The best traffic-free bike rides in Alaska

You won't find any big terrain features here. Instead, this is a broad multi-use trail that connects the trail system around Service High School with the Campbell Tract trails, and further beyond into Anchorage. It's also part of the route known as the "Tour of Anchorage." Technically the Tour is an annual ski marathon, but its route is very popular for year-round recreation, and if you don't mind pedaling on snow there is even a fat-tire bike section in the race.

This packed-gravel doubletrack isn't just part of the trail network here in Campbell Tract. It's also an important part of the route known as the Tour of Anchorage. Technically the Tour of Anchorage is a ski marathon, but there is a bike division and the overall route is very popular for recreation all year 'round. The north end of this trail is very close to another trail known as Rover's Run, which is closed every year to reduce the risk of dangerous (and sometimes fatal) bear encounters. Please respect the warning signs and trail closure, for your safety.

This dirt/gravel singletrack trail is fun to ride, but it's not the sort of fast, swooping trail you'll find elsewhere. It's also very popular with runners and walkers and once you're past the first, deceptively wide and easy-looking portion, there really isn't room to pass on this narrow track. If you want to beat the (relative) crowds, you can always ride the nearby road to the other end of the trail. Wildlife sightings are very common here, especially when fish are running in the nearby creek.

The Gasline Trail is a straight, wide connector that gives you a chance to warm up, give your legs an easy spin, or just link up trails in the area. Please remember that wildlife sightings are very common in this area, and when the fish are running bear encounters are particularly likely near the creek that runs across the north end of this trail.

You may see a lot of happy, loose dogs around here, because nowadays University Lake is an off-leash dog park. It's still a lovely green space bordering on some of the city's more popular commuter and leisure trails, though.

This trail isn't paved, but it is wide and straight and easy to ride, as long as you don't have skinny racing tires on your bike. Use caution in regard to wildlife, especially as you approach the creek, because bear sightings are very common here when fish are running. Because of how common bear encounters can be near the creek, officials close the Rover's Run Trail (which intersects near the east end of this trail) to traffic during the summer. Please respect that closure — it is for your safety.

This multi-use trail is mostly hard-packed dirt. It's totally non-technical, though, excepting some persistent muddy spots, so as long as you don't have skinny road tires it's pretty easily bikeable. Please keep an eye out for wildlife like bears and moose, as encounters are always possible around here — and watch for oncoming bike traffic and slower walkers, as this is a little narrower than many other multi-use trails in town.

There is a back parking lot that the public routinely uses for access to the trails around Service High School. It's also one of the starting points for the Tour of Anchorage, which is actually a ski marathon. But there is a fat-tire-bike division as well, and the Tour of Anchorage Trail is great for summer biking too.