Eklutna Lake Lakeside Trail

This may not be a technical challenging ride some go hards may be looking for but it's a fun ride for a day (or two if you want to camp). Good place to take the kids if you don't want to go too far out. Yes the hike/bike trail intersects with the ATV trail at places but after riding here lots this summer I only saw a handful of ATVs and it never felt crowded. There's still plenty of single track parts. With all the ATV trails in the valley this isn't a go to spot for most ATVers, they're usually just trying to get out to the cabin or campground by the glacier trail. Great scenery, lots of wildlife, a public use cabin (reservation only), kayaks and bikes available to rent, a couple pretty streams/waterfalls, and some fun yet simple trails. Good for the beginner to practice on, good for the kids to play on, and good for a relaxing scenic ride.

2015 Summer repairs have made the trail wider (almost double track in spots) flatter and faster. One of my go-to places to ride rain or shine due to the excellent drainage

Doublewide trail - 13 miles in length (26 miles RT), Mostly flat, few technical single track spots and great views of glacier fed lake, Eklutna Glacier (at mile 13) and wildlife. Beware of flooding and washed out areas. Summer of 2013 saw the loss of much of the lakeside trail - forces you to take the higher, more hilly road and sadly, Sunday through Wednesday it is heavily trafficked by ATVs which dust you off pretty good. Ride here Saturdays to have peace and quiet. Crosses several streams and waterfalls bears are common. My favorite local ride!

I was visiting from Colorado and was stoked to be able to rent a really good trek bike at the trail head. I rode about 6 miles of the trail before getting a little spooked by all the bear poop. It was a week day and I saw 4 other people during the whole ride. This is the first trail I have ridden in Alaska and though it was a great ride.......

This is not one of the more fun singletrack trails. The trail is basically flat, very long, and wide in areas. Sharing the trail with ATVs is not interesting either, it's kind of annoying. The lake and surrounding mountains are pretty but you don't have to bike the trail to see the lake. Would probably suggest making this a canoe trip instead.

The Eklutna Trail is very scenic with breathtaking views of the Chugach Mountains. For the most part the trail follows right along side of the lake. 5 times the MTB and hiking trail are shared with the ATV trail but only for a short time before it branches of again into seperate trails. At the end of the trail you can leave your bike and hike another mile to be right at the and of Eklutna Glacier.

Multi-use trail shared by foot, ATV, bike, (ski, snowmachine in season) traffic. Motorized traffic is limited to certain days of the week.

Begins at the Eklutna Lake campground and follows the length of the lake, continuing past the end of the lake ultimately to Eklutna glacier.

There are several fun singletrack splits where ATV traffic and foot/bike are separated along the length of the lake, including some almost permanently muddy sections. All of the fun, none of the guilt about trail erosion!

After the end of the lake, trail remains truck-trail (becoming rockier/bumpier) until ~mile 12.5/13 at which point it becomes a hike to the glacier (if it's still visible.) The views are spectacular as you progress and the valley becomes more narrow with the walls on either side becoming steeper with sheer vertical cliifs at points. Words can't do it justice.

The trail is very mellow - good for a family outing. On one run, our son, 9 at the time, managed 11 miles in/22 rt without complaint until the last mile or two. As a "Singletracks MTB trail", it's fairly ho-hum, but the views make it worth every second.

Do be bear aware. Saw 5 on one outing.

This trail is one of the first to open of the year because of its low elevation and mostly gravel base, however there are still many wet spots to be ridden through. From mile 0 to about 8 there is a fair amount of singletrack along the lakes edge, from 8 to 12.something its basically an old jeep rd but still good ridding. At the end of the rd there is a turn around area for 4 wheelers and a good place to stash your bike if you wish to hike to the glacier itself. The trail is a pretty good scramble over rocks for at least a half mile- Over the past couple decades the glacier has receded far enough its hard to get too.
If you came all this way to see a glacier you may be disappointed, if you are out just to ride through some great Alaskan scenery and have a good time, you are there!