Alaska ATV Guide
Alaska ATV Trail Guide
Deciding which ATV and UTV trails in Alaska is not a tough decision because it’s hard to go wrong. The Alaskan wilderness offers a diversity of terrain along with a ton of fantastic vistas and wildlife viewing in rugged country that makes your heartbeat faster. Whether you choose an ATV tour or strike off on your own, you can count on a great outdoor experience. We’ve only highlighted a very few popular Alaska ATV trails, but there are many other great areas throughout the state where ATV and UTV trail riding can be found. Here at Treadworld, we have the ATV tires you need for wherever your adventures take you. Don’t hesitate to contact our tire experts via live chat or email with any questions you may have, and to get the ideal Master ATV and UTV Tires for you.
Bald Mountain Trail
Location: Solitude Street, Wasilla, AK in Matanuska-Susitna County
Website: https://www.riderplanet-usa.com/atv/trails/info/alaska_02873/ride_a5b3.htm
The name of the game here is dirty fun. These ATV riding trails stretch 22 miles through Bald Mountain in Wasilla, Alaska. This trail is mostly dirt and starts out as a rough dirt road before becoming more of a technical trail as you go from elevations of 700 feet to 3,400 feet. You’ll find some loose dirt, some rocks, a lot of steep hills and water crossings along with several wide mud bogs along the trails, which can be very slick when it’s raining. On one of the side trails there is a memorial for an Air Force tanker that crashed into the mountain in 1956.
Chugach State Park
Location: 18620 Seward Hwy, Anchorage, AK
Website: http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/aspunits/chugach/chugachindex.htm
Located in Southcentral Alaska, Chugach State Park is one of the four largest state parks in the U.S. and has approximately 495,000 acres of rugged topography and including Rugged mountain peaks that rise over 8,000 feet. 4-wheeler riders have access to nearly 6 miles of old logging road trails in Bird Valley and another 13 miles along the Eklutna Lakeside Trail, where you can count on stunning views of the Eklutna Lake, surrounded by jagged peaks, steep canyon walls, the Ekluna Lake Glacier and waterfalls.
Denali National Park
Location: Parks Hwy, Denali National Park and Preserve, AK
Website: https://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm
While ATV riding is not allowed inside Denali National Park, there’s much good riding in the areas around the park. The Denali Highway is one of the most spectacular drives in the world, reaching from Paxson to Cantwell. Around Paxson, trails include Fish Creek Tail, Osar Lake Trail, and Red Rock Canyon Trail. Fish Creek Trail offers around 5 miles of intermediate level trails that include several water crossings. Osar Lake Trail provides access to Osar Lake and is 8 miles long, it crosses glacial eskers and is dry, and offers epic views of the Maclaren River basin. Red Rock Canyon Trail is a 20-mile, primarily gravel trail that provides a fairly easy ride with some sharp rocky areas and a few water crossings, with moderate elevation changes and beautiful landscapes.
Eureka Trails
Location: Trailhead is two miles east of Eureka Lodge @ 128 Glenn Hwy, Glennallen AK
Website: https://www.eurekasprings.org/attractions/parks-trails/
Here you’ll find 150 miles of ATV and UTV trail riding, many of which put you higher than most other trails, above the tree line at 2,500 ft. elevation, while others take you through abandoned mining areas and glacier drainage areas. Difficulty levels vary from intermediate to expert, and you’ll find a wide diversity of terrain including mud, hills, rocks, climbs and water. Keep an eye out for large herds of caribou.
Klutina Lake Trail
Location: Trailhead: turn onto the Brenwick-Craig Road at milepost 101.5 on the Richardson Highway
Website: https://www.alaska.org/detail/klutina-river-hiking-trail
Scenic 23-mile trail follows the river from Copper Center and ends at Klutina Lake. It was part of the original prospecting trail from Valdez to the Copper River. Expect a lot of rough, muddy terrain, along with some loose dirt and rocks, a little sand and hard pack. The river, which has several salmon runs, is a corridor for wildlife.
Matanuska-Susitna Borough
Location: 350 E. Dahlia Ave., Palmer, AK
Website: https://www.alaskavisit.com/things-to-do/great-outdoors/atving/
Covering more than 25,000 square miles of wild Alaska, Mat Su Valley, as it is known, offers everything Alaska is known for including snowcapped peaks, wildlife, excellent fishing, pristine lakes, rivers and glacier valleys…along with over 2,000 miles of ATV and UTV riding trails. Many great 4-wheeler trails in this area including Kings River Trail offering ATV riding challenges with lots of mud and water crossings, Knik Glacier Trails via Jim Creek which has 22 miles of multi-use, intermediate level trails following the Knik River up to the Knik Glacier, and Purington Creek Trails known to be more difficult with multiple mud holes and water crossings.
Wrangell – St. Elias National Park and Preserve
Location: Northwest of Slana, near Copper Center, AK
Website: https://www.nps.gov/wrst/planyourvisit/recreational-off-road-vehicle-orv-use.htm
This area gives ATV riders the opportunity to explore the interior of Alaska with its more than 13 million acres. The area provides a host of popular ATV trails including 5-mile Nasbena Road offering mostly gravel stream bed, often very wet; Lost Creek Trail which is approximately 5 miles of stream bed and packed dirt that frequent enters forested areas next to the creek; Soda Lake Trail with 25 miles that includes spruce forests and open tundra, spectacular scenery and wildlife sightings; 15-mile McCarthy Trail leads through McCarthy Creek bed; Nugget Creek trail is a 7-mile pathway that features a waterfall with often quite muddy trail conditions. After several miles, the trail gains some elevation and conditions are drier.
Plumley Maud Trail
Location: E Maud Rd, Palmer, AK
Website: https://www.alaska.org/detail/plumley-maud-trail
Originally a logging road, this 6.2-mile trail offers many offshoot logging roads off the main trail for 4-wheeler riding exploration. ATV riders and UTV riders will find many wet areas during warmer weather. Most of the trail network crosses gentle terrain through stands of birch, spruce and cottonwood. At several places along the trail the vegetation opens to provide spectacular views of Matanuska Peak, the Knik River valley and Pioneer Peak. Be aware the trail passes close by several residential areas.
