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A nice trail with a variety of sights. It ends at the historic WWII strategic command center, Fort McGilvary.


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Map Key

5.3

Miles

8.5

KM

94%

Runnable

204' 62 m

High

0' 0 m

Low

502' 153 m

Up

440' 134 m

Down

3%

Avg Grade (2°)

29%

Max Grade (16°)

Dogs Off-leash

Features Commonly Backpacked · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Wildlife

You MUST time your trip around the tides, which means leaving 2 hours before low tide when traveling beyond Tonsina Point, such as to the public-use cabins or North Beach. When running from North Beach to Lowell Point, be sure to leave 1.5 hours before low tide.

Need to Know

Distances:
2.1 mi one way (to Tonsina Point)
5.1 mi one way (to North Beach)
7.4 mi one way (to Fort McGilvary)

Elevation Gain:
200 feet (Lowell Point to Tonsina Point)
120 feet (Tonsina Point to North Beach)
650 feet (North Beach to Fort McGilvary)

Description

The Coastal Trail, also called the Caines Head Trail, begins with an easy and wide uphill segment that then goes down to near sea level. From there, it's a nice mostly flat trip to Tonsina Point. After this, it levels out a bit for a couple of miles through a rainforest climate until you come to Derby Cove. You'll then follow an inter-tidal zone that can only be navigated when the tide is three feet or lower. From North Beach, you can continue on to climb to Fort McGilvary on the Fort Trail. That trail is what eventually leads to the summit of Caines Head, and is a great addition to this route.

You can find more information at the Alaska DNR website.

Contacts

Land Manager: DNR Alaska

Shared By:

Wes Y

Trail Ratings

  4.7 from 6 votes

#6967

Overall
  4.7 from 6 votes
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Trail Rankings

#74

in Alaska

#6,967

Overall
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1,222 Since Jun 22, 2018
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Photos

Loads of sticks to chase on Tonsina Point
May 1, 2018 near Seward, AK
Tocina Point.
Aug 1, 2019 near Seward, AK
End of the trail at Tocina Point.
Aug 1, 2019 near Seward, AK
Tonsina Creek Bridge #2
May 1, 2018 near Seward, AK

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