mt. marathon

I did this hike with some other Aussies in my tour group after a day out on a wildlife cruise. We started at about 6:30 and made it up and back in to town for dinner before 9. I would not consider myself fit, and there were a few times when I wanted to give up. Only one of us did the get on your hands and knees every steep Rocky climb to the very top, but the rest of were fine with the getting to that bit without actually doing the last 10 minutes. The view of the harbour and surrounding mountains is amazing and well worth it! Not to mention the gorgeous flowers you hike through. Be prepared, pack lightly, and wear a pair of bottoms that you don't mind falling over in!

This was a tough climb for a 75-yr old, slippery after a rain, and not up the better trail. The views are great! But this is the second time my son-in-law (30s something) chose to climb down the north side scree slope. And i found that three years between climbs makes a difference.

If you want a challenging hike with the most geougous view of a life-time, climb Mt. Marathon! Be warned though, the top is steeper than it looks!

OK, I'll admit it, Mt Marathon kicked my butt. My son, daughter-in-law and I spent 4 1/2 hours getting about 3/4 of the way up Mt Marathon using the jeep trail, and finally I cried uncle. Nevertheless, I'd do it all again! To someone from the lower 48 it is so cool to start out at sea level and hike to above the tree line, to see snow capped mountains across the bay, and to see a tiny cruise ship at the docks in Seward. Some advice--wear really good hiking shoes; have trekking poles; take water; don't forget your camera; wear lots of deodorant; enjoy!

The runners’ route up Mt. Marathon is a steep, relentless climb over scree. We took the more scenic route via the Jeep Trail and Skyline Ridge. The visitor centre painted a dire picture of steep, loose rocks on the Skyline Trail and didn’t recommend that we attempt it due to the mortal dangers of the route! Needless to say, we ignored such doom-laden advice and sallied forth on our chosen route. In fact the ascent, although steep in places, was a delight to follow.

We only tried a small portion of this hike, and were taken with the knowledge that the annual July 4th mountain race had just taken place. Even at the start this is an impressive hiking opportunity; will look forward to the vistas from on up high on another visit.

The annual race in July-awesome event!The view from the bottom-dumbfounding why anyone would race up that stoneThe climb anyway up or around, breathtaking, bring water and snacks, have really great shoes!!And let someone know you intend to climb and the time, just in case.

This was a challenging hike with a ton of incline but it was totally worth it. The view from the top is incredible and I'm really glad we kept on going to the top.

25 years ago, when I first saw Mt. Marathon, I said, "I am not ever gonna run up this mountain!."Further more, I am never going to hike this mountain.And I would never ski this mountain!I salute those who do run Mt. Marathon!

I was with all my kids and we drove down from anchorage in the morning for a boat cruise. It was a sunny day and the views of the mountain were amazing. Seward is a beautiful city with great views.

We did not hike the race trail, but the waterfall trail. It is not as intimidating as the racing trail, but is still plenty steep for most of the way up. It is not marked very well, especially above the treeline. I agree with prior reviews to make sure you take a picture of the trail map prior to starting. We did not make it all the way up, we stopped at a landing at about 2,300 ft. It took us about 1.5 hrs to get to that point. That said, the views from our stopping point were absolutely outstanding! Gorgeous views of the harbor and Resurrection Bay. Highly recommend attempting it if you have the chance.

My husband and it hiked the Marathon trail and it Took us just over 3 hours round trip. We are average fitness level. It is straight up the whole way and very tough terrain. (I am in awe of those runners!) I would not have worn sneakers, but hiking boots if I had known. That said the views are gorgeous and you feel like you're on top of the world. We were lucky that we got some good tips from other hikers on the way- the trail locations are tricky. Going down the waterfall is tough but doable. Bottom line - was it worth it? Yes. would we do it again? Probably not any time soon.

It is excellent if you are in for quite a challenge when it comes to a hike. If you fly paragliders, you can make the ice field pretty easily and you don't have to hike all the way to the top either.

It took me about four hours to do the hike up and back. The view at the top was really beautiful. It was a clear day and you could see the Gulf of Alaska beyond Resurrection Bay. Also views of Seward harbor and Resurrection Bay were impressive. I didn't take the Racers Trail but rather the Waterfall Trail. Beyond the waterfall, multiple trails go to the "Bowl." It's a little confusing and it's easy to waste time trying to find the best trail. Luckily, I ran into local hikers who gave me directions. Once at the Bowl, I found my way to the top along a rather steep ridge. Hiking poles are recommended, particularly if you go to the top and you're an old-timer like me. Bring a windbreaker if you plan on going all the way.

We chose to do the Race Point hike on the last day of our Alaska trip. It seemed like it would be challenging, but we also were unsure of other hiking routes in Seward. Everyone told us that it had taken them 4 hours or so, however for me, it took me 7. I am so glad we left in the am so we were not racing the sun! Admittedly, I am pregnant and not in the best of shape, so I had to rest frequently. And an average of 38 degrees incline is quite steep. The thing we wished we had known was which trails were the up and which were the down. We mistakenly took the down trails while going up, and this means you are walking up steep loose shale. When we were close to the top, we were unable to continue farther, as the down trail does not lend itself to easy going up.