Hiking in Alaska

Hiking in Alaska covers a remarkable range of terrain inside the subarctic Alaska wilderness, from low-elevation walking paths to long backcountry routes deep in protected wilderness. Trail Compass currently lists 9 parks and 85 trails for Alaska, accounting for roughly 365 mapped trail miles in total.

By difficulty rating, the Alaska catalog breaks down to about 40 easy, 31 moderate, 14 hard, and 0 expert hikes. State parks, national forests, recreation areas, and a handful of NPS units all sit inside this index. Each parcel has its own permit rules, parking situation, and seasonal access — confirm current details with the managing agency before your visit, especially during winter or in fire-affected regions.

Best season to hike across most of Alaska runs mid-June through early September; outside that window, daylight, snowpack, and river crossings become serious limiters. Outside that window, expect more variable conditions, possible road closures at higher elevations, and a much shorter daylight window for long routes.

Wildlife you can expect across Alaska trails includes grizzly and black bears, moose along the river bottoms, Dall sheep on the high ridges, caribou herds, and bald eagles overhead. Most hikers go years without an aggressive encounter, but every season produces a few — store food correctly, give predators wide berth, and never approach a young animal even when no parent is in sight.

If you are new to Alaska, start with shorter, well-signed routes near major visitor centers. They give you a feel for the local terrain, weather patterns, and trail surface before you commit to a longer outing. Carry water, sun protection, and an offline map; cell service in Alaska backcountry is intermittent at best.

Use the parks list below to drill into a specific destination, or browse the full trails table directly. The difficulty filters at the top of every page let you narrow to easy, moderate, hard, or expert routes in Alaska in a single click.