational activities. This guide provides a run-down on a variety of hiking trails, suitable for the barely fit to the extremely fit. The book, as advertised, provides descriptions of 50 different hikes in the Chugach. Some hikes are variations of route in the same area. The descriptions include distance, estimated time, elevation gain, and estimated hiking difficulty, along with directions to the appropriate trailhead, a sketch map of the route, and often photographs. Also included are some wise safety tips for hiking in Alaska, where weather can be extremely variable in just a couple of hours, and where man is not at the top of the food chain. Highlights include Crow Pass, over which the old Iditarod Sled Dog Trail once passed, and Flattop Mountain, perhaps the most heavily climbed mountain in Alaska. Chugach State Park also includes areas accessable only by a couple of days hike, where the determined hiker will find nearly pristine wilderness. This book is highly recommended for the hiker planning to visit Anchorage and looking for good trails, and for the long-time resident looking for some variety.

Take a hike! ...after you buy this book.

As a former long-time Anchorage resident, I can say that this is a well-written, informative guide for people of all skills. Whether you are local or visiting, there are maps, directions, and a condensed, detailed write-up, without excess fat.The climbs range from the recreational family journeys to the hardcore hikes. The authors obviously have spent much time on each of these trails.There is even a nice touch of history in the guide.. you can tell there was good research done off the trails too.The black & white photos are there but can't do the land justice. Get out and go.