Quality of Life and Recreation

The Municipality of Anchorage offers an impressive list of services and equipment for your recreation needs. In fact, Anchorage’s trails, parks, and recreational facilities are major community assets.

The Municipality maintains 194 parks totaling 9,900 acres, 72 playgrounds, 65 tennis courts, 90 ball fields, 16 ice-skating areas (indoor and outdoor), 133 kilometers of ski trails, and 100 miles of paved bike trails. There are three community recreation centers, six pools, two campgrounds and one municipal golf course. (There are also military-owned and privately-owned golf courses.)

In the summer, hiking, biking, camping, backpacking, tennis, hang gliding, horseback riding, golf, and field sports such as softball and soccer are available.

Anchorage’s extensive trail system attracts both residents and visitors and is currently ranked second in the nation. One of the most popular routes is the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, a 10-mile asphalt trail that runs from downtown Anchorage to Kincaid Park. The addition of trail segments to connect the major trails is also being planned to ensure that in the near future nearly every resident will be within 10 minutes of the trail system.

Water sports include boating, swimming, diving, wind surfing, kayaking, and rafting. There are three lakes with swim areas. Alaska is also blessed with some of the best fishing in the world, and Anchorage has numerous fishing areas within 40 miles. Trout fishing is excellent, and of course, the salmon fishing is unparalleled. Anchorage is also one of the few cities in the world where fish can be caught safely in the heart of downtown. Ship Creek, which runs from the Chugach Mountains to Cook Inlet, supports several species of salmon.

Anchorage also has several athletic clubs, including Gold’s Gym and The Alaska Club, that offer indoor tennis, track, racquetball, swimming, weights and aerobics.

One of Anchorage’s premier winter attractions is more than 200 kilometers of groomed cross-country ski trails, including 40 kilometers lighted for night skiing. Downhill skiing, sledding, hiking, snow boarding, dog mushing, skijoring and ice-skating are also very popular in the winter.

There are three downhill skiing areas in the Anchorage area. Hilltop Ski Area and Alpenglow at Arctic Valley are located within city limits. Alyeska Ski Resort, the state’s largest, is a 40-minute drive south. Alyeska’s quad chair is able to deliver 2,100 skiers per hour up a 1,370-foot vertical rise to the top of the mountain. Alyeska also has a 60-passenger aerial tram. Two cars whisk skiers and sightseers from the base of the mountain to the 2,300-foot level at a rate of about 26 miles per hour, or roughly three and a half minutes. The narrated ride describes many of the sights in view and the tram operator on board is available to answer additional questions.

Residents and visitors also enjoy the world-class biathlon and cross-country skiing facilities at Kincaid Park in southwest Anchorage. With 50 kilometers of groomed ski trails, Kincaid Park has the only FIS certified race course in the nation. Additionally, it was the site for the 1992 Olympic biathlon and cross-country ski trials.

Not all Alaska activities are outdoors. Hockey always attracts a crowd. The University of Alaska Seawolves and the professional Anchorage Aces, a member of the West Coast Hockey League, both compete at the Sullivan Arena.

Anchorage works hard to make all events, activities and facilities accessible to disabled residents and visitors. Access Alaska is a good source for information about services and support for disabled individuals, including accessible housing referrals. Continuous improvements have been made over the years to make Anchorage and the outlying park areas more accessible.