The Butte in Palmer — Alaska

I’ll start this review with what we missed—there are two different trails to the top of the Butte. And they each offer a very different experience. Since we ended up doing them both on separate days, I can provide some insights on both.

Butte Trailhead off of Bodenburg Loop

We decided to give this trail a try on Memorial Day Weekend after a long-time Alaskan recommended it as one of her favorites (this was before we knew there was an alternative route up). First the not-so-good aspects: There were quite a few people there, which isn’t always the case for Alaska trails. It was obvious this was a popular choice. The first thing we noticed (and couldn’t help but notice) was the dust. It was everywhere and coated everything. One of our little ones was talking and we noticed there was even a film of dirt on his front teeth. Likewise, one of our dogs who is shorter was coughing frequently as the dust was swirling around her from hikers ahead. Another aspect that was quite apparent was that although this is rated as an “easy” trail on some hiking sites, the path elevates continuously—it is uphill the entire way to the top. This is something to keep in mind for hikers with less mobility who are expecting to encounter a less strenuous hike based on the rating. We weren’t really prepared as well as we usually are, as it is a short hike (.9 miles) and rated easy—basically, we were thinking “this will be a breeze.”

Now for the good stuff: The views are beautiful and unlike other hikes where it takes a while to be able to enjoy the spectacular views, these views are stunning in less than half a mile. The trail itself is clear (sans dust, dust and more dust) and it was easy to navigate even with “crowd” relative to other Alaskan trails. The parking lot is adjacent to the trailhead so access it relatively easy as well.

Butte Trailhead off of Mothershead Lane (Google maps has this one labeled Butte Trailhead North with stairs)

After researching and discovering that this was the maintained trail, we gave it a try on a Tuesday. The parking lot was packed and there were at least two organized hiking groups that were there at the same time we were. The trail is wide and clear as it begins and winds through the woods under a canopy of trees and greenery. After a while, we arrived at the beginning of the steps and there are a lot of them (the path is narrower here as well). Unlike the trail on the other side, there isn’t much of a view as everything is sheltered underneath the trees (there is a bench at one point in a clearing that offers a nice view a little over half-way up). We found the switchbacks and stairs much easier than the steep incline and dust of the alternative trail. There are breaks in places where the stairs end and the path winds through the woods some more. Eventually, there is one final staircase that leads to the top and-wow—the view is breathtaking. Knik Glacier, Pioneer Peek, Lazy Mountain, the Cook Inlet, and Sleeping Lady are all visible. There is plenty of room at the top and there were isolated places to picnic even with the large groups ahead of us already seated.

Overall: The views are spectacular and it takes very little time to get to them—would highly recommend the North trailhead.

Helpful tips:

There are restrooms in the parking lot of the Mothershead Lane trailhead.

Be sure to bring money for parking.

Dogs are allowed on a leash.

The stairs become narrower, so if you have a dog that gets anxious being in close proximity to other dogs, this may be difficult to navigate. In certain areas, stepping off of the steps is difficult as it is often a steep incline.

Sunglasses are very helpful in keeping the dust out of eyes (mine had hats as well).

Come down the same way you came up—otherwise you will end up in the other parking lot and it is a long walk back to your car that way.