Lazy Moose: The gentler trail up Lazy Mountain
If you love the views from atop Lazy Mountain but wish the approach were a little gentler, your wish has been granted: Meet the Lazy Moose trail.
Mind you, there’s nothing really lazy about this trail. It still gains 3,100 feet of elevation before tagging the summit of Lazy Mountain, and in fact its upper reaches overlap with the steep, direct approach trail that is more commonly referred to as the Lazy Mountain trail. Overall, I’d call it moderate in difficulty.
But the Lazy Moose trail takes a gentler approach to all that elevation gain. It’s also built to stave off the erosion that’s disfigured the direct approach up this mountain, while simultaneously taking advantage of nice views off Lazy Mountain’s south face.
This is hike 20 in my guidebook Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska.
| Round Trip: 8 miles | Nearest community: |
| Elevation gain: 3,100 feet | Typical season: May to October |
| Parking fee: $5 or Mat-Su Borough parking pass | Nearby trails: Lazy Mountain, Matanuska Peak, Bodenburg Butte, Pioneer Ridge, Palmer-Moose Creek Rail Trail |
Lazy Moose Trailhead Directions
From Palmer: Drive east on the Old Glenn Highway, which may be signed as Arctic Avenue, for 2.5 miles. Turn left onto Clark-Wolverine Road. After 0.5 mile, turn right onto Huntley Road. Just before the end of the road look for a right turn onto Mountain Trail Circle, which doubles as the trailhead for Lazy Mountain.
From Anchorage: Drive northeast on the Glenn Highway toward Palmer. You then have two choices: The fastest option is to continue into Palmer on the Glenn Highway and turn right onto Arctic Avenue (opposite Bogard Road) which then becomes the Old Glenn Highway, and follow the directions given above.
The slower, but rather more scenic, option is to take the highway exit for the Old Glenn Highway (before Palmer) and look for the right turn onto Clark-Wolverine Road, shortly before the bridge across the Matanuska River. From there, follow the directions given above: right onto Huntley Road, and right onto Mountain Trail Circle.
Hiking the Lazy Moose Trail
The Lazy Moose trail starts from the very same parking area as the direct Lazy Mountain trail; just look for the wooden arch on the right side of the trail. This leads you up a relatively gentle incline in the mixed forest that covers the mountain’s lower slopes.
There are a few lookout benches that, aside from giving you a nice place to take in the views, also help you track how far you’ve come: The first one is at about 0.8 miles from the trailhead and the second is at 1.2 miles.
The Lazy Moose trail climbs out treeline at around 2.5 miles from the trailhead, and at 2.9 miles from the trailhead it rejoins the direct Lazy Mountain trail. From here, you have no choice but to turn uphill and follow a section of steep, eroded trail through rocky stretches and patches of tough brush.
The nice thing about all that steep trail is that it offers incredible views. Just don’t get suckered by the obvious false peak at about 3 miles from the trailhead. You have just under another mile to go, and the actual peak of Lazy Mountain is almost always marked by an American flag.
Photos from the Lazy Moose Trail
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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.
