HIKE/BIKE COMBO - $35.
Rent a bike and put it on the back of the van (rack holds 4 bikes) lock it up at trailhead then hike. After hiking unlock bike and ride it downhill back into city. People do the Combo for two reasons. Either they're adrenaline junkies or they want extra time to hike. If you take a bike to the trailhead you won't have to meet back at the van by 4 pm. You'll have time to hike for as long and as far as you like.
Typical grade of Toilsome Drive |
The Combo is not for everybody. To do the Combo, you must be a confident, seasoned cyclist. With rare exceptions and only under the supervision of their parents, cyclists 15 and under should not bike back to the city. Why? At left is a picture typical of the grade on the road to/from the trailhead.
If you are uncertain about your ability to safely ride a bike down a steep mountain road or trail, do not sign up for the Combo. Instead, take the shuttle in both directions. You can still go for a bike ride, just do it on one of Anchorage's many bike trails (like the Coastal Trail) before or after your shuttle-enabled hike. We call that the "The Split."
If you're sure you won't be in over your head doing the Combo, here in order of popularity, are five return routes to consider.
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RETURN ROUTE 1 - MOUNTAIN BIKE ROUTE. POWER LINE & GAS LINE TRAILS
 Beginning of Power Line Trail |
Length: 15 miles. Duration: 1 - 2 hours. This route is steep, technical and for experienced riders only. Suspension Mountain Bike Required. The trail starts out wide because at higher elevation it's a service road for the powerline. As you descend the trail becomes steep and narrow. Click here to view five pictures of the Gasline Trail. When descent ends, you're in Far North Bicentennial Park. This big park has great single track. Riders occasionally encounter bears. (Before van departs for Flattop, ask to borrow free loaner bear spray.) At the trailhead, driver will provide you with multiple maps of the route's various stages. Aggressive riders will want full suspension. Add $10 for Fuji Full Suspension 29ers; $4 for Full Suspension Gary Fisher Joshua; $2 for GT Avalanche Hard Tail. No additional charge for other suspension mountain bikes. |
RETURN ROUTE 2 - ELMORE RD/UNIVERSITY
 Mellow section of Toilsome Drive. |
Length: 16 miles. Duration: 1 - 2 hours.
Exit parking lot and retrace route van took its last four miles. Right on Toilsome, left on upper Huffman, right on Hillside. At O'Malley, take a right. Road curves left, becomes Hillside again, then after curve becomes Abbott. Pass Service High School. Right on Elmore Road; a beautiful 4-mile parkway. Cross Tudor into U-Med district. Left on Providence Drive. Right into parking lot in front of UAA Library. Right onto bike path that goes around Goose Lake. Cross pedestrian bridge over N. Lights Blvd then take Chester Creek Trail to Coastal Trail and return downtown.
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RETURN ROUTE 3 - O'MALLEY ROAD ROUTE
 "The Cage"
King St & 100th Ave
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Length: 15 to 25 miles. Duration: 1 - 6 hours. The good thing about this route is it offers lots of fun things to do. The drawback of this route is the traffic on O'Malley Rd. However, because you're going downhill, it takes a while for cars to overtake you. Retrace route van took to trailhead to O'Malley. Left. Visit or ride past Alaska Zoo. ($12 adults/$6 kids.) Visit or ride past Alaska's H2Oasis which is Alaska's largest indoor water park. ($25 adults/$30 Kids 12 and under.) After going under Seward Hwy. Right on Old Seward. Left on E 100. Right on King. Visit or ride past baseball batting cage. Continue on King. Visit or ride past Costco. Cross Dimond. Right onto C Street. Either ride Midtown Bike Path next to C St on a straight shot to (5 miles) downtown, or get on Campbell Creek Trail and bike to Kincaid Park and then take the Coastal Trail downtown. If you choose the Coastal Trail Route it's another 20 miles.
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RETURN ROUTE 4 - SOUTH ANCHORAGE TO COASTAL TRAIL ROUTE
Length: 28 miles. Duration 2 - 6 hours. The good thing about this route is the scenery and the bike paths that are buffered from the road. There is not a lot of traffic on this route. After exiting Flattop parking lot onto Toilsome, retrace route van took but instead of taking a right onto Hillside Drive, take a left. After the big curve and a long descent the road morphs into Rabbit Creek Road. After crossing Seward Hwy you're on the Old Seward Hwy. At roundaboubt with Huffman, consider detouring to Safeway/Carrs for food. (The have a buffet.) Also, there are two bike shops in the Huffman Business Park. If you make this short detour, afterwards, get back on the Old Seward Hwy. Left on Klatt which goes through a modern development with big houses with a nice new bike path buffered from the road. After the curve the road becomes "Southport Dr." After crossing 100th Ave you're on Victor Rd. Left on Dimond which is a very busy road so ride on the sidewalk until you get to Jewell Lake Road. At Jewell Lake, if you're hungry, there's another Carrs/Safeway. Ride on south side of Dimond with the flow traffic (on bike path) to Sand Lake Road and take a right. Left on Raspberry. (Use bike path on south side of road.) Bike path takes you into Kincaid Park where it connects to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail which will return you back downtown.
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RETURN ROUTE 5
EAST POWERLINE PASS
Only riders in super great shape should consider this route. The Powerline trail gradually climbs east six miles. (Left) The last mile however is so steep you have to carry your bike over the pass. (Right) On the other side, it's a very steep 3-mile descent into Indian Valley. Suspension Mountain Bike Required. Then, it's another four mile ride on a gravel road to the Seward Hwy. From there it's a 13 mile bike ride along the Seward Hwy to Potter Marsh. And another 13-miles from the marsh to downtown. This page on MTBR has 16 helpful reviews of the route. |
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HIKE/BIKE COMBO - $35.
Add $10 to price for Fuji Full Suspension 29ers
$4 for Full Suspension Gary Fisher Joshua
$2 for GT Avalanche Hard Tail
Click Here to See DBR's Mountain Bike Selection
| Return to DBR by 8:00 pm. $4, $3 for subsequent hours until 10 pm. Another $2 ($9 total/$44 HBC standard bike total) to keep bike overnight until 9 am. |
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