Active Pursuits

Here I have covered activities right in Girdwood. In nearby Whittier, you can go ocean fishing, sea kayaking, or take a glacier and wildlife cruise.

Skiing

Mount Alyeska, at 3,939 feet, has 1,000 acres of skiing, beginning from a base elevation of only 250 feet and rising 2,500 feet. The normal season is from early November to April, and it's an exceptional year when there isn't plenty of snow all winter (although the warming climate has brought some late-starting ski seasons). Skiing on the upper mountain usually lasts through Memorial Day weekend (not for beginners). The average snowfall is 721 inches, or 61 feet. Because it's near the water, the weather is rarely very cold. Light is more of an issue, with short days in midwinter. There are 27 lighted trails covering 2,000 vertical feet on Friday and Saturday evenings from mid-December to mid-March, but the best Alaska skiing is when the days get longer and warmer in the spring.

Alyeska has 10 lifts, including the tram. Two chairs serve beginners, with a vertical drop of around 300 feet. The other 89% of the mountain is geared to intermediate to expert skiers. The biggest drawback for less experienced skiers is a lack of runs in the low-intermediate ability range. After graduating from the primary beginners' lift, Chair 3, skiers must jump to significantly more challenging slopes. That explains the long lines in busy periods on Chair 3 (it is the only lift on the mountain with real lines). More confident skiers like the mountain best. Most of it is steep and the expert slopes are extreme. Helicopter skiing goes right from the resort's hotel as well.

An all-day lift ticket costs $55 for adults, $40 for ages 14 to 17 or 60 to 69, $35 for ages 8 to 13, and $10 for ages 7 and under or over 70. Discounts apply for families. Private and group instruction are available and you can save a lot by buying your lessons, lift ticket, and equipment rental at the same time. The day lodge rents basic gear and the hotel rents high performance gear. A basic rental package costs $35 a day for adults, $27 for ages 13 and under or over 60; high performance and demo packages $45 to $75. There are groomed cross-country trails as well, and gear for rent at the hotel, but the best Nordic skiing is in Anchorage.

A center operated by Challenge Alaska (tel. 907/783-2925 or 907/344-7399; www.challengealaska.org) allows skiers with disabilities to use the mountain, skiing down to the lift to start and back to the center at day's end. It's called the Keil Center for Adaptive Sports and Therapeutic Recreation. They also rent the latest adaptive ski equipment.

The resort's new owner has said he will demolish and replace the utilitarian day lodge, a large, noisy building with snack and rental counters and located at the front of the mountain. The relatively cozy Sitzmark Bar, nearby, has long been a more comfortable place for a meal (burgers are around $10). The Hotel Alyeska is on the other side of the mountain, connected to the front by the tram to the top and beginner-level chair 7 (you can ski right from the door). It makes a quieter and more genteel starting point for day-trippers as well as guests, as it has its own day lockers and an equipment rental counter with higher quality equipment (and higher rates) than the day lodge. There are several dining choices here and at the top of the tram.

Hiking

There are a couple of great Chugach National Forest trails starting in Girdwood.

Among the best trails in the region for a family hike is the Winner Creek Trail, which begins behind the Hotel Alyeska and leads to a roaring gorge where Winner Creek and Glacier Creek meet; a hand-operated tram crosses the water. The trail is essentially level and a good length for an afternoon: The round-trip to the gorge is about 4.5 miles. A winter ski trail takes a separate route, through a series of meadows, to the same destination.

The Crow Pass Trail is more ambitious. The route rises into the mountains and continues all the way over to Eagle River, after a 26-mile hike that can take a couple of days. But with less expenditure of time, you can make a strenuous day hike of it going just up to the pass, where you can see the glaciers, wildflower meadows, and old mining equipment. The Forest Service's A-frame Crow Pass public-use cabin makes an excellent destination for an overnight from Girdwood; it lies on a lake at 3,500-feet elevation, half a mile from the pass. The trail head is up Crow Creek Road, off the Alyeska Highway.

Snowmobiling

Glacier City Snowmobile Tours (tel. 877/783-5566 or 907/783-5566; www.snowtours.net) operates out of the Great Alaskan Tourist Trap gift shop in the shopping center on the Seward Highway. Guides suit up clients -- most of whom have never been on a snowmobile -- and drive them to a promising site, determined according to snow conditions. At best, the winter tours make it all the way to Spencer Glacier. Groups are no larger than six and the attitude is casual: After a brief introduction, you are driving your own machine, using your own judgment. The entire outing lasts as long as 6 hours, with 3 1/2 hours riding. The cost is $225 per person.