This trail starts at the Glen Alps parking lot and makes a great alternative to Flattop Mountain nearby.
Little O’Malley Peak is one of the best day hikes in Anchorage and rewards you with amazing views of the city and surrounding Chugach Mountains.
In this post, I’m going to share how to hike Little O’Malley Peak in Anchorage, Alaska.
Hike Little O’Malley Peak
Traditional Land: Dena’ina (Visit Native-Land.ca to identify whose land you live, work, and play on.)
Distance: 4 miles roundtrip
Time: 2 hours
Elevation Gain: 1,550 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Season: May to October
Dogs: Yes
Quick Tips
- Daily parking is $5
- Hiking poles may be useful
How to Get to Little O’Malley Peak in Anchorage
- From the Seward Highway, take the O’Malley Road exit heading East
- Turn right onto Hillside Drive
- Turn left onto Upper Huffman Road
- Turn right onto Toilsome Hill Drive (Glen Alps Road)
- Turn left to stay on Glen Alps Road
- Park in the Flattop / Glen Alps Trailhead parking lot
From the Glen Alps Trailhead
The trail to Little O’Malley Peak starts from the Glen Alps Trailhead. From the Glen Alps Trailhead, you’ll head towards Powerline Pass. Take a right on Powerline Pass and you will shortly reach the connector to Middle Forks Trail on the left side of the pass. The trail starts to descend into the valley.
Along The Boardwalk
At the bottom of the valley, you will cross over a wooden bridge. This bridge connects to a boardwalk that you will be able to follow for a little bit before transitioning onto a dirt trail.
A Steep Climb
The first mile of the Little O’Malley Trail is low grade and easy going but once you reach the second mile of this hike, you will gain the majority of the total elevation. I’ve labeled this hike moderate because at this point it goes straight up and there are a lot of loose rocks. Phew.
The good news is that Alaska Trails has been working on a reroute of the Little O’Malley Peak Trail and it will be completed in 2021. You can already see part of the reroute and it looks like it’ll be amazing to use this trail, especially to avoid slipping on the way down!
Little O’Malley Summit
Once you make it all the way up the gully, you will turn left and follow the trail until you reach the Little O’Malley Peak summit. From the summit you can the views of Anchorage and the surrounding Chugach Mountains.
Beyond Little O’Malley Peak
There are plenty of options to continue beyond Little O’Malley Peak for a longer day hike or overnight backpacking trip. You can follow the trail known as the Ballpark, and head towards Black Lake or down to Williwaw Lakes, as well as O’Malley Peak and Hidden Peak.
Happy hiking!
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Do you have any questions about hiking Little O’Malley Peak? Let me know in the comments.