Online Resources for Hiking in Alaska: Get Trail Updates, Meet Fellow Hikers & More

Right now you’re on my website, Hiking Alaska. I hope you’ve found the information here useful, and if you were looking for something that you didn’t find, please drop me a line!

That said, Alaska is an awfully big place, as is the Internet, which means there are lots of other great online resources you can use to research your next adventure, find current trail conditions or connect with other hikers. Here are my favorites:

Websites for Trail Information

Alaska Hike Search – It doesn’t get any better than this online encyclopedia of hiking trail info, including pictures and a map showing the GPS track of the trail. Some of the listings are a little old but the information is still very useful, users have contributed updates for many of the trails.

Alaska State Trails Program – Funny fact — a lot of the trail brochures forget to tell you how to get to the trailhead. But they still have detailed information about major trail features, seasonal openings/closures, and — BIG BONUS — downloadable GPX files for a number of trails. The state parks post trail conditions on another page that’s also worth checking, especially for seasonal questions.

AllTrails – There’s a reason this free hiking app is so popular! It’s basically a crowdsourced encyclopedia of trails. As such, it can get a little messy when it comes to trail names, distances, and even how to get there. But it’s still very useful when you’re in research mode, and if you opt for a Pro membership you can download GPX tracks.

Facebook Groups/Pages for Hiking in AK

Hiking Alaska – Hey, that’s my page on Facebook! Give it a like for photo-rich posts on my favorite trails, occasional giveaways, and shares on any other notable information I come across.

Alaska Outdoor Reports – A Facebook relay for the posts made at snowio.com. Good for updates on trail conditions, especially during the winter.

Hiking in Alaska – with more than 23,000 members, this is THE Facebook group for discussion about hiking all over the state, although most of the post activity focuses on Southcentral.

Hike it Baby – This excellent online organization was founded in Oregon to help families safely hit the trails with their little ones. They now have branches in more than 150 cities/regions around the world, including Anchorage, the Mat-Su Valley, the Kenai Peninsula and Juneau.

Thick Chicks With Hiking Sticks – This group is tailored for the “slow and steady” hiking crowd, and despite the name men are welcome too.

Meetup Groups for Hiking in Alaska

Even years after getting actively involved, I still think “Meetup” sounds like a bad dating app. But it’s actually a platform for building communities around shared interests, which in this case means hiking and generally outdoorsy stuff. These are the most active groups I know of:

The Anchorage Adventurers – The OG hiking Meetup for Southcentral and still one of the most active. They’re all friendly but they also tend to hike fast, and I’ve heard lots of stories about people being left behind if they can’t keep up. Make sure you read hike descriptions carefully so you understand what you’re getting into.

Alaskan Wild Women Hiking & Backpacking Group – A women’s only hiking group, although sometimes certain meetups are designated as open to men and/or kids as well. Members range from laid-back walkers to adventurous souls who don’t mind wading rivers and crawling through thorny bushes.

Anchorage Trail Walkers – I’m not personally familiar with this group, but they seem to be exactly what they name suggests, with a focus on Anchorage and maybe as far as Girdwood or the Mat-Su occasionally.

Kenai Peninsula Outdoor Club – Unlike most of the other Meetups, this one charges very minimal dues (I believe it’s $10 or $15/year) and puts that money toward activities. Again, a friendly bunch and very highly recommended.