Flattop Mountain in Chugach State Park is widely regarded as Alaska’s most climbed peak. With sprawling views over downtown Anchorage and the surrounding Gulf of Alaska, this trail should definitely not be missed. Here’s a full guide with everything you need to know before hiking the Flattop Mountain Trail!
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General information
- Type of hike: Out and back
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Elevation gain: 1300 ft / 396 m
- Length: 3.4 mi / 5.5 km roundtrip
- Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
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How to get to Flattop Mountain
By car
If you have a car, driving is the easiest way to get to Flattop Mountain. The parking lot at Glen Alps Trailhead is large and has an overflow parking section in case it gets too crowded. There are public bathrooms available for use as well.
There is a $5 fee to park unless you already have a state parking pass.
Address: 13101 Glen Alps Rd, Anchorage, AK 99516
Shuttle
If you’re traveling around Anchorage without a car, the Flattop Mountain shuttle will be your best option.
The shuttle leaves every day at 12:30 pm from Downtown Bicycle Rentals. The 15-person passenger van brings you to the start of the trailhead and picks you up again at 4 pm to go back. Shuttle tickets cost $23 per person roundtrip and cannot be reserved in advance.
Address: 333 W 4th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501, United States
Rideshare
Because I didn’t have a car and I was on a (self-imposed) schedule, this is the option I chose to get to the Glen Alps Trailhead. Uber and Lyft both operate in Anchorage and I found it quite easy to request a car. Thankfully, cell service is strong enough at the trailhead to use both apps.
This is definitely the most expensive option — I paid nearly $40 each way between downtown Anchorage and the trailhead.
Flattop Mountain Trail
The Flattop Mountain Trail starts at the Glen Alps Trailhead. There is a public bathroom, rest area, and a few picnic tables if you want to have a snack before heading out. From the parking lot, turn right past the information booth and follow the signposts for the Flattop Peak Trail.
The first section of the track starts off easy. The path is relatively flat and goes around some rolling hills with lots of wildflowers. I also saw a ton of butterflies here — there must have been at least 5 unique species with different colors and wing patterns.
After a bit, you’ll reach a part of the track with lots of stairs. This part doesn’t last too long, so don’t worry! The views of the mountain top in front of you are motivation enough to keep on trekking uphill.
Flattop Mountain peak
Once you get past the stairs, the track turns from an even, flat path to rocks. Rocks everywhere. At first, the rocks on the path are pretty small and easy to maneuver over. Later on, the track gets steeper and a bit harder to traverse. Eventually, the path disappears completely and turns into a big, rocky scramble to the top. The final push to the summit of Flattop Mountain is essentially rock climbing. You’ll definitely need to use both arms to haul yourself up the boulders and to the top.
Although I’d consider this last part of the trail moderately hard, it’s definitely still doable (even for those that aren’t super fit). I saw a family with young kids and a couple with a dog get all the way to the top. As long as you are slow and steady and mindful of where you’re going, you’ll be just fine!
You’ve made it to the summit of Flattop Peak when you see the American flag speared into the ground. Unfortunately for me, the view from the summit was completely clouded over by the time I made it to the top. Nonetheless, the hike itself had incredible views along the way and I didn’t feel like I missed out on much. Make sure that you walk around the entire ridge at the summit because the views on the opposite side of the flag are supposed to be really nice too.
Descent
The descent to the bottom of Flattop Mountain will follow the same path you walked up before. To be quite honest, going down this track was 100% more difficult than climbing up. Because there are so many massive boulders and steep rocky slopes, it’s important to be very careful on your way down. Most of the time, I was scooting or crab walking down on all fours — anything to keep more limbs in contact with the ground.
Once I was back at Glen Alps Trailhead, I decided to check out the Anchorage Overlook Trail on the other side of the parking lot. This is a 0.5 mi (0.8 km) roundtrip walk on a paved path to a scenic overlook of downtown Anchorage. Since this little walk is so easy, I recommend tacking it on to the end of your Flattop Mountain hike.
All in all, the Flattop Mountain hike took me 2 hours and 30 minutes (including photo and summit stops). The Anchorage Overlook Trail added another 10 minutes at a leisurely pace.
Other hikes at Glen Alps Trailhead
- Williwaw Lakes
- Powerline Pass
- O’Malley Peak Trail
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Thanks for reading, and enjoy your Flattop Mountain hike!
xoxo Niki
