Τα 19 καλύτερα φυσικά μνημεία Anchorage

From the parking lot, a good path leads to the viewpoint

When the weather is clear, you have a great view of the mountains and the coast off Anchorage from up here.

The views from Flattop Mountain's plateau summit are spectacular. On a really clear day you can see the Alaska Range, and sometimes even Denali (tiny in the distance) from here. If you have the time and energy, you can also hike farther along the ridge to the southeast. There are two ways to hike up Flattop Mountain: From the Canyon Road AKA Rabbit Creek Trailhead, which you need a car to reach, or from the Glen Alps Trailhead, which you can reach with a car or via the Flattop Shuttle (see https://www.hike-anchorage-alaska.com/). If you're hiking from the Glen Alps Trailhead, the trail includes a bit of steep scrambling near the summit. Be careful and watch for loose rock!

Flattop is easily the most-climbed mountain in Anchorage — probably in the entire state of Alaska. You can reach the summit by either of two trails, but other the trail that approaches from the southeast — known as the Flattop Sunnyside Trail — is really conducive for running. It's steep, but has switchbacks and generally good footing for most of the way up. The other trail up to this broad plateau of a peak has a significant section of rock scrambling that would be impossible to run, no matter how sure-footed you may be.

For most people, the broad, sandy shoreline of Portage Lake marks the turnaround point of this hike — or the perfect picnic spot. The glacier is not terrible active but it does sometimes calve (break off) chunks of ice into the water. If you're in the right place at the right time you might see and hear this happen, and sometimes the resulting icebergs even make it close to shore. If you see a small cruise ship on the water that is the M/V Ptarmigan, which cruises from the visitor center on the far side of the lake to within good views of the face of Portage Glacier; more information here: https://www.graylinealaska.com/portage-glacier-cruises/ Finally, some hikers do choose to continue hiking left (south) from here, in hopes of getting closer to the face of the glacier itself. Be warned, there is a not-insignificant stream crossing in the way, and it's very dangerous to walk on, underneath, or in front of the glacier itself, as chunks of ice can and do break off of it at random intervals.

A prominent and recognizable landmark above Anchorage, Flattop Mountain is a popular hike. It offers simply astonishing views across the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet. Expect a little scrambling on the steep ground towards the summit. There are various ways to approach the peak but the Glen Alps Trailhead is a good option.

The Earthquake Park reminds and informs about the worst earthquake that hit the North American continent so far. The quake began on March 27, 1964 at 5:36 p.m. and shook the earth for about four and a half minutes. The epicenter was about 120 kilometers southeast of Anchorage in Prince William Sound. The quake was measured with a value of 9.2 Mw on the moment magnitude scale. A large part of Anchorage was completely destroyed by the quake. The tsunami waves triggered by the quake are said to have reached a maximum height of 67 meters. Only because of the relatively sparsely populated areas, the number of victims, compared to other large earthquakes, turned out to be "low" at 169. In the Earthquake Park, information boards are used to inform about the quake of 1964, also known as the Good Friday quake or the Great Alaska quake.

A small mountain stream that flows into the Eklutna River.