Skyscraper Peak: Depressingly eroded, stunningly beautiful
Although the first part of the Skyscraper Peak trail is very steep and incredibly (depressingly!) eroded, it leads to great tundra and ridge walking that feels straight out of a Lord of the Rings set. The trail is short enough that I’m calling it moderate, but be ready to huff and puff on the way up.
This is hike 4 in my guidebook Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska, and one of 13 fantastic hikes in Hatcher Pass.
| Round Trip: 2.2 miles | Nearest community: Wasilla, Palmer |
| Elevation gain: 1,170 feet | Typical season: July to September |
| Parking fee: No fee. | Nearby trails: April Bowl, Summit Lake, Gold Cord Lake, Marmot Mountain, Craigie Creek |
Skyscraper 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.
The unmarked pullout that serves as a trailhead will be on the right, just before the summit of the pass. If you reach the summit overlook that serves as a parking area for April Bowl/Hatch Peak, you went just a little too far.
Hiking Skyscraper Peak
The very start of this trail is depressingly easy to find: You can’t miss the horribly eroded hillside on your right, just before you reach the high point of Hatcher Pass. (That is, of course, assuming you’re coming from Wasilla and Palmer. If you made the drive all the way up from Willow, it’d be on your left, just past the high point.)
All that erosion was caused by the traffic of many happy feet, so please do your part to keep it from spreading across the entire hillside: Stay on the trail as you work your way up that hillside.
The good news is that once you’ve made your way onto the actual ridge — a steep, dusty trek of about 0.3 miles — the trail gives way to easy ridgewalking with stupendous views on all sides, and just enough rocky prominences in the neighboring hills to make you feel like you’re walking through a Lord of the Rings set.
Skyscraper Peak isn’t so much a clearly defined peak here as a high point in the ridge, just before a nice little lookout point over the neighboring valleys. That’s a good place to turn around, because from there the trail gives way to loose rock and crumbling dirt that feel unsafe — and unfun — to walk on.
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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.
