Parks & nature in Anchorage
Green spaces, gardens and viewpoints — where to breathe between sightseeing.
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1.Alaska Botanical Garden
The Alaska Botanical Garden is a 110-acre botanical garden located inside the Far North Bicentennial Park at 4601 Campbell Airstrip Road, Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It is an independent non-profit organization which opened in 1993, is open year-round, and charges admission to support its mission. The mission of the Garden it to enhance the beauty and value of plant material through education, preservation, recreation and research.
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2.Delaney Park Strip
The Delaney Park Strip is an 11-block park in the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska. Originally a firebreak, the Park Strip would become Anchorage's first airfield.
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3.Flattop Mountain
Flattop Mountain is a 3,510 feet (1,070 m) mountain in the U.S. state of Alaska, located in Chugach State Park just east of urban Anchorage. It is the most climbed mountain in the state.
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4.McHugh Peak
McHugh Peak is a 4,308-foot (1,313 m) mountain summit located in the western Chugach Mountains, in Anchorage Municipality, in the U.S. state of Alaska. McHugh Peak is situated in Chugach State Park, 14 mi (23 km) southeast of downtown Anchorage, and 5 mi (8 km) southwest of O'Malley Peak. Reaching the top involves hiking on a ridge trail and scrambling the final summit tor. The hike to McHugh Peak is detailed in several popular guidebooks. This geographic feature's local name was reported in 1942 by the Army Map Service, and was officially adopted in 1969 by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names. The mountain's name is derived from McHugh Creek which drains the south slope of this peak, and the creek's name was first published in 1912 by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. This mountain is called Q'isqa Dghelaya in the Denaʼina language, meaning Banjo Snowshoe Mountain. "Q'isqa" are temporary snowshoes made of lashed brush.
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5.O'Malley Peak
O'Malley Peak is a 5,150+ ft mountain summit located in the Chugach Mountains, in Anchorage Municipality in the U.S. state of Alaska. O'Malley Peak is situated in Chugach State Park, 12 mi (19 km) southeast of downtown Anchorage, 2.3 mi (4 km) west of Mount Williwaw, and 1.45 mi (2 km) northwest of The Ramp, which is its nearest higher peak. Access is via the Powerline Trail with several scramble routes to the summit.
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6.Ptarmigan Peak
Ptarmigan Peak is a 5,053-foot (1,540 m) mountain in the Chugach Mountains near Anchorage, Alaska. Its north face is extremely steep and is sometimes attempted by mountaineers. Hikers generally reach the mountain's summit from the less steep southern side, often via the west ridge that begins at Ptarmigan Pass. In winter, ski mountaineering is also possible on the mountain.
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7.The Ramp
The Ramp is a 5,240-foot (1,597 m) mountain summit located in the Chugach Mountains, in Anchorage Municipality in the U.S. state of Alaska. The Ramp is situated in Chugach State Park, 12 mi (19 km) southeast of downtown Anchorage, and 1.42 mi (2 km) southwest of Mount Williwaw, the nearest higher peak. Access is via the Powerline Trail. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains west into Campbell Creek and east into headwaters of Ship Creek. The mountain's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Geological Survey.
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8.Mount Williwaw
Mount Williwaw is a prominent 5,446-foot (1,660 m) mountain summit located in the Chugach Mountains, in Anchorage Municipality in the U.S. state of Alaska. Mount Williwaw, the highest peak of the Chugach Front Range, is situated in Chugach State Park, 12 mi (19 km) southeast of downtown Anchorage, and 1.4 mi (2 km) northeast of The Ramp. The Williwaw Lakes lie below the north and west slopes of the mountain and provide pleasant campsites for climbers not wanting to climb the mountain in one arduous day. The mountain's name was officially adopted in 1964 by the United States Geological Survey based on a recommendation by the Mountaineering Club of Alaska because an infantry company from nearby Fort Richardson was caught in a williwaw near this mountain in May 1962. Three men died of exhaustion before the group was rescued. The first ascent of this peak was made June 11, 1965, by David Judd, M. Judd, Myers, and Parker via the South Ridge.
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