Girdwood
Girdwood prides itself on being Alaska's only true resort town. Girdwood, located 45 minutes south of Anchorage, is home to the luxurious Alyeska Resort, fun and entertaining festivals, and a plethora of year-round outdoor adventure opportunities in beautiful mountain surroundings. Girdwood, formerly known as Glacier City, began as a supply camp for gold miners around the turn of the century. The town relocated 2.5 miles up the valley to its current location after the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake dropped the coast along nearby Turnagain Arm by 10 feet. Girdwood is now a full-service community of about 2,000 people, attracting skiers in the winter, hikers in the summer, and artists all year. Alaskans and visitors alike are drawn to the state's fine restaurants, diverse lodging options, and local flavor.
Riding the tram at Alyeska Resort to the top of Mount Alyeska is one of Girdwood's most iconic experiences. The scenic ride on the 60-passenger tram takes you to the 2,300-foot level, where a bar, deli, fine dining restaurant, and museum overlook dramatic views of Turnagain Arm and seven glaciers nestled in the surrounding peaks. Skiers and snowboarders use the tram to access ski terrain in the winter. Hikers can explore the mountain above the tram in the summer and then hike down the North Face Trail or take the tram back down the mountain. Local outfitters also lead paragliding trips down the mountain for an adrenaline rush.
Girdwood is an outdoor recreation haven, with a plethora of hiking and biking trails that explore the area's temperate rainforest and stunning mountains. The popular Winner Creek Trail begins near Alyeska Resort and leads 3 miles through lush forest to the scenic Winner Creek Gorge. The Crow Pass Trail is the most impressive hike in the area, a stunning alpine hike that includes gold-mining relics, a waterfall, an alpine lake, a glacier, and occasionally Dall sheep and black bears on the slopes above. The truly daring can hike the entire Crow Pass Trail, which stretches 23 miles from Girdwood to Eagle River and is a popular route for overnight backpacking trips.
Mountain bikers have access to the same downhill terrain that skiers do on Mount Alyeska in the winter. There is a vast network of downhill mountain bike trails accessible via chair lift. In the summer, beginner to advanced singletrack trails meander through the forested hills of the town's Nordic ski loop. If road biking is more your style, you can cruise along the Bird to Gird Trail, a paved multi-use trail that runs 12 miles from Girdwood to the small community of Bird. Several outfitters rent mountain bikes and fat bikes all year.
