When you google search “best Alaska hikes with kids,” there are literally no search results for that exact phrase. And that’s exactly why I decided to start my travel e-book collection with RV Alaska with Kids! Alaska is an AMAZING travel destination for families, but there isn’t a whole lot of information online about how to take an Alaska trip with small children. So I made one!
And now I’m setting out to be the first google result for “best Alaska hikes with kids!” So after a whole summer of unbelievable hiking, here are the best Alaska hikes with kids (in our opinion!). I’ll link to the AllTrails listings where possible, because it’s especially important to check trail conditions in Alaska! If you’re in need of suggestions for hiking gear, check out my post Alaska Packing List Summer.
1. Savage Alpine Trail
This hike is located within Denali National Park and I would classify it is moderate. If you do the trail as AllTrails suggests, it’s a 4-mile, 1500 feet of elevation gain point-to-point trail, which means you’ll park at the Savage River Trailhead and need to catch the free Denali shuttle bus back to your car at the end. What we did instead was start and end at the Savage River Trailhead and skipped the last 200-300 feet of switchbacks at the top of the trail to make it a bit easier for our kids who were already tired after a long day. The views were absolutely worth it as soon as you get out of the vegetation and onto the alpine slopes. We loved this trail!
2. Byron Glacier Trail
This hike is located in Portage within the Chugach National Forest, and I would classify it as easy. It’s just a bit over a mile (and relatively flat!) to the point at which an avalanche has made the trail impassable unless you’re a serious scrambler. But it’s totally worth the short hike to a fabulous view of Byron Glacier that even small toddlers can hike themselves.
3. Exit Glacier Trails
These trails are located in Seward, and there is the easy version and the very challenging version. The easy version is the Exit Glacier Overlook trail, which is a 2-mile gentle walk. The challenging version is the Harding Icefield trail where the photo above was taken, and it is 8+ miles and 3,000 feet of elevation gain. There are several stopping points along the way on this trail that make it worthwhile if you don’t want to complete the whole trail, one of which is Marmot Meadows and the other is Top of the Cliffs. Our 5 and 7 year olds made it to Top of the Cliffs with this incredible view, while my husband wore our 2 year old. I won’t lie, this trail is only for intrepid families, but it.is.worth.it.
4. Tonsina Creek Trail
This trail is located in Seward, and I would rate it as moderate. It has mild elevation changes, but it’s not a terribly long trail. It starts off in beautiful Alaskan rainforest foliage and passes several stunning beaches that make the perfect spot for rock throwing or a picnic.
5. Beluga Slough Trail to Bishop’s Beach
This trail is located in Homer, and is really more of a gentle 1 mile walk down to Bishop’s Beach. What makes it special is that the beach views are gorgeous, with mountain ranges and glaciers in the distance, and that you can find amazing tide pools there at low tide. Combine this hike with a trip to the Alaska Maritime Wildlife Refuge visitor’s center, where the kids can become Junior Rangers or Junior Biologists (ask the rangers!).
6. April Bowl Trail
This trail is located in Hatcher Pass, which is one of our absolute favorite places in Alaska. It’s only 2+ miles, but straight up switchbacks to gain almost 1,000 feet. You can stop at the lake to make that just half the elevation, and stopping there is still totally worth it. We think this hike is massively underrated and was one of our summer favorites.
7. Gold Cord Lake Trail
This trail is also located in Hatcher Pass, and I would classify it as moderate if the snow is completely melted, hard if not. It’s only 2 miles and 500 feet of elevation, but snow on the trail makes it way more difficult and can linger until July, so check the trail conditions! This alpine lake is absolutely stunning, and the hike can be combined with a visit to Independence Mine State Historical Park.
8. Thompson Pass South Trail
This trail is outside of Valdez in Thompson Pass and can be as easy as you’d like to make it. You can walk 50 feet from your truck or walk for miles into the pass. The views are some of the most breathtaking we’ve seen in Alaska. The photo above totally doesn’t do it justice because we had professional family photos taken there and didn’t bother to get too many iPhone photos because of it.
9. Iditarod Trail to Rapid’s Yurt
This trail is in Eagle River at the Eagle River Nature Center, and I would classify this as easy. It’s 4 gentle miles, but you don’t have to complete the whole trail, and it’s perfect for letting young children walk it out. The mountains are stunning, and your chances of wildlife spotting are high! Plus this trail is super convenient from Palmer/Wasilla or Anchorage.
Honorable Mentions:
These are the trails that we didn’t personally do (so I don’t feel comfortable recommending!), but come highly recommended as amazing hikes in Alaska with kids.
The honorable mentions are: Reflections Lake, Eklutna Tailrace, Hidden Creek Trail to Skilak Lake, Portage Pass Trail, Trail of Blue Ice, Bird Ridge Trail, Bodenburg Butte, Castner Glacier Trail.
Have you hiked in Alaska as a family? What do you think are the best Alaska hikes with kids? Share more in the comments!
To find more of our insider tips for RVing in Alaska, check out our RV Alaska for Families e-book.
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3 responses to “9 Best Alaska Hikes with Kids”
I’m super curious how these all relate to each other, geographically. They’re all SO gorgeous – but did you have to drive for several days in order to reach them all?
The furthest apart are about 10 hours from each other! That would be the Denali hike and the Seward hikes. Most of them are clustered within about 5-6 hours, though! That’s why RVing here makes these accessible — you can camp inbetween destinations 🙂
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