Chugach State Park

State park in Alaska, United States

Chugach State Park covers 495,204 acres (2,004 square kilometers) covering a hilly region immediately east of Anchorage, in south central Alaska. Established by legislation signed into law on August 6, 1970, by Alaska Governor Keith Miller, this state park was created to provide recreational opportunities, protect the scenic value of the Chugach Mountains and other geographic features, and ensure the safety of the water supply for Anchorage. The park, managed by Alaska State Parks, is the third largest state park in the United States, and consists of geographically disparate areas each with different attractions and facilities. Only Anza Borrego Desert State Park in California and Wood Tikchik State Park in western Alaska are larger. Hunting and fishing are permitted in the Chugach under regulations established by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game for game management unit 14c. Target practice is not allowed within the park boundaries. In the summer, travelers go on foot, by mountain bike, ATV or on horseback, past the lake by way of largely flat trail to the glacier. There are two remote campgrounds in the area in addition to a frontcountry campground open during the summer. Bush planes are able to land on the far (southern) side of Eklutna Lake at the unpaved Bold Airstrip. North of Eklutna, the southern summit of Pioneer Peak can be reached from Knik River Road via the Pioneer Ridge Trail beginning outside the park boundaries in the Matanuska Susitna Borough. Visitors to Eklutna Lake have the opportunity to experience a variety of plant life at different elevations. Ferns, mushrooms, and wildflowers such as dwarf dogwood (Cornus canadensis), fireweed (Epilobium angustifolium), and the parasitic northern groundcone (Boschniakia rossica) of the broomrape family cover the forest floor. amidst vegetation along the Albert Loop Trail]]
A non profit organization in association with the park operates the Eagle River Nature Center which exhibits interpretive information on wildlife and geological features. From the trail red salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) and silver salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) can be seen as they spawn, especially in August. Brown bears (Ursus arctos) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos ssp.) often feed on salmon in shallow water between the beaver dams. Camping is available at the Eagle River Campground. also passes by the nature center. It affords incredible views and wildlife viewing opportunities. A privately run shuttle Flattop Mountain Shuttle provides round trip transportation between downtown and the Glen Alps Trailhead. During the winter some trails in the area are prone to avalanches. Dozens of moose are often seen below the platform and across the Campbell Creek Valley to the east. Wolves (Canis lupus) and Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis) also live in the park but are seen less frequently.

The Seward Highway follows part of the southern edge of the park along Turnagain Arm. This stretch of highway is listed as a National Scenic Byway and is designated as an All American Road. One of the most visited is Beluga Point, at milemarker 110.5, named for the beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) that frequent the area. Another popular viewpoint along the Seward Highway is Windy Corner at milemarker 106 where Dall sheep (Ovis dalli) are often visible just up the hill. The Bird Creek Campground is located south of Anchorage off the Seward Highway. As with all campgrounds in the park, each camping site boasts a wooded spot for recreation and relaxation, a fire ring and picnic table, with potable water and latrines nearby. Turnagain Arm boasts the second highest tides in North America after the Bay of Fundy. These tides, which can reach 40 feet (12 m), sometimes come in so quickly that they produce a wave known as a bore tide.

As a wilderness park within easy driving distance of the largest population center in Alaska, the park has been the site of contacts between bears and humans over the years. Most of the time these encounters end peacefully, but there have been a number of maulings. In 1995 a bear was feeding on a moose kill with its cubs near the McHugh Creek trail when two hikers happened upon them. The sow killed them both. In 2007 a grizzly bear bit a woman at the Eagle River Nature Center. In 2012 a man was mauled while climbing Penguin Peak. In 2014 a brown bear mauled a runner at Bird Point. In 2017 there were two bear attacks in different areas of the park in a matter of days. A brown bear mauled three people at Eagle River and a black bear killed a teenager participating in a trail race at Bird Ridge. The black bear attack was deemed to be a predatory, rather than defensive, attack as the bear refused to leave and circled the corpse when it was located by park rangers.