The easiest hikes in Alaska, by the numbers
Of the 97 trails in Alaska in our dataset, 16 (16 percent) rate easiest on the gain-and-distance scale we use, run 1 to 6 miles and climb 500 ft or less; all 16 are listed here, lowest rating first.
Nugget Falls Trail has the lowest rating: 57 ft of gain over 1 mile, 57 ft per mile.
Across the 16, gain runs from 57 to 484 ft and distance from 1 mile to 3.6 miles; the median gain is 274 ft and the median distance 1.9 miles.
10 of the 16 are point-to-point routes; the rest are loop (3) or out-and-back (3).
| # | Trail | Miles | Gain (ft) | Ft per mile | Max grade | Elevation (ft) | Rating | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nugget Falls TrailSoutheast Alaska | 1 | 57 | 57 | 11% | 61 to 103 | 10.7 | |
| 2 | Taiga TrailDenali NP | 1 | 75 | 75 | 18% | 1,726 to 1,828 | 12.2 | |
| 3 | McKinley Station TrailDenali NP | 1.3 | 73 | 56 | 6% | 1,639 to 1,707 | 13.8 | |
| 4 | Forest Loop TrailGlacier Bay NP | 1.1 | 100 | 91 | 15% | 31 to 127 | 14.8 | |
| 5 | McKinley Bar TrailDenali NP | 2.5 | 72 | 29 | 7% | 1,983 to 2,094 | 19 | |
| 6 | Savage River Loop TrailDenali NP | 1.7 | 258 | 152 | 31% | 2,539 to 2,610 | 29.6 | |
| 7 | Red Shirt Lake TrailSouthcentral Alaska | 2.7 | 193 | 71 | 11% | 133 to 315 | 32.3 | |
| 8 | Thunderbird Falls | 1.9 | 299 | 157 | 27% | 142 to 287 | 33.7 | |
| 9 | Beaver Pond LoopLake Clark NP | 1.8 | 352 | 196 | 14% | 299 to 644 | 35.6 | |
| 10 | Falls and Lake TrailLake Clark NP | 1.8 | 360 | 200 | 21% | 304 to 637 | 36 | |
| 11 | Horseshoe LakeDenali NP | 2.3 | 287 | 125 | 17% | 1,497 to 1,725 | 36.3 | |
| 12 | Roadside TrailDenali NP | 2 | 383 | 192 | 23% | 1,755 to 2,082 | 39.1 | |
| 13 | Root Glacier TrailWrangell-St. Elias NP | 2.2 | 388 | 176 | 11% | 2,024 to 2,228 | 41.3 | |
| 14 | Edge of the Glacier TrailKenai Fjords NP | 1.9 | 471 | 248 | 39% | 433 to 904 | 42.3 | |
| 15 | Bartlett River TrailGlacier Bay NP | 3.6 | 261 | 73 | 11% | 34 to 179 | 43.3 | |
| 16 | Rock Creek TrailDenali NP | 2.1 | 484 | 230 | 28% | 1,805 to 2,257 | 45.1 |
How this list is ranked
Rating = the square root of 2 x elevation gain (ft) x distance (miles), the gain-and-distance formula Shenandoah National Park publishes for its own trails. Bands: under 50 easiest, 50 to 100 moderate, 100 to 150 moderately strenuous, 150 to 200 strenuous, 200 and over very strenuous.
This list: band easiest (under 50), 1 to 6 miles, no more than 500 ft of gain, ordered by rating asc, miles asc, capped at 25. The rating column is computed from the miles and gain printed in the same row, the numbers each trail page uses, so every row can be checked from the row itself. The rating says nothing about exposure, scrambling, altitude or conditions.
Only trails with a full page count, so "Alaska" here means the 97 trails in Alaska in our dataset, not every trail in Alaska.
Each trail page shows the full elevation profile behind these numbers and the same data drawn as a topographic print, made to order. Start with Nugget Falls Trail.
Easiest hikes elsewhere.
The same ranking for other states in our dataset.