FATMAP by Strava

Kincaid Park: XC Loop

A classic cross country loop through Kincaid Park.

Mountain Biking Moderate

Distance
21 km
Ascent
531 m
Descent
531 m
Duration
1-2 hrs
Low Point
0 m
High Point
99 m
Gradient
Kincaid Park: XC Loop Map

Kincaid Park began life as a nuclear missile site in the Cold War. After being decommissioned, the land was given to the city of Anchorage, and some of the buildings were repurposed for public use. Today, you can still spot some of the old bunkers, but most importantly: Kincaid is home to some of Anchorage's best in-town trails. This popular park serves mountain bikers, hikers and runners, road cyclists, cross country skiers, fat bikers, snowshoers... you get the picture: just about everybody!

Description

Most of the riding at Kincaid consists of up-and-down cross country pedaling on dark black dirt. While the old school mountain bike trails in the park are webbed with never-ending roots, today, many of the trails have been reworked with machines and feature fantastic swoop and flow with far fewer roots. Aside from the occasional root web, the riding is non-technical and very approachable. The hills are never too long, and the challenges are never too difficult, which makes these trails exceedingly popular with riders of all levels.

Off of the main cross country loops, you'll find optional flow trail descents. These flow trails ratchet up the difficulty a bit with big berms and a few serious jumps. However, the route mapped here skips over the jumps and focuses on the cross country pedaling instead. If you feel ambitious and want to hit some jumps, it's easy to add a few in, but if you're just looking for a fun pedal through mellow trails, follow this route as mapped.

This recommended route is anchored by the Middle Earth trail on the north side and the Mighty Bike, C$ Express, and Bowling Alley trails on the south side. As you can see on the map, the Bowling Alley trail is added in as an entirely optional loop. If you're looking for a shorter ride, you can easily skip Bowling Alley altogether and just pedal the exterior loop. Another option is to ride half of Bowling Alley and then use Tower Power to connect to Middle Earth. Kincaid offers a slew of route options, so feel free to tailor the ride to your specific distance wants and needs.

Difficulty

Moderate

Mostly stable trail tread with some variability, with unavoidable obstacles 8in/20cm tall or less. Other obstacles such as rock gullies and steep sections may exist. Ideal for lower intermediate riders.

Low Exposure

1 out of 4

The path is on completely flat land and potential injury is limited to falling over.

Remoteness

1 out of 4

Close to help in case of emergency.

Best time to visit

between June and October

Features

  • Flow
  • Singletrack
  • In the forest
  • Roots

Similar routes nearby

Guidebooks in this area