Arctic Valley Road

4.1/5 (9 reviews)
Anchorage, Alaska (Anchorage County)
Last Updated: 06/22/2020

Trail Information

Highlights

Arctic Valley provides a quick jaunt into the wilderness of Alaska tucked in between Anchorage and Eagle River adjacent to JBER (Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson). Near the bottom of the road is a great sledding hill that starts at Waypoint 3 and goes down to Waypoint 2, although a JBER Recreation Pass is required if you want to explore beyond the road, sledding included. Bears and wolves along with other wildlife frequent the area, so keep an eye open and see what may be looking back at you! Along the way, there are great views of the greater Anchorage area, Denali, and the northern lights (aurora borealis) on a clear night sky. At the top of Arctic Valley Road (pay to park) you can pick blueberries, hike up and see an old Nike Missile site, site "Summit" (fenced off) that is still used today as a communications site for various government agencies, or go explore the backcountry. During winter the Arctic Valley Ski Area is a great place to ski, it is run by volunteers and is only open on the weekends. In the winter, 4WD (4x4, 4 wheel drive) or good working AWD (all wheel drive) is a necessity as the road is infrequently maintained and is often snow covered and icy from overflow, especially near the top.

Trail Difficulty and Assessment

Trail Navigation

Trail Reviews

4.1/5 (9)
400
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 10/13/2022
Difficulty Accuracy: Easier

Great Easy Trail. Can be very dusty at times. Excellent views. Most vehicles can tackle this trail.
Official Crew
6100
Open
Rated 5/5
Visited: 06/22/2020

I saw a black bear near the Moose Run golf course. The road was pretty wash boarded on the steeper sections.
Official Crew
6100
Open
Rated 4/5
Visited: 02/09/2020

The road was icy and snow covered from the base all the way to the top. I wanted to try making it up in 2WD and I might have gotten a little sideways on a few corners on my way to the Ski Area. I passed a yoga photoshoot or something on the scenic S turn at waypoint 4. Keeping it classy Anchorage, I like it.
Official Crew
6100
Open
Rated 3/5
Visited: 10/27/2019

Some snow at the top, nothing at the bottom.
Open
Rated 3/5
Visited: 08/24/2019

Agree, not a trail but a well-maintained road. I did this in late August and hiked a nice 3 hour circuit trail to one of the peaks and back down through the valley. I highly recommend doing the hike as part of the trip because if you're going just looking for 4wd trail, you will be dissapointed. So the "trail" gets 3 stars or lower but the hike gets 5 stars. Of note, there is a little crawling to be had by going underneath the power lines, which cuts through the switch backs of the main road, but do so at your own risk. There are no signs that say "keep out" but it felt a little unauthorized. Then again... It's Alaska. If you do take the power-line route, be cautious when re-entering or crossing the main road since the road is frequently traveled. Taking the last power-line route down led me to a small older trail, left of the power-line that was heavily over-grown but still fun. It even had a little mud in it. Unfortunately, I didn't see any wildlife on the trip.

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