Sugar Loaf Mountain

The Sugar Loaf Mountain Trail is one of my favorites in Denali. The reason why I like this hike so much is because of its diversity in scenery. This trail begins by hiking in thick brush on steep terrain, then quickly gaining more altitude, then entering the treeless tundra, and finishing your ascent to the top of the mountain. It is very steep, but the whole hike is not more than 4 miles, so if you have the strength and stamina you can complete this hike in less than a few hours. Sugar Loaf Name Side Note: This mountain doesn't have a name established by the USGS, but is traditionally called Sugar Loaf. Sugar Loaf is a popular trail for seasonal employees and the locals in the Healy and Denali areas. This hike is steep and a little rough but the views it offers are incredible! The trailhead for Sugar Loaf Mountain is best accessed by driving up to the Denali Grande Hotel and parking at the northernmost part of the parking lot. You will see a large cairn of rocks that someone piled together - this is the start of the trail. This is where the hotel usually puts their dumpster too. The trail begins in a dense forest on a narrow trail. This is prime moose and bear habitat so please make sure you are aware of your surroundings at all times. It is also good to remember you will be gaining roughly 2600 feet in elevation from start to finish, so you will need to take your time so you don't wear yourself out during the first 1/2 mile. This is a good dirt and rocky trail and the trail follows the spine all the way to the summit until the very last climb to the summit. Once we got up past the tundra we were hiking on gravel and large rocks. This was a very steep area and we made sure to go even slower to be safe. The trail can become hard to see in some spots but you can still see a trodden path where previous hikers came by. Once you reach the top of the timberline, you will soon see meadows of flowers and more beautiful tundra terrain. There are tons of wild flowers on this hike! There were yellow and white flowers waiting for us as we arrived at the summit. It was amazing how much we could see. If it was a clear day we could certainly have seen Denali to the west and all of the Alaska Range to the east. You can also see the Alaska Railroad tracks cutting a giant line in the scenery. Sugar Loaf, even though it is still pretty close to all the shops and hotels of Denali, offers you an amazing hike to one of the tall secluded peaks in the area. It is a popular trail but you could hike all day on it and probably not see another person traversing to the top.