The town of Girdwood is located approximately 40 miles south of Anchorage along the Seward Highway. The community of approximately 2,000 year-round residents is nestled between the Chugach mountain range and the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet. The trails, parks, and accessibility of the area have made it a popular year-round recreational area for residents and visitors.
Girdwood Parks and Recreation provides recreational opportunities within the 120 acre area at the base of the valley. Girdwood's parks and trails share borders with Chugach State Park and Chugach National Forest. Local Trails Committee members work cooperatively with these agencies and provide gateways to Fores
t Service and State Park Trails.
Within the area, there are 13 miles of established trails to explore, and many other unofficial and seasonal use trails. Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy a multitude of outdoor activities, from hiking and biking to showshoeing and cross-country skiing. Our numerous trails offer a variety of distance and terrain, and all trails offer the possibility of wildlife sightings.
The Girdwood Hand Tram has been decommissioned. A suspension bridge to reconnect the Winner Creek Trail at Glacier Creek is planned.
Click here to link to the Girdwood Summer Trails Map and the Girdwood Winter Trails Map.
Click here to see the Girdwood Frisbee Golf Course Map.
Girdwood Parks and Recreation oversees ten parks, a town square, a ball field, a soccer field, a modern children's playground with a separate "tot lot", a tennis court, a newly redesigned skate park with rails and ramps, a disc golf course, and two sheltered park pavilions with picnic tables. During the summer camping season, we also maintain a tent-only campground with eighteen tent spaces.
Several organized activities and events that are open to the public occur within Girdwood Parks and Recreation lands. The Girdwood Forest Fair is held annually in July and the Girdwood Fungus Fair is held annually in August/September.
Girdwood Parks and Recreation also assists with Girdwood beautification, providing flowers and planters for local volunteers to plant and tend numerous gardens along the main thoroughfares of the community.
