A brief history
When people consider heading to a park for camping or hiking purposes, most think they need to get out of town. Luckily, there are plenty of parks within many cities across the country, some of which are of immense proportions and outdoor opportunities. One such park is Alaska’s Chugach State Park, which according to the Trust for Public Land has 490,125 acres within the boundaries of Anchorage, Alaska making it the largest park within city limits in the US.
As anyone who has visited or even seen pictures of the great outdoors in Alaska will know, a park of this size offers up bountiful camping, hiking and backpacking opportunities. There are 28 recognized trailheads and three public campgrounds, located at Eklutna Lake, Eagle River, and Bird Creek. The campgrounds are improved, including fire pits, picnic tables, access to water and latrines.
If you’re looking to explore the park from the comfort of your vehicle, you’re in luck. From Anchorage to Seward runs the Seward highway which runs along the southern edge of the park known as the Turnagain Arm. This stretch of highway is listed as both a National Scenic Byway as well as an All-American Road. At mile point 110.5 lies the viewpoint known as Beluga Point, named after the whales that can frequently be seen from here.

Main attraction
The park is divided into 3 areas:
1. The North Park
This part of Chugach State Park is from Eagle River North to the Parks boundary at Pioneer Peak. This location comprises the Big Peters Creek Trailhead, as well as the Eklutna lake region and the Ptarmigan Valley trailhead. Eklutna lake is well-liked with ATV’s and hikers. The Eklutna lake region has the largest hills of the playground, with Bashful peak arriving at 8,005′.
2. The Central Park
Eagle River is included by this area of Park south towards the Canyon Road trailhead on the Anchorage hillside. This region of the playground contains several popular trailheads including the Crow Creek Pass trailhead in Eagle River, South Fork of Basher Road, Eagle River trailhead, Upper Huffman, Prospect Heights, Glen Alps, and Canyon Road.
3. The South Park
This region contains most of the playground which borders Turnagain Arm along the Seward Highway. There was the popular Turnagain Arm path, which operates from Potter Marsh to Windy Corner. There will also be hikes in the Falls Creek trailhead, the McHugh Creek region, Bird Ridge, and the Rainbow trailhead. The southern park border lies simply for the north of the town of Girdwood, where Chugach National Forest starts.
When to go
With the weather in Alaska being so unpredictable, we recommend visiting Chugah in early Summer. You can expect to see temperatures ranging from mid 50’s to high 60’s and a lower chance of rainfall, making it much easier to pack for a day trip.
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Featured Image from Paxson Woelber/Unsplash