Along with Portage Pass, our favorite hike for most skill levels in the ~1-1.5 hours from Anchorage category. This moderate out-and-back hike follows a rushing stream through alpine valleys and up to the dramatic reed lakes nestled among snow-capped peaks. For a real challenge, the "trail" continues in a tough and steep scramble over the ridge and down to a crashed bomber on the glacier.

After driving ~1:15 from Anchorage, the trail begins with a flat section following a relatively straight portion of a small stream. Enjoy the flat section, it's the last on this hike! Next the trail begins to snake its way up first through muddy switchbacks and then over large rocks as the stream goes somewhat underground. There are a number of ponds here so keep your eyes peeled for beavers and other potential wildlife.

Finally after ~4 miles you reach Lower Reed Lake which is a great spot to pitch a tent in. The real treat however is finishing the steepening climb over a waterfall to Upper Reed Lake which is nestled in an alpine bowl. Here you can either call it a (long) day and eat lunch as we did on our first trip or attempt the much more challenging second section to Bomber Glacier.

The first time we came we saw a family with a baby continuing onwards and asked where they were heading. They pointed to a small notch basically straight up a rock wall past the lake and said "there." Basically that's the trail direction. We tried to follow the Alltrails GPS route but had to make a tough judgement call close to the top as our original route looked impassible. This is very tough scrambling, at least in the route we took, and in tough conditions should not be attempted ideally. Finally after what felt like an hour and probably ~1.5k feet in just a half a mile or so, we made it to the top! Unfortunately Dan's phone is at the bottom of a river in Denali so we don't have pictures yet... but the view is amazing on both sides with the crashed bomber being clearly visible halfway across the glacier.

Half of our group were tired out from the scramble so we didn't make it down to the bomber but will make it out next time. If you do go, consider bringing spikes/poles to avoid a potential nasty slip on the glacier which looked quite steep. There is also a network of trails that leads to other valley exit points for a multi-day trip.