O'Malley Peak Trail is a 7.7 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Anchorage, Alaska that features a river and is rated as difficult. The trail is primarily used for hiking, running, nature trips, and snowshoeing and is best used from June until October.
Chugach State Park charges a $5 daily parking fee. You can also purchase an annual parking pass for $60.
Snow is common year round. Please bring appropriate gear.
October 9, 2020An incredible hike. Done it a few times now and it's been phenomenal regardless of time of year. Hit a little snow, not much at all though. Colder and windy as expected, but awesome nonetheless!
October 4, 2020This hike was pretty insane without crampons. There is a lot of snow and ice in the last thousand feet of climbing 3-4feet. But today was a clear view of Denali.
September 28, 2020First, I'm extremely excited to get this one crossed off my list! We started (9:28am) with the recommend route on this app (Lil O'Malley, ball field, up the gully). Towards the top of the gully, there was a decent amount of termination dust, nothing too terrible. Once we got past that and started the final accent, it wasn't too terrible. We were lucky to have a clear day, and following the trail was easy going. The views from the summit were phenomenal! For the decent, we backtracked a little bit and then made our way down towards the Hidden Lake Trail. 9.1mi and 6:06hr total.
September 27, 2020Tracked from glen alps lot and back at 8.5 miles with 3665’ gain. Hike was gorgeous, even in typical Alaska weather. We encountered rain, snow, hail, and high winds. There are a few trails leading up to the peak once you pass the second gully. The second chute up looks intimidating but it really isn’t. My pup and I made it out and back in under 4 hours. We only had a partial view due to weather, but the views we did have from the trail and summit were amazing!
September 23, 2020September 12, 2020
September 4, 2020Very steep and extremely rocky going up the gully and back down. Lots of loose rocks, so be very careful with your footing.! The trail gets very difficult to follow. Amazing views once you make it to the top!
September 3, 2020August 29, 2020Windy and rocky but worth it and beautiful. Not many blueberries
August 28, 2020August 23, 2020We did not summit-it looked very sketchy. I should have read the reviews
August 21, 2020August 21, 2020Always rocky, which always sucks especially if you’re going fast. But it’s a good workout with a good view
August 16, 2020Great hike! Scree up the gully was...difficult. Would stick to either side rather than middle on the way up. Towards the summit, stick to the ridge line. Views at top were wonderful! Could see Denali! Encountered a goat and a moose on the way back.
August 9, 2020Great trail probably moderate difficulty-going up from the ball fields to the ridge line was super doable. The trail was not overly dry so you can get decent footing going up and down, and slide down in the scree. Was misty yesterday so visibility was somewhat reduced but still had beautiful views. We followed along the ridge a little to the right and down, which I believe is what most people do. Took 4.5 hrs with stops at the top and hanging out to eat lunch in the ball fields.
August 7, 2020Awesome trail. Very steep to the saddle, flat up top, then steep up the peak. Overall had a great hike and made good time which was surprising considering how many times I went off trail and took long breaks. Finished the whole thing in about 4.5hrs, only spent about 3.5hrs moving. Would definitely rate it as hard, but certainly worth the challenge as the view at the end is the best I’ve seen yet.
July 26, 2020This is a great climb with outstanding view!!! It was cloudy for the first part of the trip that made it impossible to figure out where you're going. Must have GPS and bring a partner. I got a little lost, but was able to backtrack to find my way to the summit. Make sure to bring a camera. on the way back down I got a good shot of double rainbow! If you have never done this hike/climb I would recommend going with someone who has done it before.
July 23, 2020Incredible hike with phenomenal views from the top. Download the map on here, or bring a GPS because it can be extremely helpful if it clouds up (which is likely). I had clear skies for most of my time at the top, but the clouds rolled in towards the end. When clear you can see Denali, Mt Foraker, Mt Redoubt, Iliamna Volcano, and a great view of Mt Spurr. Not necessarily a hike for inexperienced hikers, or those who are fairly out of shape. Steep climbs, but well worth the effort. Get out on a clear day and soak in an amazing view from the top.
July 22, 2020July 17, 2020Man what a great hike, I would highly recommend this one. Make sure you’re in shape and experienced though. I’d recommend doing this hike on a clear, sunny day. I’d also recommend bringing a friend with you, as some of the rather seedy parts of the hike can be pretty sketchy. Also make sure you have some sort of map/gps. I did this hike alone, mid-day, on a rather rainy day. This first part of the hike was no problem, but after I summited, I got lost. This was because it was so cloudy, that I couldn’t see anything, it was also hailing up there so it was very cold. I had to climb down the other side of the mountain, and hike all the way around back to my car, I didn’t get back till about 1am. It was dangerous, could have definitely died at some parts. Don’t be like me, take a friend, and do it on a nice day. Overall would recommend, beautiful views and atmosphere.
July 14, 2020Not what i was expecting, loose rock climbing to the summit.
July 6, 2020On a cloudy day, wayfinding is difficult-to-impossible without some sort of GPS guidance. We back tracked multiple times. Pea soup fog even at the peak killed the view, but the eerie sense of being at the top of the sky among all those clouds was still gorgeous. Trail is in good shape, but be aware of dangerously loose scree for the entirety of the ascent to the ridgeline. Surprising number of bugs at the peak. Extremely steep in places with loads of false peaks (especially in the fog). Not a hike for beginners. Bring two water bottles, a hiking pole, layers, GPS tracker, and a friend.
