April Bowl/Hatch Peak: A great family hike and an easy peak to bag
The relatively short, fun trail into April Bowl is a particular hit with families. It’s pretty straightforward by Alaska standards, and offers wonderful views in all directions.
If you get tired of exploring the lakes in the tundra bowl, there’s a short ridgewalk and even a mountain, Hatch Peak, to be bagged.
This is hike 3 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska, and among the most popular hiking trails in Hatcher Pass.
| Round Trip: 2.7 miles | Nearest community: Wasilla/Palmer |
| Elevation gain: 980 feet | Typical season: July to September |
| Parking fee: No fee | Nearby trails: Skyscraper Peak, Summit Lake, Gold Cord Lake, Marmot Mountain, Craigie Creek |
April Bowl/Hatch Peak Trailhead Directions
Take Trunk Road north from Wasilla until the road ends in a T intersection. Turn left at the T, which will be signed either for some variety of “Fishhook” road or for Hatcher Pass Road. About 16 miles later, just before the road ends at Independence Mine State Historical Park, make a hairpin left turn onto the rough, unpaved road to Hatcher Pass.
This trailhead is just at the summit of the pass. If you drive straight into the parking area, you’ll see a small trail sign and obvious switchbacks on your left.
Hiking April Bowl
The start of the April Bowl trail is marked by a small brown signpost, just across Hatcher Pass Road from the small parking area at the high point of the pass. If you look at the obvious switchbacks on the hill just above that sign, you can see other hikers working their way up the trail ahead of you.
At 0.5 miles from the trailhead, the trail forks. You could stop here if you’re hiking with kids, or make a right turn that leads you into the bowl that gives this trail its name, with two or three small lakes set into the tundra. The largest of these lakes is sometimes incorrectly called Summit Lake, which generates some confusion with the actual Summit Lake trail, which starts just down the Willow side of the pass.
Continuing Onward to Hatch Peak
If you bear left at the fork instead, the trail soon climbs out of the mountain bowl and starts up a somewhat narrow ridge toward 4,800-foot Hatch Peak, clearly visible as the highest peak in the ridgeline encircling this bowl.
If you go all the way up and tag the peak, then come back down, it’s about 2.7 miles round-trip. Or you can continue past the peak and complete a loop hike on the ridge around the bowl, descending into the far side of April Bowl via a barely-there path through steep, loose rock that isn’t for everybody.
Some people also traverse from Hatch Peak to Government Peak — something I haven’t yet done myself.
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Lisa Maloney
A long-time Alaskan, Lisa has written three award-winning guidebooks including "Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska" and "50 Hikes Around Anchorage." She also served as senior editor of Alaska magazine and has written hundreds of newspaper columns and magazine articles about her adventures around the state. Learn more about her at http://maloneywrites.com.
