チュガッチ山地のおすすめランニングルート

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

From Bodenburg Butte you have a great 360° view of the surrounding mountains and the Knik Glacier, which feeds the Knik River of the same name. The butte itself was also formed by glacial activity. The panoramic view is definitely worth the strenuous climb (including a staircase with 527 steps).

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!

If you like running stairs, this is the destination for you. The trail up this 874 feet (266 m) butte has hundreds of stairs on it. It's also very popular with hikers and has very little room to pass, so if you're planning to run you might want to aim for a less-crowded time of day. (During the day on weekdays is usually a fairly safe bet. This trail is almost never entirely empty, but it's less likely to be crowded during the day.)

This is sometimes called the German bridge, because it was funded by the German Club of Anchorage. It's a popular biking destination and non-technical enough that a confident rider can do it on almost any bike with good tires. There's even a bike rack here so you can park your ride and hike the rest of the way to Hidden Lake if you so desire. (Biking is only allowed on the south side of the bridge.)

This bridge over South Fork Eagle River is incredibly picturesque, and a major landmark on this trail. Speaking of trail: Northwest of this, the trail is relatively wide and well-packed dirt with occasional rocks — not big enough that you'd have to parkour over them, but you can still pretend. If you continue onward to the lakes, the trail narrows into a footpath but is still mostly runnable, except for a few spots of persistent mud.

A simple bridge spans the outflow from Eagle Lake. This is really as far as you can run. If you want to continue on from here — perhaps a visit to nearby Symphony Lake? — you're going to end up traversing a boulder field.

This unimpressive rooster comb of rock gets its name from being the second peak in the ridgeline that starts with Flattop Mountain to the northwest. Although the peak itself isn't impressive — in fact, it's a mild, rocky scramble that is guarantee to break your running stride — the views from here are amazing. If you'd heading downhill from here you have access to the (relatively) new switchbacks on the Flattop Sunnyside Trail, which make it possible for the surefooted to maintain a jogging pace on the downhill. Do watch for mud after wet weather — the switchbacks are well-built, but sometimes get a bit slippery. And of course as always, be aware of possible wildlife in the area.