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Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge
Visible outside the windows of the Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau, this state wildlife refuge is the result of the 1964 earthquake. Literally overnight, the land dropped by 6 to 20 feet; hay fields and pastureland became salt flats and marshland. Once home to cows and grains, the land is now prime habitat for moose, birds, and fish. Some 20,000 acres are protected in the More...
Scout Ridge Loop Trail
This short, paved trail is an hour’s drive north of Anchorage in southern Wasilla. It leads out to a bluff on Palmer Hay Flats—a large stretch of wetlands with all kinds of wildlife. There, a viewing platform overlooks the flats and the Chugach Mountains beyond.
April “Hawk Watch”
This big pullout doesn’t look like much, but each spring bird watchers from around the world gather here to look for elusive species of raptors and falcons. Migrating north for summer, red tail hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, gyre falcons and other birds of prey gather in large numbers here, playing on the uplifts along the windy cliffs. In addition to seeing impressive numbers of More...
Cottonwood Creek Trail
Part of the Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge, this trail meanders through tidal flats and wetlands. Highlights are great views of the mountains surrounding Palmer (Pioneer Peak, the Chugach and Talkeetna ranges) and excellent bird watching.
Reflections Lake Trail
This one-mile trail around Reflections Lake offers easy walking year-round. Come with snowshoes, skis, or ice skates during the winter months, or identify wildflowers and forest birds in summer. Mostly wooded, the trail does open up to views of the surrounding mountains at one end of the lake, where the large forest gives way to smaller trees and grasses. Dawn and dusk here can be More...