12 Nice Southcentral Alaska Trails to Hike in the Rain

Rain is a good reason to stay inside. But sometimes you just have to stretch your legs, log some miles with the dog, or get in a little “forest-bathing” for your own well-being, even when the weather doesn’t cooperate.

With that in mind, the following are some of my favorite trails to hike in the rain. It’s no coincidence that they all share a similar set of characteristics: They’re all relatively flat, relatively well-marked and traveled, and also relatively easy. That’s because the entire world is slippery when wet, so pushing the limits of your physical endurance/agility and hiking in the rain are pretty much mutually exclusive.

My Favorite Trails to Hike in the Rain

Hopefully it goes without saying that if you’re choosing one of these 11 trails to hike in the rain — or any trail, really — you should dress for the weather. It’s always a good idea to carry the ten essentials (and know how to use them) when you’re out for a hike, but that goes double when it’s raining.

1. Eagle River Nature Center Loop Trails

There are three loop trails at the Eagle River Nature Center; from shortest to longest they’re Rodak Loop, Albert Loop, and Dew Mound. They all interlock to some degree, so you could string them together into longer loops if you like; and they’re all relatively flat, which makes them great trails to hike in the rain, or really any other weather year-round.

Two noteworthy things to consider: There are a few hills and rocky spots on the Dew Mound trail, which gains about 880 feet of elevation over its roughly 6-mile length; and Albert Loop is closed seasonally, usually starting in mid-August, to reduce the risk of bear encounters near Eagle River.

Click the links above for details on any of these loop hikes.

2. Thunderbird Falls (Chugiak)

Who doesn’t love a waterfall that’s been supercharged by rain? At about a hundred feet tall, Thunderbird Falls is more impressive than most when it really gets going. At just under 2 miles round-trip, this hike is short and sweet enough that you won’t have to endure the rain for long.

If you don’t feel confident in your footing, take a second look at what kind of traction you’re getting on the side trail that leads down to the base of the falls. Some will be completely okay with doing it on wet ground, and some won’t.

Click through for more details about hiking Thunderbird Falls, which is also hike 26 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska and hike 45 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage.

3. Reflections Lake (Near Knik River Public Use Area)

I’ll go ahead and mention this here, since it’s one of my favorite trails to hike in the rain — or any weather, really — and its access point is pretty close to Thunderbird Falls. Few destinations are more tranquil in wet weather than a lake, and a complete loop around this particular lake is just over one mile on well-established trail. What’s not to love?

Click through for more details on hiking the loop around Reflections Lake, which is also hike 18 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska and hike 48 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage.

4. Eklutna Lakeside Trail (Eklutna)

As long as we’re discussing lakes, let’s not forget Eklutna Lake: If the trip around Reflections Lake is one of the shortest and friendliest trails to hike in the rain, the 20+ mile round-trip on the Eklutna Lakeside trail is the longest. This trail follows an old roadbed, though, and the first 7 miles or so of its length are so broad you don’t have to worry about brush.

If it rains hard the water will pond in places, and there will be mud. But hey, a rainy day is the perfect excuse to put on your rubber boots and splash through a few puddles.

Click through for details about hiking the Eklutna Lakeside trail, which is hike 24 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska and hike 46 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage.

5. Barbara Falls (Eagle River)

Here’s another great waterfall to visit when it’s been supercharged by wet weather — with one caveat. The trail does involve a stream crossing (really, wading across a relatively narrow, slow-moving branch of the river), so this is only one of the good trails to hike in the rain if you’re comfortable with that crossing.

With that caveat in mind, Barbara Falls is a little shorter than Thunderbird Falls — about 60 feet — but still very impressive when water levels run high. (The pictures above is actually from a period of low water in the spring.)

The hike to Barbara Falls is about 6.2 miles round-trip, but it’s also mostly flat, so as long as you’re okay with that stream crossing, you don’t have to worry as much about traction as you would on an uphill hike. The short section of boardwalk is slippery when wet, of course, and beware bear encounters near the river when fish are running.

Click through for more details about hiking Barbara Falls, which is also hike 33 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska and hike 32 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage.

6. Rabbit Lake (Anchorage)

This trail is mostly flat, and while the approach road is unpaved it’s quite rocky — as opposed to dirt — so it’s no gnarlier than usual in the rain. The final destination is also important when choosing which trails to hike in the rain: The blue waters of Rabbit Lake make beautiful company in any weather.

Heads up: The trail to Rabbit Lake is temporarily closed until roughly July 26. You can still hike the Flattop Sunnyside trail, which starts from the same trailhead; but I don’t find that trail to be as fun in the rain. Your mileage may vary!

Click through for more details about hiking Rabbit Lake, which is hike 51 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska and hike 14 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage.

7. Powerline Pass (Anchorage)

For most of its length this trail is really a gravel maintenance road, so you don’t need to worry about getting your feet wet until you start getting close to the pass. Most people won’t hike Powerline Pass’s entire length (it’s just over 6 miles one-way from Glen Alps trailhead to the pass, or 9 miles one-way from the Prospect Heights trailhead). That length helps make this one of the better trails to hike in the rain: It’s easy to customize this hike to an out-and-back trip of whatever length you like.

Click through for more details about hiking Powerline Pass, which is hike 45 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska and hike 17 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage.

8. Middle Fork Loop (Anchorage)

Middle Fork Loop is relatively flat, but not to the point of boring: You gain about 1,485 feet of elevation along its 9-mile length. It ticks all the boxes for one of the best trails to hike in the rain: It’s interesting but not death-defyingly slippery when wet; it’s a long enough hike to feel satisfying; and thanks to a lot of recent hard work by trail crews, it no longer gets super boggy after a solid rain. If the clouds allow, you can also scope out some of the steeper mountain/peak hikes around you.

Bonus: There are two easy places to access Middle Fork Loop: Prospect Heights trailhead and Glen Alps trailhead. They’re 3 miles apart, and the trail that runs between them is actually Powerline Pass, which you just read about. So you have the option of setting up a car shuttle if you’d like to do a 3-mile hike or 6-mile hike between the two trailheads instead of a complete loop. (Which length you get is determined by which way you go around the loop.)

Click through for details on hiking Middle Fork Loop, which is hike 46 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska and hike 21 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage.

9. Grewingk Lake to Saddle Trail (Kachemak Bay/Homer)

What could be nicer than choosing one of these trails to hike in the rain? Taking a boat ride in the rain, of course. With the beautiful one-two punch of the Grewingk Lake/Grewingk Glacier trail and its natural link-up to the Saddle Trail, you can do both at once: Enjoy a water taxi ride across Kachemak Bay to the Glacier Spit trailhead, hike in on the Grewingk Lake trail, then hike out on the Saddle Trail.

You can hike out and back from either trailhead, too, and cell service in this region varies from spotty to non-existent. So make sure you and your water taxi driver are on the same page about where you want to be picked up, before you get off the boat.

The Grewingk Lake to Saddle Trail trip is hike 100 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska.

10. Juneau Creek Falls (Cooper Landing)

Again with the waterfalls! I maintain that relatively flat strolls to a waterfall are some of the best trails to hike in the rain, and Juneau Creek Falls definitely qualifies. You can approach from either of two trailheads and usually I prefer the Bean Creek trailhead because it has less traffic overall — but if it’s really rainy, I think I’d prefer hiking from the Resurrection Pass trailhead.

Click through for more details about hiking to Juneau Creek Falls, which is also hike 87 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska.

11. Russian Lakes (Soldotna)

Technically there is a waterfall, or at least a nice cascade, along this hike. But it’s the broad, flat trail, some of which is even paved, that makes this one of the nicest trails to hike in the rain. Heads up: The Russian River Campground, and thus access to the Russian Lakes trail, will be closed for road improvement and erosion/landslide mitigation from August 1, 2022 to approximately June 1, 2023.

The trip to Russian Lakes is hike 88 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska.

12. Turnagain Arm Trail (Anchorage)

Ah, the good old Turnagain Arm Trail! Anyone who’s spent much time hiking in and around Anchorage will probably understand where I’m coming from: This trail’s general flat(ish)ness and easy accessibility make it a natural go-to in almost all circumstances, from needing a quick after-work pick-me-up to looking for trails to hike in the rain.

Of course, that ease of access and proximity to Anchorage usually translate to a (relatively) crowded trail, too. But if you’re out hiking in the rain, it’d be very unusual to run into crowds — even on this trail.

Click through for more details about hiking the Turnagain Arm Trail, which is also hike 53 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska and hike 12 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage.