Visit Alaska: Eklutna Lake

If you're visiting Anchorage, I highly recommend a stop at Eklutna Lake, which is just about an hour away by car. 

It was absolutely breathtaking (my youngest said it's one of the most amazing places he's ever been to).

There is a self-pay parking station where you pay a fee to park.  It's just $5 - don't be like that guy who said "I don't need to pay, I'll only be here for 5 minutes."  He ended up staying for at least 20, but even if it was just for 5 minutes, pay the fee.  There is a reason behind the fee - maintenance of facilities, trails, etc.  Entitled people, especially entitled tourists, is why opportunities get taken away.

But I digress . . . 

It was overcast the day we went, so we didn't get to see much of the turquoise waters, but it was still stunning.  The glacier flour / mud can get pretty unstable - one of my shoes sunk in pretty deep, and we all had a lot of mud to scrape off our shoes before getting back into our rental car. 

You can take the scenic drive along the lake, go on hikes, camp, and even canoe and fish on the lake.

You have to see it in person.  It is absolutely breathtaking.