Eklutna Lakeside Trail

Dogs Leashed

Features Commonly Backpacked · Fall Colors · Lake · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Waterfall

Eklutna Lake is a glacier-fed lake that serves as the primary water source for the city of Anchorage and the surrounding areas. The glacier-carved valley that once housed Eklutna Glacier now provides great access to the tallest peaks in the western Chugach Range. The trail mapped here is for those traveling by non-motorized means; the trail shares portions of the ATV trail that generally parallels the singletrack trail. Trails that shoot off of this trail include the Bold Ridge Trail and East Fork Trail.

The beginning of the trail has several points of access to the lake, where you get great views of Bold and Bashful Peaks. The trail bounces back and forth between a singletrack and the ATV trail until about the 7 mile mark where the ATV trail takes you the rest of the way. The sections of the trail that are on the ATV trail are quite rocky, making it difficult to ride anything less aggressive than a mountain bike. Traveling by foot is not a problem.

There are several landmarks along the trail:
- Yuditnu Cabin at mile 3
- Bold Ridge Trail at mile 5
- Bold Airstrip and Campground at mile 8.7
- Eklutna Alex Campground at mile 9
- East Fork Trail at mile 10.7
- Kanchee Campground at mile 11
- Serenity Falls Cabin at mile 12
- Serenity Falls viewpoint accessed via a short offshoot to the west at about mile 12.7