Williwaw Lakes: A long walk to a wild, remote-feeling valley

Of all the well-known trails in the Chugach frontcountry, Williwaw Lakes is one of the longest and most remote-feeling. Your destination — the chain of beautiful, blue-green Williwaw Lakes — is just one valley away from the hustle and bustle of the South Fork Campbell Creek Valley and its busy Prospect Heights and Glen Alps trailheads. But it feels like you’re in a world apart.

This trail can be hiked as an out-and-back trip, or combined with Little O’Malley to create a loop hike. Either option makes a fine day hike, but Williwaw Lakes and nearby Walrus Lake are also a popular destination for overnight backpackers.

This is hike 47 in my guidebook Day Hiking Southcentral Alaska, and hike 19 in 50 Hikes Around Anchorage.

Williwaw Lakes 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.

The Direct Route to Williwaw Lakes

The direct, out-and-back route to Williwaw Lakes may be long, but it’s also straightforward. From the Glen Alps trailhead, take the obvious access trail that starts just to the left of the pay kiosk. After 0.3 miles, it intersects the old gravel maintenance road that is Powerline Pass. Turn right and follow the gravel way for another 0.2 mile, then take the left turn that’s marked for O’Malley Peak and Williwaw Lakes.

The trail leads you to a bridged crossing across South Fork Campbell Creek, along a boardwalk that saves you from what used to be notoriously muddy sections of trail. Keep an eye out for the signed left-turn onto the Williwaw Lakes trail.

This stretch of the Williwaw Lakes trail coincides with the Middle Fork Loop trail; you’ll see a signpost where the trails diverge. Turn right for Williwaw Lakes.

From there, the trail makes a steady, gradual climb into the next valley, passing through a profusion of wildflowers before entering a stretch of brush and stunted trees. By 4.75 miles from the trailhead the trees will open back up, and at 5.9 miles you’ll hit the side of the first of the Williwaw Lakes.

Whether you’re here for a day hike or looking for a patch of flat ground to pitch a tent and stay overnight, this is a fine place to stop. But if you’d like to keep going, you can hike another 1.3 miles or so to the shores of Walrus Lake, a little farther up the valley.

Pictures From Williwaw Lakes

Hiking Williwaw Lakes as a Loop With Little O’Malley and the Ballfield

You can also hike Williwaw Lakes as a loop, which ends up being 9.7 miles long but involves more elevation gain. Start by hiking up Little O’Malley Peak (make a right turn at the intersection pictures below, instead of a left) and trek roughly east across the Ballfield. You might need a map or GPS app to help you home in on an overlook of Black Lake, with the Williwaw Lakes in the background below.

From there, backtrack a short distance and look for a footpath that leads to the edge of the Ballfield and downhill alongside an obvious scree gully, ending up on the valley floor about 0.2 mile before you hit that first of the Williwaw Lakes. It may take a little hunting and pecking to find the right gully; it’s steep but not death-defying, and the established footpath makes it remarkably easier than your other options.

If you’d like to hike the loop the other way around, hike to Williwaw Lakes as usual. About 0.2 mile before you hit the shore of the first lake, look to your right for a side trail leading uphill alongside that scree gully. From there, you’ll need to navigate yourself roughly west along the Ballfield to Little O’Malley Peak, where you can strike the trail leading downhill and back to Glen Alps ballfield.

The Ballfield is rather a mish-mash of social trails, so in low visibility you might find it easier to stick to the main Williwaw Lakes trail, even though it’s longer.