Ship Creek Trail (Downtown)

Anchorage has one of the best urban trail systems of any city in the United States, and Ship Creek Trail is an essential piece of the system. You can access it via the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail at H Street and 2nd Avenue. The Ship Creek Trail itself begins at the Alaska Railroad depot on the north side of Anchorage and travels east from downtown for 2.6 miles to end at Tyson Elementary School in the city's Mountain View neighborhood. The paved trail follows its namesake creek for nearly its entire length, crossing it a few times. Salmon swim up the stream in the summer, and you'll see anglers plying the waters. An impressive bridge also crosses over the Alaska Railroad tracks. Views along the way are mostly wooded on the trail's eastern end and industrial on the west side.