Little O’Malley Peak: A beautifully refurbished alternative to Flattop

Little O’Malley Peak is the modest bump shown in this post’s featured image — just across the valley from the heavily traveled “front” trail of Flattop Mountain. The trail up Little O’Malley has changed a lot since the publication of my guidebook Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska!

The old trail up Little O’Malley Peak was a sand-in-your-face scramble up an eroded gulley. The new trail is a well-made series of switchbacks that make the hike just a little longer, but also a much nicer experience overall.

Little O’Malley also serves as a waypoint on the hike up to (Big) O’Malley Peak, the obvious, pointy peak sitting a bit further back on the same landform. It’s also a good waypoint if you’re tackling Williwaw Lakes as a loop hike.

The trail up Little O’Malley Peak is hike 48 in Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska, and hike 18 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage, although this post is an update to both.

Little O’Malley Trailhead Directions

From central Anchorage, drive south on the New Seward Highway. Take O’Malley Road east (toward the mountains). After 3.6 miles turn right onto Hillside Drive; after about a mile more turn left on Upper Huffman, then right onto Toilsome Hill Drive, which becomes Glen Alps Drive. After almost two miles, the large Glen Alps Trailhead will be on your left.

There is overflow parking in a lot to the east of the main parking area. Take the posted “no parking” signs seriously, or you might get a ticket.

Cell service here can be patchy at best and the trailhead parking quickly fills up on sunny weekends or evenings, so it’s best to coordinate plans with your hiking buddies ahead of time.

Hiking Little O’Malley Peak

The very start of the hike up Little O’Malley has not changed: From the Glen Alps trailhead, take the broad access trail that starts just left of the pay kiosk. At 0.3 mile from the trailhead, this access route intersects with the old gravel maintenance road that is the Powerline Pass trail. This intersection is also a great lookout point for spotting moose in the valley during the fall rut (bring your binoculars). The new trail up Little O’Malley is also clearly visible: A clean, straight trail cutting across the hillside on the far side of the valley.

Turn right onto Powerline Pass trail and, about 0.2 mile later, take a left turn that’s signed for Middle Fork Loop, O’Malley Peak and Williwaw Lakes.

That side trail leads you down into the valley, across the creek on a bridge, and along a boardwalk that saves you from what used to be a spectacularly muddy stretch of trail.

About 1.75 miles from the trailhead, you’ll see a marked left turn for Williwaw Lakes. Turn right instead, following the sign for O’Malley Gulley. Heads up: Parts of this trail do get muddy and slippery on wet days.

The new trail will lead you up the hillside, past a series of wooden stairs on aptly named Nintendo Hill.

After climbing those stairs, the trail continues onward to an obvious saddle. From there, the actual high point of Little O’Malley is a short distance to your left.

There’s a beautiful, broad flat area behind Little O’Malley that’s variously known as the Ballfield and the Football Field.

The Ballfield makes a great spot for wandering, too, and if you find the right thread of social trail (footpaths carved by the passage of many feet) you can head northeast to lookouts over the Williwaw Lakes. There are too many tangled footpaths across the Ballfield to give directions for which trail gets you there: You’ll have to orient yourself using a mapping app or a paper map.

Continuing Up (Big) O’Malley Peak

Those wanting to continue up to (Big) O’Malley Peak from the saddle have a few options, some of which are decent scrambles and others of which verge on mountaineering and technical climbing territory. That peak isn’t for everybody, and it’s up to you to choose what suits your comfort and skill level. The most obvious option from the saddle is to turn roughly east (hiker’s right) from the saddle and scramble the ridgeline leading first to False Peak, then on to (Big) O’Malley Peak.

Beware of loose rock and check your comfort level if you take that route.

I have another post coming soon with more information about the other common route up (Big) O’Malley Peak.