Guide to Anchorage Nordic skating destinations
May 20, 2026
When it comes to Nordic skating destinations, Anchorage, Alaska can’t be beat
Whatever one might say about Anchorage (we’ll proudly acknowledge that our hometown can be a bit rough around the edges), nobody can deny we have access to top-shelf wild ice. You can skate around alpine tarns, race between icebergs on the coast, or glide across urban lakes ringed by float planes and mansions — all without leaving city limits. Anchorage might not be the best destination for concerts, authentic Mexican food, or affordable anything. But when it comes to wild ice, this city provides like nowhere else.
Read on to learn about some of the Ermine crew’s favorite places to Nordic skate in our hometown. To see each location in Google Maps, just click on the title.
City-maintained skating spots
Anchorage’s city-maintained skating spots shine when it comes to accessibility and reliability. Current ice status reports are available here.
Westchester Lagoon
This dammed intertidal estuary is the closest skating spot to downtown Anchorage. The outdoor skating loop is well-maintained and the city supplies firewood and burn barrels for skaters to keep warm.
Cuddy Park
The Cuddy Family Ice Skating Oval at Cuddy Park is one of only a handful of long-track speed skating ovals in the United States. This midtown refuge typically has the smoothest outdoor ice in the city and is an excellent spot for learning or training.
Cheney Lake
Cheney Lake is located in Northeast Anchorage, just off Baxter Road.
Neighborhood Lakes
Most of the lakes in Anchorage are unmaintained in winter, and catching good skating conditions requires the same timing, testing, and luck as any wild ice. Nevertheless, ease of access means ‘weekend’ experiences can often be had on a ‘weeknight’ budget.
Campbell Lake
Campbell Lake is the largest lake in Anchorage, and it tends to freeze early due to its shallow depth. Access is via two public easements that run alongside private homes.
Jewel Lake
Jewel Lake is located just a few blocks from Campbell Lake in South Anchorage. When the ground is firmly frozen, it may be possible to walk (or even skate) between Jewel Lake, Sundi Lake, and Sand Lake.
Sand Lake
Of the handful of lakes in South Anchorage, Sand Lake arguably has the best combination of size, access, and interesting shoreline.
Little Campbell Lake
Little Campbell Lake (sometimes still called “Beer Can Lake”) is located in the northeast corner of Kincaid Park. Despite its small size, Little Campbell is ringed by wooded hills and feels far less urban than other Anchorage lakes.
Coastal areas
The Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge stretches from Point Woronzof to the southern end of Potter Marsh. Ice forms here when the intertidal wetlands are “hot mopped” by either tides or by seepage from coastal bluffs, leaving a shell of ice over grasses and mud. The ice is rarely good (and the salt and silt are extremely hard on blades), but the views are sublime.
Oceanview Bluff Park
To find the skating area, park at the Oceanview Bluff Park overlook, walk down the sledding hill, and continue about half a mile on the winter trail to the coast. When the ice is passable, enjoy weaving around icebergs surrounded by shining snowy peaks.
Woronzof/Kincaid Lagoons
Between Point Woronzof and Kincaid, seepage from the bluff and outflow from a small creek can sometimes create good “reset” ice at the base of the coastal bluff. The ice here is often very colorful due to its high mineral content.
Potter Marsh
Potter Marsh is separated from the ocean by the Seward Highway, and the quality of ice is generally far better than in other parts of the refuge. This roadside maze of lagoons and reedy passageways provides skaters with an enticing taste of the excitement (and unpredictability) of wetland skating.
Chugach State Park
Chugach State Park, which lies entirely within the Municipality of Anchorage, is a 773-square-mile playground of soaring peaks, trails, wild tundra valleys, and skateable lakes with clear ice and dramatic alpine backdrops. While some lakes in the park are easily accessible, others have likely never been skated before.
McHugh Lake
McHugh Lake is located a short walk from Rabbit Lake. It is much smaller than Rabbit Lake and tends to freeze earlier.
Rabbit Lake
Rabbit Lake is easily accessed via a 4.3-mile walk from the Rabbit Lake Trailhead. Its deep, clear waters, underwater rock gardens, and mountain backdrop have helped make it perhaps Anchorage’s most famous Nordic skating destination.
Walrus Lake
Nestled in the pass between Mt. Elliott and Williwaw Peak, Walrus Lake has spectacular views up Williwaw and back down onto the Williwaw Lakes.
Eagle Lake
Eagle Lake sits at the end of a five-mile hike from the South Fork Trailhead, and is backed by the towering southwest face of Eagle Peak.
Symphony Lake
Continue three quarters of a mile past the start of Eagle Lake to reach Symphony Lake. Triangle Peak and Cantata Peak provide an impressive backdrop for this mid-sized, clear alpine lake.
Eklutna Lake
Eklutna Lake is both the largest lake in Chugach State Park and the only lake with drive-up roadside access. Many of the tallest peaks in Chugach State Park are located at the head of this magnificent blue-green waterbody.
Turnagain Arm
Turnagain Arm has a highly variable climate; weather events can range from massive levels of snowfall to blisteringly cold temperatures to warm “chinook” winds and mid-winter rain. Skating opportunities are largely found at the lagoons around the head of the arm, and at Portage Lake.
Twentymile Lagoons
The Twentymile Lagoons zone includes two extensive networks of lagoons and winding channels both north and south of the Twentymile River itself. Though wind-blown silt can be a persistent issue, when conditions are good the Twentymile Lagoons provide an unbeatable opportunity for roadside “adventure” skating.
Portage Lake
Portage Lake combines drive-up access with the opportunity to skate to the calving face of a glacier. Important note: maintain a safe distance from the face, which calves year-round.
Placer Lagoons
The Placer Lagoons are primarily located on the westernmost side of the Placer River outflow. A large roadside lagoon filled with salt-preserved tree skeletons gives way to a series of smaller connected lagoons that extend several miles up the valley.
Knik
Accessing the upper Knik drainage requires a long bike ride or off-road drive… if not an airplane or helicopter. But the payoff is a sweeping backdrop of tall glaciated peaks and the chance to skate around hundreds of icebergs and miles of sculpted glacial faces.
Knik Glacier Lagoon
This large (and growing) glacial lagoon can be accessed overland via the Knik River riverbed. The east side of the lagoon is formed by the rippled face of Knik Glacier, and the lagoon is always filled with countless icebergs.
Inner Lake George
Inner Lake George more or less requires a plane or helicopter to reach when Knick Glacier extends across its lagoon and chokes off access. Inner Lake George sits at the terminus of Colony Glacier, and may be the most bucket-listy of all bucket list Nordic skating destinations within Anchorage city limits.
Curious about access, conditions, or another destination? Consider posting in the Wild Ice Skating Club of Alaska group on Facebook, or feel free to shoot us a message. Everyone at Ermine is happy for an excuse to talk ice.”
- Paxson Woelber has been a dedicated Nordic skater and advocate for wild ice skating since 2016. In 2021, he founded Ermine Skate, North America's first Nordic skate company. Today, Ermine offers a range of premium Nordic skates and Nordic skating products designed for wild ice.
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