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| We made it to AK!!!! |
The first 4 nights of our trip were at the Eklutna Lake Campground in Chugach State Park. The is the 3rd biggest state park in the country and it really is huge. We stayed in two different areas of the park and they really are quite different (will discuss Bird Creek Campground later). Interestingly, most of the land is in the municipality of Anchorage but it in no way feels like you are in a city. However the proximity makes it very easy to get to- the Eklutna Lake campground was just 45 minutes from the Anchorage airport.
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| Happy to be in AK! |
We arrived to rain, but were fully expecting some amount of rain during our time, and it didn't dampen our spirits at all (see what I did there?). We also knew Adam had already set up camp so we'd be fine with some trailer time and clam tent time if the rain got bad. As we drove however, the weather improved and we ended up with a nice evening to explore our new campground home.
Everyone says the weather in Alaska can change on a dime and can be very hard to predict and "everyone" says that because it's true. We definitely had 3 seasons within a day and 4 seasons in a day can be known to occur as well. In addition as we drove from place to place we would literally change eco systems within a few hours. So if you don't like the weather, give it a few hours. (That said we had a few days of truly miserable rain, more to come).
We wished we had more time at Eklutna campground. There was so much to do and the campsites were large and private. Very nice. We definitely had to be bear aware as there was a black bear in the campground while we were there and we saw a mama cub and 3 babies not too far down the road.
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| Fynn enjoying free play |
Planning an one month trip with three kids (including a newborn) requires a good combination of exciting activities for both the brain and the body mixed with down time. We spent 4 nights here at Eklutna to provide ample opportunity for both relaxation and excitement- a local explore day, a big adventure day to the Matanuska glacier, and a couple more easy going play around the campground days.
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| Kelp cakes! Every campground is a mud kitchen to these wonderfully wild children! |
We spent one morning riding on the bike trail that goes around Eklutna Lake. It was meant to just be a little explore so I didn't even pack snacks (mom fail) but man I wish we would have planned to do the whole route. It was incredibly incredibly beautiful. I would return here just to ride this trail again, it was that good.
Adam and Zooey spent a morning paddling - one of the most picturesque paddles I've ever seen and I've been lucky to be on the water in Yellowstone, the Tetons, the Frank Church Wilderness Area and many amazing places. Ollie, Fynn and I enjoyed an explore on the lakeshore. (Well Fynn slept, but he seemed happy about it.). We forded a small creek, threw rocks and generally followed the whims of explorer Ollie which was just fine with me. I would have been very happy to have a couple opportunities to paddle there but time felt tight.
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| Free time with Ollie while A/Z paddled |
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| Matanuska Glacier |
We took a day trip to the Matanuska Glacier during our time here. It was about 1.75 hours beautiful drive to the glacier so I do recommend this as a base for that day trip. After the 3 hour glacier walk and a quick snack all the kids were ready for some down time/naps in the car on the way back so it didn't feel too far. See more on our Matanuska Glacier day here. ADD LINK WHEN DONE
Another nice half day adventure was to visit the Eagle River Nature Center. This was about 45 minutes away in another section of Chugach State Park (remember- it's HUGE). This was one of the best nature centers I've ever been to with lots of pelts, antlers and bones to touch for the kids and heck, for the adults too. There were multiple short nature trails that start at the center and the volunteer worker set the tone for the trip when he gave Zooey the map and showed her some cool sights she could direct her family to. He spoke directly to her the whole time, which was awesome. She took the lead and guided us that day following along on the map. This kept her highly motivated:) The views on these trails were marvelous. We then had a picnic lunch at the visitors' center with snow capped mountain views in the background. Felt a lot like Switzerland.
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| Z led the way the entire time |
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| Happy to be back at camp |
My pre-trip research had indicated a large variety of playgrounds in Anchorage so we planned a playground morning explore. Zooey and I had researched playgrounds to visit and had a playground map. So we spent a few hours playground hopping. This was great for the big kids and the weather was nice so was enjoyable for the adults as well. This was early in the trip so we didn't have a good sense of HOW MUCH there was to do in the area. I'm not sure I would have sacrificed a morning in Anchorage had I known. The playgrounds were okay but nothing special. And we didn't love Anchorage. Honestly, I'd spend as little time in town as possible on future trips- there's just so much to do in the rest of the state. There's a oft mentioned bike path in Anchorage- the Tony Knowles trail. I'm sure it's a lovely trail, but it's a lovely urban trail and we were there to be in the wilderness as much as possible, so wasn't a priority. It's amazing how close wilderness is to urban in this wonderful state!
This campground was full on the weekend, but quite empty during the week. I have the feeling the Chugach State Park campgrounds are mostly utilized by locals- there were only a few rental RVs and out of town trailers like ours. There is also a trailhead nearby to Thunderbird Falls, looked like a nice moderate hike. Lastly, there is a laundry and ice cream place about 10 minutes down the road. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this campground due to the large size and privacy of the campsites and the easy access to the beautiful Eklutna lake for padding, biking (rentals available for both) or hiking.
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