Best Backpacking Trails in Alaska 2026
Backpacking in Alaska Is Different From Anywhere Else
Most Alaska backcountry has no maintained trails. Navigation is by topographic map and GPS. River crossings are common and can be serious obstacles. Wildlife encounters with grizzly bears are a real consideration, not a theoretical one. These factors do not make Alaska backpacking less rewarding — they make it more so. The wilderness is genuine here in a way that is difficult to find in the Lower 48. These routes represent the best combination of access, scenery, and manageable difficulty for prepared backpackers.
Resurrection Pass Trail — Kenai Peninsula
Resurrection Pass is the most popular maintained backpacking trail in Alaska, and for good reason. The 38-mile route through the Kenai Mountains connects Hope on Turnagain Arm to Cooper Landing on the Sterling Highway, passing through spruce and hemlock forest, alpine tundra, and the high saddle at Resurrection Pass (2,600 feet). The trail is well-marked, has 10 public use cabins bookable through recreation.gov ($45-80/night), and offers reliable moose, Dall sheep, and occasional bear sightings. It is typically done south to north (Cooper Landing to Hope) in 4-6 days. The north end of the trail has a longer approach through denser forest; the south end climbs faster into alpine terrain.
Crow Pass Trail — Chugach Mountains
Crow Pass is a 26-mile route that crosses through Chugach State Park between Girdwood (accessible from Anchorage) and Eagle River. It is one of the few point-to-point wilderness trails near a major Alaska city and serves as the basis for the Crow Pass Crossing race each year. The high point is Crow Pass at 3,500 feet with views of Raven Glacier immediately below and Chugach peaks in all directions. The Eagle River crossing at mile 18 is the crux — waist-deep in peak snowmelt (late May through June), thigh-deep in most of July, but manageable for most adults by August. Plan 2-3 days; the trail can be done in one very long day by fit runners.
- Key challenge: Eagle River ford — check with Chugach State Park rangers for current depth before committing
- Camping: Dispersed, no permit required; Crow Pass public use cabin available (recreation.gov)
- Trailhead access: Girdwood side via Alyeska Road; Eagle River side via Eagle River Nature Center ($5 vehicle fee)
Chilkoot Trail — Gold Rush History
The Chilkoot Trail follows the route of the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush from Dyea, Alaska (near Skagway) to Bennett, British Columbia over 33 miles. The trail climbs 3,525 feet over Chilkoot Pass through the area where stampeder artifacts still litter the ground. It crosses into Canada and ends at Bennett Lake, where you take the White Pass and Yukon Route railroad back to Skagway. The trail requires a permit — Canadian Parks requires a Chilkoot Trail Access Permit ($58 CAD/adult) booked through Parks Canada. Most hikers take 3-5 days. Bring your passport; you clear Canadian customs at the end.
Harding Icefield Trail — Extended Version
The Harding Icefield Trail near Seward is typically done as a day hike, but experienced alpinists use it as access to ski or travel onto the icefield itself for multi-day traverses. The icefield covers 700 square miles and requires technical glacier travel skills, crevasse rescue knowledge, and full winter camping equipment even in July due to whiteout conditions and cold nights. This is not a standard backpacking trip — it is expedition-level travel. Include it here as a reminder that for the right travelers, Alaska's icefield systems are among the most dramatic overnight wilderness experiences on earth.
Brooks Range — Arrigetch Peaks and Noatak River
The Brooks Range above the Arctic Circle offers the most remote backpacking in the U.S. The Arrigetch Peaks area in Gates of the Arctic National Park — accessed by floatplane to Circle Lake — features granite towers and cirques unlike anything else in Alaska. The Noatak River corridor is typically floated by raft or pack raft, but the upper valley can be walked on open tundra for multi-week traverses. Both options require experienced wilderness navigation, cold water preparedness, and thorough bear awareness. No trails, no bridges, no infrastructure. The reward is complete solitude in landscapes that have changed very little since the last ice age.
Gear Notes for Alaska Backpacking
Bear-resistant food canisters are required in many backcountry areas and strongly recommended everywhere else. An electric fence perimeter around camp is used by many experienced Alaska travelers as a supplement to canisters. Waterproof everything — Alaska wet conditions will defeat standard water-resistant gear over a multi-day trip. River crossing footwear (sandals or a second pair of shoes) is essential for any route with unbridged crossings. Satellite communicators (Garmin inReach or SPOT) are considered standard equipment, not optional, for remote Alaska travel.
Alaska Backpacking: The Real Picture
Alaska has more wilderness per square mile than anywhere else in the United States. It also has fewer maintained trails. The distinction matters: Alaska backpacking often means cross-country travel on tundra and ridgelines, river fords, and navigation by map and compass rather than following a maintained path. This is not a drawback — it is the point. The trails that do exist range from easy family hikes to multi-day routes through some of the most remote terrain in North America. Here are the best options across the difficulty spectrum.
Chilkoot Trail — Skagway to Bennett, BC (33 miles, 3–5 days)
The Chilkoot Trail follows the 1898 gold-rush route from Dyea (7 miles outside Skagway) over the Chilkoot Pass at 3,525 feet and down to Lake Bennett in British Columbia. The trail is jointly managed by the US National Park Service and Parks Canada; camping is in designated sites with bear boxes and, on the Canadian side, pit toilets. The famous "Golden Stairs" — the steep scree slope below the pass — is the most challenging section. The trail ends at Bennett, where the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad provides transport back to Skagway. A permit (Parks Canada) is required for the Canadian portion; book months in advance for July and August.
Resurrection Pass Trail — Hope to Cooper Landing (39 miles, 3–5 days)
The most accessible multi-day backcountry trail in Alaska, starting from Hope (90 minutes from Anchorage) and ending at Cooper Landing on the Sterling Highway. The trail crosses Resurrection Pass at 2,600 feet through the Chugach National Forest; public use cabins are available for reservation at recreation.gov at roughly 6-mile intervals. The terrain is sub-alpine through most of the route — spruce forest, berry patches, and open ridgeline — with reliable brown bear and moose sightings. This is the best first Alaska multi-day backpack for visitors who want wilderness without the navigation demands of off-trail travel.
Lost Lake Trail — Seward to Primrose (15 miles one-way, 2 days)
The Lost Lake loop near Seward is one of the most scenic day hikes in the Kenai Peninsula, but the 15-mile traverse from Seward to the Primrose trailhead on Kenai Lake is worth doing as an overnight. The route traverses alpine tundra above treeline with views of Resurrection Bay and the Kenai Mountains. Camp at the lake itself or at the blueberry-covered ridgeline above. Shuttle logistics require leaving a car at each trailhead or arranging a pickup in Seward.
Harding Ice Field Trail — Kenai Fjords National Park (8.2 miles, day or overnight)
The Harding Ice Field Trail climbs 3,500 feet from Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park to overlook one of the largest ice fields in the Western Hemisphere. The trail is maintained to the top of the nunatak (the rocky ridge above the glacier); beyond that is open ice field requiring glacier travel skills. Day hikers can do the out-and-back in 6–8 hours; backpackers camp on the rock above the ice. No designated campsites — camp on durable surfaces (rock, snow) at least 200 feet from the glacier edge. Accessible by road from Seward year-round (the Exit Glacier road).
Crow Pass Trail — Girdwood to Eagle River (26 miles, 2–3 days)
The Crow Pass Trail crosses the Chugach Mountains from the Crow Creek Mine area outside Girdwood to the Eagle River Nature Center north of Anchorage. The route crosses Crow Pass at 3,500 feet and traverses the Eagle River valley through some of the most dramatic mountain scenery accessible from the Anchorage road system. The Eagle River ford at mile 18 is the crux — waist-deep and swift in late spring and early summer. Time this crossing for morning when snowmelt is lowest. The trail is the course for the Crow Pass Crossing race (fastest known time under 4 hours); backpackers typically take 2–3 days.
Wrangell-St. Elias: The Nabesna Road Corridor
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park has minimal maintained trails — it is primarily a wilderness navigation park. The Nabesna Road (42-mile gravel road off the Tok Cutoff) provides access to a handful of maintained trail heads including the Skookum Volcano Trail (a short day hike to an ancient volcanic cone) and the Rock Lake Trail (4 miles to alpine lake country). For experienced backcountry travelers, the McCarthy area provides access to the Root Glacier, Kennicott Glacier, and the Donoho Basin route — a multi-day off-trail traverse that requires route-finding skills and creek-crossing experience.
Backpacking Essentials for Alaska
- Bear protection: Bear spray is mandatory in Alaska; a bear canister is required in Denali National Park and strongly recommended elsewhere. Brown bears are present on virtually every Alaska backpacking route.
- River crossings: Unbridged river fords are common. Unbuckle your hip belt before wading (allows pack removal if you fall), use trekking poles, and cross at the widest and shallowest point. Check water levels the morning you plan to cross.
- No-trace camping: Most Alaska wilderness has no designated campsites. Camp on durable surfaces, use a bear canister, and pack out all waste including food scraps.
- Navigation: Download offline maps to your phone (CalTopo or Gaia GPS) and carry a paper 1:63,360 USGS topo for your route. Satellite communicators (Garmin inReach) are standard equipment for Alaska off-trail travel.
- Bugs: Mosquitoes and no-see-ums peak in June and July throughout Alaska. A head net is not optional — it is gear.
Understanding Alaska Backpacking
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