Backpack Trail Guide

Trails

Top Backpacking Trails in Alaska

19 routes. Each page shows when we last checked it. Updated September 2026.

Backpacking in Alaska on this site centers on Southcentral Alaska, with trips on the Kenai Peninsula, in the Chugach and Talkeetna Mountains near Anchorage, in Kachemak Bay State Park across the water from Homer, and in Denali State Park. A few pages reach farther: the Pinnell Mountain and Chena Dome ridge trails northeast of Fairbanks, the Root Glacier Trail at Kennecott in Wrangell-St. Elias, and Southeast trips like the Chilkoot Trail, Deer Mountain, and the Dan Moller Trail in Juneau.

The terrain runs from coastal spruce and hemlock forest to open alpine tundra. Kenai trails such as Resurrection Pass, Johnson Pass, and Russian Lakes follow maintained Forest Service routes with designated campsites (many with bear lockers) and reservable public-use cabins. Interior ridge walks are exposed and can be short on water late in summer, while Kachemak Bay trips like Grace Ridge and Grewingk Glacier Lake start with a water taxi and can depend on tides.

Most trail pages list a season of about June through September or October, and snow can linger in the high country into early or mid-summer. Permits are uncommon outside the Chilkoot, but cabins need reservations, and food storage rules vary by agency. Common hazards include black and brown bears, glacial river fords such as Crow Pass’s Eagle River crossing, and fast-changing alpine weather. Treat all water, and confirm current conditions with the managing agency before you go.

Quick picks

Chugach Mountains

Denali State Park

Interior Alaska

Kachemak Bay

Kenai Peninsula

Southeast Alaska

Talkeetna Mountains

Wrangell-St. Elias

Backpacking in Alaska: common questions

Do you need a permit to backpack in Alaska?

It depends on the trail and the managing agency. Most of the trips on this site had no backcountry camping permit that we could find, but the Chilkoot Trail requires an overnight permit from about June 1 to September 12, reserved on Recreation.gov and validated at a mandatory safety orientation in Skagway, according to the National Park Service. Public-use cabins always need a reservation, and loop routes near Williwaw Lakes that cross Fort Richardson land need a military Recreation Access Permit. Check with the National Park Service, Forest Service, BLM, or Alaska State Parks office for your trip.

When is the best time to backpack in Alaska?

Most trail pages on this site list a season of roughly June through September or October. The Forest Service says snow can linger at higher elevations until mid-June on the Johnson Pass Trail and into July around Lost Lake, and some trailhead roads, such as Archangel Road at Hatcher Pass, can stay closed into early summer. On the Pinnell Mountain Trail, the BLM warns that water gets harder to find later in summer.

Do you need a bear canister in Alaska?

Rules vary by managing agency. The National Park Service requires an approved bear-resistant food container for all backcountry camping in Wrangell-St. Elias and has only a few to lend at visitor centers and ranger stations. Many Chugach National Forest trails, such as Johnson Pass and Resurrection Pass, have bear lockers at designated campsites, the Chilkoot campgrounds have bear boxes, and Alaska State Parks says containers may be required on K'esugi Ridge. Black and brown bears live along most of these trails, so carry bear spray and confirm the current food storage rule before you go.

Is there water on Alaska backpacking trails, and do you need to treat it?

Treat all water. The Forest Service warns about Giardia and says potable water isn't available at its cabins, and many lakes and creeks are glacial and silty. Water is plentiful on most coastal and Kenai trips, but Alaska State Parks calls water sources on the Chena Dome Trail unreliable, and the BLM's Pinnell Mountain shelters rely on rain and snowmelt catchments, so plan to carry more on those ridges.

How do public-use cabins work in Alaska?

Chugach National Forest cabins are reserved on Recreation.gov, and the Forest Service's Romig Cabin page says reservations open up to 180 days ahead. Alaska State Parks cabins use the state parks reservation system, which changed to a new website on October 1, 2026, and most can be booked up to 90 days ahead. Cabins generally have sleeping platforms and a stove but no mattresses, cooking gear, or treated water, so bring a sleeping pad, camp stove, and water treatment. A few shelters, such as the Pinnell Mountain and Chena Dome shelters and the Resurrection River Cabin, are first come, first served.

Are river crossings dangerous on Alaska trails?

Some are serious. The Crow Pass Trail fords the glacial Eagle River, and the Forest Service says the unbridged Martin and Boulder Creek crossings on the Resurrection River Trail may run too high to cross during spring melt and heavy rain, with low water generally in late summer and fall between storms. Be ready to wait or turn back, and check current conditions with the managing agency.

Where this comes from