South Fork Eagle River Trail

Every fall I hike this trail to photograph the glowing grass. The low autumn light hits the stalks just right and it feels like walking into a painting.

South Fork Eagle River Trail

This was a hike with Hike It Baby. We went to the bridge and back which was 5.09 miles according to a tracking app. Another mom and I pushed strollers and while it is doable I don't think either of us would do it again. It was a pretty great glute workout though. :) It took our group 4 hours, although several members turned back early either due to time constraints or it being just a little too far for their little ones.

We saw a young male moose which is the first time I've seen wildlife along this trail. We had to wait a bit for him to get out of our path (I waited to take photos since I really had no interest in ticking him off) but the kids all thought the sighting was pretty great. Otherwise it was a fairly easy walk with pretty views.

For more information on South Fork Eagle River trail click here.
For more information on Hike It Baby click here.

Hunter Pass

The Hunter Pass trail is an offshoot of the South Fork Eagle River trail. The junction is marked with a post and the trail goes from relatively flat to straight up hill, no switchbacks. The whole way is icy and muddy, I didn't need ice grippers but I sure would have liked them. Other hikers wearing grippers were up and down a lot faster than we were. I'll include this as kid-friendly because there's no scrambling and there was a lot of scenery on the way up. If your child isn't a fan of walking straight up a hill though I'd skip it and continue down the South Fork trail.

From the bottom the ridge looked a lot thinner than it really was, in reality there's a saddle at the top between the two mountain tops. The girls and I walked a little ways down it (the last two photos) and I was curious what kind of view we would have had if we would have kept going but the wind got the best of us and we turned back.

For more information on Hunter Pass trail click here.

Eagle and Symphony Lakes

I didn't mark this one as kid-friendly because it's nearly 10 miles round-trip. It's not a very strenuous hike, just long for the little ones and this late in the year there's limited daylight. We ended up getting back to the car in the dark! The two lakes at the end of the trail are two different colors because they get their water from different sources which is neat. If there's any possibility of snow or ice on the trail, bring grippers. Poles could also be helpful for stability in the rock field.

For more information on the South Fork Eagle River Trail click here.

South Fork Eagle River Trail

Fall is my favorite time of year for the South Fork of the Eagle River trail. The sun low on the horizon all day makes for amazing light and sometimes it feels as though you've stepped into a painting. I've never seen a stroller on the trail but it's fairly wide and level and seems like you'd be fine with an appropriate stroller, at least until the bridge. The bridge is a great stopping point for hikes with small children. You can stop and rest while they explore the river before heading back. It also only makes it a 4-mile hike which is doable with snacks and water. On this trip we brought 8 kids, ages 20 months to 8 years old and they all had a lot of fun.

For more information on the South Fork Eagle River Trail click here.

South Fork Eagle River Trail

One of my favorite things about Alaska is the ever-changing scenery. You can hike the same trail within a few weeks and it will look different each time. South Fork is one of my favorites, along with the girls'. It's a pleasant, not too strenuous hike and we turn around at the bridge (which is usually where we rest and have a snack as well).

For more information on the South Fork Eagle River trail click here.