Many Anchorage residents favor the city’s urban trail system as a go-to place for outdoor recreation at the drop of a hat. We’re lucky, really; at our figurative (and in some cases literal) doorsteps lie miles and miles of mountain pathways ranging from easy to difficult. Kids grow up hiking to destinations with names like […]
Simple, clean, and as inviting a space as I’ve ever seen, the Trail of Blue Ice practically begs for use. This five-mile, mostly-flat trail is the darling of many a casual recreation enthusiast, and with good reason. Built over a span of several years beginning with cooperative grants and public funding beginning in 2002, the […]
Did you hear there’s a new movie that features our favorite frozen material? If you have kids, you’ve undoubtedly been badgered to attend a showing of Disney’s epic tale of love and life in the snow. And, as often happens when a film depicts someplace romantically mysterious and highly adventurous, I’m betting my mukluks Alaska […]
We don’t always need miles and miles of trail to take advantage of outdoor time as a family. Anchorage’s Campbell Creek Estuary, located on a coastline near the southwestern fringe of town, is one of those spaces. This wooded section of property is the newest in a collection of efforts to protect, preserve, and promote […]
Generating enthusiasm among younger family members is always so much nicer when accompanied by a crowd of like-minded kids, isn’t it? We’re lucky – our circle of acquaintances is simply bursting with outdoor-loving, freewheeling families who value Alaska’s bounty of recreation as much as we. Add a glorious Alaska autumn day, and we struck gold, […]
Between humming bars of “Jingle Bells” and downing gallons of hot chocolate to soothe the savage swing of “YAY, it’s snowing!” and “ACK, I need to switch the tires on the car!” came a delightful afternoon with two other AKontheGO families at kid-pleasing Winner Creek Trail in Girdwood. Snowy it was, and wet it became, […]
It is a gift indeed that our family lives so close to alpine tundra. Growing up in the temperate, lowland forests near Seattle, it was more often than not hikes included a slog through wetlands that smelled of skunk cabbage, peat, and spicy old growth timber. Delightful? Oh, yes, it was (and still is), but […]
Rounding out the green forests of Wrangell, Alaska is a canopy-covered trail that surprises newcomers, every time. Mount Dewey, located within shouting distance from downtown and popular with local families, is often deemed too short, too easy, and too close in for hardy hikers like myself. Mistake. Since first trotting up the wooden steps and […]
Most visitors arrive in Alaska with every intention of hiking at least one trail during their vacation. Hiking boots – check. Rain gear – check. Nerve – welllll, let’s just say Alaska’s wilderness can be a bit intimidating for the uninitiated. Not scary, mind you, just not exactly what some people expected, especially parents unfamiliar […]
Springtime in Alaska is a funky season. The days have begun to lengthen noticeably, and temperatures, while still chilly, have managed to warm up enough that outdoor activity often requires several layers to add or take off as the mercury goes up or down. Spring also signals the arrival of early visitors to the 49th state, […]
Anchorage’s Kincaid park is a popular family destination for its sandy surface and beautiful views. During Alaska’s lingering autumn weather, Anchorage folks may need distraction from dreams of snow. When the sun shines, and even if it doesn’t, we find such a distraction at the corner of our own Anchorage Bowl. Kincaid Park, located in […]