eagle and symphony lakes

Such a nice hike! Went there twice: once in November, once in December. Make sure to allow yourself enough time for the full hike to the lakes in the winter months, so you don't have to hurry to get back before the dark will fall. Watch our for wild animals. I saw a moose about three hundred yards from the trail and plenty of moose tracks in the lakes area.

The trail is busy on the weekends, Rain or shine. I climbed to the pass to Artic valley, and explored hidden valley. The scenery is outstanding complete with meandering stream and eagle glacier views. There are patches of blueberries to pick in the fall.

We have done this hike in September twice. Easy hike, beautiful scenery. Highly recommend this hike.

What a beautiful trek! Not very hard-lots of different terrains and views. Gets a bit sketchy when you hit the boulder field. We chose to stop there for lunch and retreated back. All in all it was a 10 mile hike with some of the most beautiful Alaskan scenery! Tip: Car pool if you can as parking is limited,

My husband and I took a hike here at the end of April. It's a little early in the season, but we couldn't wait to get out of the house! I think others had the same idea, because we saw other hikers and their dogs as well. We expected snow and mud due to the time of the year, which is exactly what we treaded through for ten miles (5 miles each way). It took us about 6.5 hours roundtrip at a moderate pace, so I imagine you could do this hike in a shorter amount of time in prime season (we were treading through snow and mud a lot). This was our first time, and we definitely plan on taking this adventure again this summer once all the snow is melted and it's not so muddy. The patches of snow and mud added to the difficulty level of this hike. Some of the trails were extremely flooded so we had to go off course a bit. I can see it being much easier during the summer. Regardless, there are beautiful views. The trail begins pretty easy with a gravel path, then you cross a bridge which leads to more of a dirt trail through the valley. If you have children or the elderly with you, I wouldn't go far past this point. There are bits of elevation you have to climb, crossing streams with no bridges, and huge boulders. You know you're near the end of the hike (one way) once you reach the boulders. Again, this is one of the reasons why I wouldn't recommend younger children or elderly because there are a lot of jagged unstable rocks here. I can see dogs having problems crossing the long boulder area too. Although we went at a tougher time of the year, it was the boulder part that really wore us out. This is why we will camp out when we do this hike again in the summer. We are very active people, I run everyday and my husband is in the Army (infantry) and we were ready to kick our shoes off after this hike. I think stopping at the lakes and camping out for a day or two and then heading back is more ideal. The only wildlife we saw was the arctic chicken (ptarmigan), we were hoping to see some moose or even bear. I'm sure we'd have more luck in the summer. Overall, it was a great hike, we had fun. We know now that we will camp out next time and only go in the summer months. I can only imagine how beautiful it will be in the summer!

This is one of my favorite hikes (I live in the area). Elevation gain is minimal, but the terrain is varied and the views are amazing. If you're visiting the Anchorage area and only have time for one real hike, I'd recommend this one. The beginning of the trail is easy enough for beginners or elderly folks, and gets more rustic the farther up the valley you go, but it's easy to follow. Stop at Eagle Lake, or continue across the big boulder field to Symphony Lake.

There is a long walk down a valley to Eagle Lake, but not a difficult one. When the trail ends at a bridge, the best thing is to cross the bridge that goes form a clear path to a jumble of large rocks. You then rock hop across. (If I can, you can too.) Go to a low ridge between Eagle and Symphony Lakes. Eagle Lake is a glacial lake with opake bluish green water from rock flour and the parallel Symphony Lake is dead clear filled with rain water, at times with amazingly clear reflection.

It was a very nice hike into the lakes, and the fact that there are stocked Arctic Grayling makes it even more enjoyable. There are a lot of people who hike into these lakes, so make sure to leave early for the best camping areas.

Okay... so it is an amazing place... The lakes are at the end of a delightful hike - camping is possible, but much of the land surrounding the lakes is rocky or steep.

We hike this trail frequently and love it. Sometimes it's hard to find good hikes that put you out in the wilderness without making you go straight up the side of a straight mountain. The trail to Eagle and Symphony is a perfect solution. Views of the river, the valley, and the mountains are stunning, the trail is mostly flat with some gentle slopes, and you have over 5 miles of trail one way to enjoy. Initially, the trail is hilly but it is also wide and graveled. Later on the trail narrows and goes back to dirt. Further on, after the wooden bridge, the trail can get swampy during wet times of the year. Other than that, the only two things to consider are that the very last section involves some boulder hopping and there are a few little streams that have no bridge (these are easily dealt with though by using the large rocks to step across or moving up or down the trail to find a more narrow section). A final consideration is that the trailhead is extremely popular (there are several other trails off the main one, besides the Eagle/Symphony Lakes trail). So, especially if you are planning on going on a weekend, be prepared for lots of people on the beginning sections of the trail and for the parking lot to be completely full. This trail makes an excellent long day hike if you can spare the hours but is also beautiful even if you don't make it all the way to the lakes. Try to go beyond the bridge and back enough to get a view of the end of the valley at least - it's stunning any time of year!

The lakes are on the way to the rugged higher peaks in the central Chugach......Cantata, Eagle, Hurdygurdy, and Calliope Peaks

This is a hike that is close to Eagle River that allows access to so much of Chugach State Park. It the parking lot is crowded and you are worried about too many people, head uphill to the West, run the ridge and I guarntee you will avoid the crowds and have a great panarama. And a good excercise.