Falls Creek Trail

Dogs Off-leash

Features Lake · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Wildlife

Falls Creek Trail begins at a small turnout at mile 105.6 along Seward Highway. The trailhead offers a nice setting to observe or play in the small waterfalls of the alpine water flowing in Falls Creek.

From the parking area, the trail proceeds north along a fairly steep grade through the forest for about two miles. With Falls Creek alongside the trail as you run, you'll get to enjoy the sounds of nature that range anywhere from a thunderous cascading waterfall at low altitudes to a babbling brook higher up the trail.

Above the treeline, there are a couple of small stream crossings with ample stepping stones before you ascend to a prominent knoll. Here you get your last glimpse of Turnagain Arm and your first sense of the amphitheater created by the ridgelines that wrap around you. The grade eases up here as you follow along the contour of the hill. It is a short, easy run (except for one very short steeper section) through the upper valley to the small Falls Lake.

Falls Creek Trail is not highly trafficked, and it is common to only pass a few fellow runners on the way up; therefore, it allows for a serene, quiet atmosphere. Occasionally, you'll share the lake with dall sheep up high in the rocks, and bears have been spotted roaming the bowl south and east of the lake below Indianhouse Peak.

This trail has an intermediate/black diamond rating due to its steep grade.

You may see the occasional bear or dall sheep.