Near East Twin Peak Route
View of East and West Twin from the Twin Peaks Trail. East Twin is on the right.
Near East Twin Peak Route
Summit view looking south toward Eklutna Lake.
Near East Twin Peak Route
Summit view looking northwest towards Palmer and Wasilla.
Near East Twin Peak Route
Summit view looking northeast toward Pioneer Peak.

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Hike Route

East Twin Peak Route

4.0 (2 Ratings)
Experience one of the iconic peaks in the Chugach on this partially off-trail hike.
7.5
mi
Distance
4,436
ft
Gain
strenuous
Difficulty
LakeViews
Access Issues
Parking at Eklutna Lake requires a $5 fee or an Alaska State Parks pass.

Route Details

Flatter
Steeper
7.48mi
Distance
4,436ft
Elevation Gain
4,436ft
Elevation Loss
40%
Max Grade
5,106ft
High Point
921ft
Low Point
Path Type
There and Back
Description
The East Twin Peak begins at the end of the Twin Peaks Trail at Eklutna Lake. The trail leads down the drainage to a stream crossing that has very good stepping stones across a narrow, fast-moving stream. Coming out of the drainage, follow the singletrack trail through the open tundra where blueberries are bountiful during the late summer months. Soon after exiting the drainage, you'll want to look up at the peak to determine the path you want to take through the tundra. Your goal is to stay to the right of the drainage coming straight down from the top of the peak and continue up past the tundra into the rock and scree until you see a prominent game trail that will take you across the top of the drainage. Once across the drainage, you'll see a human trail that heads up some loose scree to the east flank of the peak. From there it is a short distance up the flank to the peak. The craggy appearance of the top of the twin peaks makes it look like there is a lot of scrambling to get to the summit, but there was very minimal, non-exposed scrambling. From the summit, you have great views of Palmer, Wasilla, Eklutna Lake, and Pioneer Peak.

Route Conditions

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Contributors
Abe H