Mountain Top Trail

The Mountain Top Trail begins at the Upper Tram Terminal that can be accessed from the Hotel Alyeska. Parking is available at the resort and you can either hike to the Upper Tram Terminal or take the tram. Once there, the Mountain Top Trail follows a gravel road that leads from the Upper Tram Terminal to the top of the Glacier Bowl Express ski lift. The trail winds gently up the hillside before climbing more steeply up into the glacier bowl. At 0.25 miles, the trail approaches a stream fed from snowmelt from the glacier bowl. As you work through the bowl, you can see the remnants of the glacier. Most of the remaining glacier is covered with dirt and rocks carried by melting snow in other areas of the bowl. The trail climbs a little more until it levels off at the top, where the Glacier Bowl Express ski lift is. From here, you can get great views of the surrounding mountains and the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet. You can enjoy the view for a while before descending via the road or following the Mighty Mite trail back down to the Upper Tram Terminal. When you get to the Tram Terminal, you can take it down to the hotel, even if you went up and didn't pay for a ticket. Hikeers get to ride the tram back to the hotel for free.