For locals, Anchorage has always been a trail town. Now it's official.
The International Mountain Bicycling Association recognized Anchorage as a 2026 IMBA Trail Town on March 31. The city joins just 27 others nationwide.
As part of the designation, Anchorage is now part of a national network of communities committed to trail stewardship, collaboration and expanding access to outdoor recreation, according to the mountain biking association.
IMBA is a nonprofit that focuses on partnering with communities to promote trail advocacy, education and sustainable trail solutions.
Local leaders said the IMBA recognition helps strengthen future partnerships with land managers, tourism agencies and funders to support continued maintenance and expansion of the trail network.
The Trail Town designation also recognizes the value of Anchorage’s bike trails to residents and visitors alike, Anchorage Park Foundation Program Director Diana Rhoades said.
“It's not just trail organizations and nonprofits, but it's actually businesses that are saying, ‘Hey, this is why people come here. They want to get their gear, they want to have a yummy place to eat, they want a cool hotel,’” Rhoades said. “So working together, we feel like we can transform Anchorage as the number one place, and this designation puts us on the map.”
What makes Anchorage unique, Rhoades said, is that any location in the city is 20 minutes or less from a trail.
Anchorage has more than 120 miles of paved multiuse trails for biking, according to the city.
Throughout Anchorage, there are more than 50 miles of mountain bike-specific trails, like the singletrack at Kincaid Park and on Anchorage’s Hillside, and even more when considering winter fat bike routes, including those in Far North Bicentennial Park.
The national designation has been 20 years in the making, said Will Taygan, executive director of Chugach Mountain Bike Riders, a local mountain biking club.
There are five mountain biking nonprofits in Anchorage alone, Taygan said. The recognition of the community's work is inspiring, he said.
“It’s nice to be appreciated, and it's nice to share that,” Taygan said, “Not only with our community, but also to share it with visitors that might be coming up and encouraging them to stay one more day in Anchorage when they come to visit Alaska, because there's so much to do right here."
