Here's list of brief outdoor adventures I would recommend this summer:

Day Hikes:

* = easy

** = moderate

*** = difficult

**** = epic suffer-fest

1. Baldy*
2. Mile-Hi *
3. Blacktail**
4. Roundtop**
5. Vista***
6. Mount Magnificent**
7. 7-peaks**** (1-6 together on the same day. Start at Baldy and end at Mile-Hi. It’s a brutal day with lots of elevation gain/loss)
8. Harp Mountain**
9. Goldstar/POW Peak or Pepper Peak** (Accessed from Eklutna Valley)
10. Gordon-Lyon* or Rendezvous Peak* (Arctic Valley)
11. Government Peak** (Matsu)
12. Lazy Mountain**
13. Matanuska Peak *** (Matsu. Starts near Lazy Mountain trailhead. Tough hike, but worth it)
14. Bird Ridge**
15. Bear Mountain* (Peters Creek)
16. Mt Eklutna** (Peters Creek. Hike back on the old road 1.5 miles until you see the sign. You can also climb Bear Mountain, take the ridge up the valley, climb Mt. Eklutna, and come back on the Mt. Eklutna trail)
17. Caine’s Head** (Starts in Seward. You have to hike it at low tide to get to Caine’s Head, and hike back on low tide as well.)
18. Slaughter Gulch*** (Kenai Peninsula. Epic views)
19. (There are a ton of good day hikes and short backpacking trips in the front range east of Anchorage, but I simply haven't done many of them, though they are on my list for this summer!)
20. Bold Peak.**** Semi-technical and the approach is from the East Fork of Eklutna River. Best accessed by ATV on the days they are allowed. 
21. Upper Winner Creek *** 14 miles round trip. Amazing views at the end. Haven't done this one either but plan to this summer.)

Backpacking trips with inexperienced friends:

1. Eagle and Symphony Lakes (My #1 suggestion for taking friends new to backpacking.)
2. Reed Lakes (Hatcher Pass)
3. Williwaw Lakes (start from Flattop trailhead)
4. Hike/camp between Baldy and Blacktail. There are some ponds and small creeks up there for water. You can also start at Baldy, camp on the plateau between Baldy and Blacktail, and hike out down Ptarmigan Valley if you don't want to do a there-and-back trip. 
5. Johnson Pass** (Kenai Peninsula. Haven’t done it yet, but I hear it’s easy)
6. Crescent Lake** (Kenai Peninsula. Haven’t done it yet)
7. Caine’s Head** (Starts in Seward. You have to hike it at low tide to get to Caine’s Head and hike back on low tide as well. Haven’t done it yet, but know plenty of people who have. You can also kayak there and back instead.)
8. Resurrection Pass***: This is a 45ish-mile trail from Hope to Cooper Landing. I would plan 3-4 nights. The trail is fairly easy. Camp near streams/lakes. You can also make it a shorter trip by coming in/out from Devil's Pass. You can also mountain bike the trail, which is way more fun. (The last 10 miles are mostly flat or downhill, but you’d need bikes set up for hauling/camping.) I would only do this one with moderately experienced friends, not beginners, since it’s kinda long.
9. If you have access to ATVs, go to the end of Eklutna Lake and stop at the East Fork Eklutna River Trailhead. The trail is small and rough, and you have to follow game trails or walk along the riverbank once in a while. There are some incredible waterfalls back there. If you go five miles back to a large mound in the middle of the river valley, the views are life-changing. You could camp a night or two out there, but be back in time for ATVs to still use the trail (Sunday-Wednesday). Otherwise, it’s gonna be a long walk home!

Backpacking trips with experienced family/friends:

• Crow Pass 

I’d definitely do this with someone who has hiked the trail before. It’s a five-mile uphill hike to the pass. The rest of the 20-something miles is downhill or flat, but not easy. The trail is rough and is occasionally difficult to find. There is a river crossing of Eagle River near where it comes out from the glacier. I would pack sandals to make the crossing easier. Link arms with your companions and unbuckle your waist belt on your pack in case you slip. Lots of bears on this trail too. You can do it in a day, 1 night, or two nights. If you do two nights, I would camp in the campsite a mile after the river crossing. (I think it’s called the Gorge or something.) If you do two nights, camp near the pass or Thunder Gorge the first night, and Twin or Heritage Falls the second night. 

• Kesugi Ridge:

This is a ridge in Denali State Park that parallels the highway. I would do this hike when there’s clear weather. The views of Denali and the Alaska Range are stunning when the weather is nice. It’s a thirty-mile trail, and I’d take 3 nights to do it. You start from the Little Coal Creek Trailhead and end at Byers Lake Campground (will need to have a car waiting for you or parked at Byers Lake.) It’s a tough climb to the ridge, and then some fairly mellow of ups and downs along the ridge. Watch for bears. Also, watch for thunderstorms if it’s a nice day because you’re on the tundra and exposed on the ridge pretty much the whole time. Plan to spend one night near Ermine Creek. It’s more or less the halfway point, and there is a trail from there leading to the highway if you need to bail. There are some really cool granite monoliths to explore there. The hike down from the ridge to Byers Lake can get really slick after heavy rains, with steep cliffs nearby. (Also, don't let ground squirrels get into your food and eat your Chili Mac. Ask me how I know.)

1. Hatcher Pass Hut Hop. (Advanced. Need to be okay with rocky scrambles and glacier travel. But you don’t need ropes or crampons)

Start at the Gold Mint trailhead in Hatcher Pass. On the first day, walk to the Mint Hut. The next day, hike to the Bomber hut. The next day, hike to the Snowbird hut. You walk out from the Snowbird hut to the Reed Lakes trailhead. I would only do this one if you’re with really experienced people, know the locations of the huts, and are comfortable with steep trails and scrambles and walking on glaciers (very few crevasses). I think you need to be a member of the American Alpine Club and/or the Alaska Mountaineering Club to use some of the huts (but no one is going to check.) Also, the huts are first-come, first-served, so you probably need to bring a tent or bivy sack to sleep outside if the hut is full. Reach out to me if you want more info on this one. 

 

Rock Climbing:

Go to the Alaska Rock gym and get certified in top-rope climbing. Climb and boulder there. 

There’s a great book called “The Scar” that has climbs in southcentral, mostly along Turnagain Arm, Hatcher Pass, and along the Glenn Highway north of Chickaloon.(I wouldn't start rock climbing outside until you’ve taken a class, bought all your needed climbing gear, and go with experienced, trusted friends.) 

 

Random Ideas:

• A walk to the mouth of Peters Creek. There’s a municipal park and a trail. Short walk, but nice being near the ocean and has a nice view of upper Cook Inlet! Stay off the mud flats. (Off of Stolze Rd. in Chugiak)
• Beach hike/day at Beach Lake. Hike or paddle to the far end of Beach Lake. You’ll see a trail going down to the beach. You can walk a mostly gravel beach if you head left (south). Watch for bears. Don't go on the mud flats.
• Gold prospecting. Bertha Creek near Turnagain Pass. There's a campground there, and the recreational gold mining area is upstream of the highway.  There’s also a good spot in Petersville, but reach out if you want to do that one. There are lots of private mining claims around.
• If you’ve never been to Matanuska Lake, there’s a cool island, a dock you can jump off of, and some rope swings from trees (past the island). It’s a cool spot but doesn’t have much of a beach other than on the island, which you can hike to from the parking lot. Take the trail that wraps the lake counterclockwise. Watch out for sketchy Valley dudes. 
• Float trips:
  • Eagle River: Be very, very careful of sweepers and log jams. Best to do this when the water level is lower. Put in at North Fork and take out at Briggs Bridge. Day trip.
  • Little Susitna: 3-day, 2-night trip at least. A fairly mellow (and at times shallow) river. Do it early in the year when there are few motorized boats on the river, which is quite narrow.
  • Knik (Put in at the Old Glenn bridge and take out at New Glenn bridge. Mellow and slow. Stay in the main channel. Watch for motorboats.) Day trip.
• Berry picking
  • Red currants and raspberries starting in late July
  • Blueberries starting in mid-August.