Tony Knowles Coastal Trail

Tony Knowles Coastal Trail

Start your Alaskan journey by taking a stroll down one of the most beautiful trails in the whole nation, the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. This trail is the most popular in Anchorage by far and runs 11 miles from downtown Anchorage to the chalet at Kincaid Park. The trail was named after the governor in the 1980s, Tony Knowles. Following his trail will give you insight on natural and human history in this area, as you will be able to follow the fault line from the ‘64 earthquake that devastated the area. You will also be able to walk through the forests of the area and spot local wildlife, commonly being moose on this trail.

While walking along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail you will see multiple scenic beach vistas populated with beluga whales, the breathtaking Fire Island, the majestic Chugach Range, and even Mt. McKinley!  During the summer visitors love to hike, bike, run, ski, and rollerblade along the path, with a popular bike rental place near the beginning of the trail (Alaska Pablo’s Bicycle Rentals). Your group will also be able to take part in a portion of the Anchorage Light Speed Planet Walk on this trail, which is a scale model of the solar system along with a much larger trail. This path shows the relative size of planets with the distance from the sun by comparing seconds of light speed to seconds in walking. 1 step equals 1 second in space, meaning that on your walk you can walk 5 hours and 30 minutes to get to Pluto! This unique learning opportunity mixed with the natural history and unbeatable Alaskan views makes the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail a must-stop for your group!