The best cycling routes in Matanuska-Susitna Borough

Significant non-motorized trail improvements have been made this summer (no more washed-out segments). Lakeside path is open to just beyond 5 miles as crews continue trail work as of 8/29/24)

This is a unique beach access in Anchorage with the highest tide in the US. The rocky beach area leads out to the mudflats. This is a beautiful place to watch the sunset.

You'll probably have to dismount your bike at the intersection with the Coastal Trail and walk it the rest of the way here (or leave it tied up and locked to a tree or the bench at the trail intersection). However, it's worth a quick stop to take in the only real sand beach near Anchorage. With that said, please stay off the mudflats. They might feel safe when the tide is out, but the water comes in very quickly and the mud turns to quicksand when it does. Some people have died from this (drowning as the tide swept over them), while other have been lucky to escape with their lives.

This section of the paved, multi-use Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is just south of Point Woronzof, a popular location for watching jets land and take off from the nearby airport. The trail here winds through the trees and traverses a couple of long, gradual hills.

The paved trail makes a sharp bend here, offering some views toward the marshland at the bottom of the bluff. There's also a small, unpaved spur trail near here that leads to a sand beach that isn't rideable, but you can always walk your bike or lock it to a nearby bench.

This trail is actually a dirt road, and as long as conditions are dry it's surprisingly decent biking as long as you don't have skinny road tires. The trail actually continues to some primitive campgrounds past the far end of the lake and is great for bikepacking, but if you're not on a mountain bike you might want to leave yourself an out to turn around not along after crossing Bold Creek (on a bridge). Watch out for ATV traffic that is allowed on the road/trail Sunday through Wednesday. There are a series of foot- and bike-traffic-only detours from the road that help separate you from the motorized traffic on those days, but those side trails are sometimes washed out, so you if you go that way there could be stretches where you have to dismount your bike and push it.

This is the gravel shore of Eklutna Lake, which is absolutely lousy for riding on most bikes but wonderful for a pre- or post-ride picnic and marveling at the lake, which really is a gem of the greater Anchorage area. Interestingly, it's also the drinking water reservoir for Anchorage.

This park has a great little playground, picnic tables, soccer fields and even a Little Free Library. It's a great place to stop for a snack, or just enjoy the sight of happy, playing people of all ages as you pedal by.