マタヌスカ-スシトナ自治区周辺のアトラクション＆必見スポット - トップ20

There's a pit toilet here (bring your own toilet paper just in case). Last time I was here, the floor of the toilet was quite rotten. Maybe it's been replaced by now, but just in case... tread carefully!

This lake is absolutely gorgeous, and very popular in the summer, with non-motorized watercraft for rent, a loop trail all the way around the lake, and a massive campground just steps away. The west end is the nicest for walking (and everything else); the east end of the lake gets quite marshy. And, please be aware that summer brings hordes of mosquitoes, and bear sightings are extremely common here in most seasons.

This stately memorial is just a short walk from nearby Byers Lake Campground, or you can park directly at the memorial. It can be tough to find the right footpath here from the campground, so I personally think it's easiest to walk along the campground access road and take a clear side path to reach the memorial, then find the footpath back to the campground from here. The 20-foot concrete panels represent the different branches of the military, and the statue represents two Alaska Territorial Guards — a group of Indigenous and immigrant soldiers who defended Alaska, which was not yet a state, in response to the Japanese invasion in 1942. On a clear day, you can also get amazing views of Denali from here.

Great view of the glacier tongue

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).

Red Shirt Lake is a popular hiking destination, but you can mountain bike here too. The rolling, non-technical trail is completely closed-in by trees until you get to the lake. You can rent a canoe at the lake to go paddling or fishing, but you must arrange the rental in advance. See https://www.tippecanoealaska.com/ for more information.

This bridge across the mighty Matanuska River is dedicated solely to foot and bike traffic. The water's generally murky appearance and sometimes lovely coloring (depending on the light) comes from tiny silt particles that were ground up by the Matanuska Glacier and eventually make their way downstream.

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.)