Fat Tire Biking
Studded tires and electric assist are a must!
This spectacular path can be found in the Eagle River Nature Center. You can read more about the ERNC here. This is what the paths in Anchorage look like after a fresh snow. When I think of winter, I think of kicking back and reading a good book by the fireside with a mug of hot chocolate. Maybe you think of ice skating at the local rink in your stunning winter outfit, hoping to impress the cute guy who is working there. Perhaps you imagine curling up on the couch binge-watching Hallmark Christmas movies while you eat your body weight in popcorn. Whatever your preferred winter activity, I would highly recommend you try fat tire biking. This unexpected winter activity is a great way to get out in the cold and travel the many scenic trails in Anchorage from a different perspective.
This is the outside of Pablo’s Bike Rental. I love the bright colored door and neon signs. They have a great aesthetic inside as well!A couple of my amazing coworkers decided to get together on our day off and try our hand at fat tire biking. We priced out some of the rental options and ended up choosing to rent our bikes from Pablo’s in downtown Anchorage. Their location is very convenient if you want to grab lunch or do a little bit of shopping after your bike trip. The staff there is incredibly friendly and were great to work with. I highly recommend renting from them (not sponsored). Since none of our party had ever fat tire biked before, we got a brief rundown of the path, some safety notes, and a practice run with the bikes out back in the parking lot. After a couple loops around the parking lot, we were off!
Looking at all the bikes lined up made me excited to go out again on another adventure!We took off from the bike shop and headed off to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. This trail is an 11-mile long trail that hugs the coast between Anchorage and Cook Inlet. The paved trail starts in downtown Anchorage and finishes in Kincaid Park. This trail isn’t completely flat, do be prepared for some small hills. The start of the trail is tucked behind a building, so we did miss it the first time we drove by, but once we actually got on the trail, it was very easy to navigate. You can rent fat tire bikes without the electric assist, but unless you are an avid cyclist, I recommend the electric assist. I accidentally had my electric assist off for the first mile of so of our trip, and I will tell you, those large studded tires are much heavier than regular tires.
We may have had freezing rain the day of our trip, but the view of the mountains and downtown Anchorage from the trail are well worth the small cost of the bike rental and the chilly temps.In my mind, the biggest hurdle I had to cross was learning to trust the bike. Seriously, those studded tires make a huge difference in gripping the snow and ice. We have had a lot of cycles of warming and cooling, so there are several places along the trail that are completely ice. The studded tired worked like magic. At one point, I tried had stopped the bike and went to put my foot down only to have my foot slip slightly. I managed to make my way to the grass where I could get some purchase from my shoes without falling. That experience cemented in my mind that the studs on the tires do in fact make a huge difference and I was very comfortably able to go a little faster on the way back to Pablo’s.
You can see some intrepid hockey players out on the ice of Westchester Lagoon. This body of water is fed by the Chester Creek. You can also take the paved Chester Creek Trail that cuts through Anchorage if you prefer to follow the river rather than Cook Inlet. After we returned our bikes to Pablo’s we went to one of the local breweries to grab a bite to eat and thaw out our fingers and toes. Even with the freezing rain, cloudy skies, and icy path, my friends and I had a great time fat tire biking. We all expressed a desire to go out again on a day with slightly better weather. There are many more amazing Alaska adventures to be had. I look forward to sharing them with all of you.
Happy Traveling,
Kat