Mudflat Mountain Biking

One of the most beautiful, quickest, and underutilized get-aways in Anchorage is ocean mudflats and marshlands. And there's rarely a soul down there because it can be a perilous place if you aren't aware of which areas are safe, the status of the tides, mud, ice, or open hours of the Rabbit Creek rifle range. But if you check the stats and keep astute, there's nothing that beats instantly stepping into wide open spaces just after work or school.

The best mode of travel is dependent on what the weather and tides have been doing recently. In the winter, xc skis or mountain bikes with studded tires work great.

Dad overlooking the ice bergs of Cook Inlet when we rode from our home in Oceanview to downtown via the 'flats.

Marbleized ice over mud

The riding can be slightly technical with different types of snow, areas of brush, dirt, ice, etc ... but the unknown and variability is also what makes it fun.

Dad and Mt. Susitna in the background.

An ice berg balance test.

Heading downtown with skyscrapers in sight.

RyanGB.

Its nice to have the feeling of having to head back into civilization after just exploring so close to the city. We made a big loop back home via the roads and ironically felt much safer traveling on the 'flats.