Visit the highest (~2100’/640m) public location you can drive to in the Anchorage area and on a clear day enjoy a view of the Alaska, Talkeetna, Chugach, Kenai, Tordrillo, and several other mountain ranges featuring the likes of Denali, Foraker, and Susitna, Spurr, Redoubt, and Illiamna volcanos, and peaks such as Wolverine, O’Malley, the Ramp, the Wedge, Ptarmigan, and Flattop, and the City of Anchorage.
An Alaska State Parks annual parking pass is required or a $5 day use fee may be paid to the iron ranger at the northeast corner of the parking lot.
Access is via fully paved (and thus, rental car legal) Hillside Drive to Upper Huffman to Toilsome Hill Drive to Glen Alps Road. The viewpoint is wheelchair accessible via the sloped, paved trail that begins just past the restrooms at the northwest corner of the parking lot or a few stairs and a paved trail at the west side of parking lot.
After enjoying the view from the coordinates, you can embark on a hike to any number of local peaks, including the most climbed peak above Anchorage, Flattop Mountain, ride a mountain bike over Powerline Pass to Indian or all the way to Kincaid Park without having to dismount or stop for traffic, or find any one of several hundred geocaches in Chugach State Park.
To log this virtual cache, send us the answers to the following questions via our profile’s e-mail or messenger links. The wind and foot traffic usually keep ground zero snow free during the winter, but moving some snow around may be required to find all the answers.
- Using the information associated with the compass rose at ground zero, provide the elevation of, and the distance to Denali, Mount Illiamna Volcano, and Ptarmigan Peak.
- Using the information on the commemorative plaque to the southeast of the compass rose, who was the famous Senator who was instrumental in founding Chugach State Park? How many acres are encompassed by Chugach State Park?
- Using information on the interpretive sign to the west, what is the Athabascan name for Mount Spurr volcano and what is its translation?
- OPTIONAL: Post a photo of your favorite view from this location. Triple points if you capture an image of Denali which is visible only 20-25% of the time. Ten times points if your photo depicts a Fata Morgana (typically seen on cold, clear days during the winter months). One-hundred times points if you capture an image of the aurora borealis.
References for even more fun:
Glen Alps Upper and Lower Parking Lot webcams (know before you go): http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/chugach/glenalpswebcam
General Park Information: http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/chugach/
Trailmaps and Brochures: http://dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/chugach/trailmaps.htm
Placed in compliance with Alaska State Parks Permit #15-KA-1994.
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.