Waterfall

Thunderbird Falls

Tall waterfall in Eklutna Canyon, seen from a viewing deck at the end of an easy 1-mile trail.

Chugach State Park · Alaska State Parks

Height: 200 ft^[1]
Hike distance: 1 mi
Access modes: Road · Hike
Frozen in winter: Yes

RoadHike

Thunderbird Falls drops into the Eklutna River canyon near Glenn Highway Mile 25. Alaska State Parks describes it as 200 feet high. The Thunderbird Falls Trail leads a mile through birch forest to a viewing deck; in winter the falls freeze.

[1]Height ft: 200 ft (Alaska State Parks, Chugach State Park Recreational Opportunities); also reported as about 100 ft (Wikipedia, Thunderbird Falls). All footnotes

Location

In pictures

Connected places & operators

Reference 132

Trail

Thunderbird Falls Trail

Distance: 1 mi
Elevation gain: 100 ft
Difficulty: Easy

Easy 1-mile walk with boardwalks through birch forest to a viewpoint over Thunderbird Falls.

1.0 mi

Hiking · Photography

Sources

Chugach State Park: Recreational OpportunitiesAlaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation · Accessed 2026-11-13
Thunderbird FallsWikipedia · Accessed 2026-11-13

Last updated 2026-11-13

Nearby within 25 miles

Native villages

Native village

Eklutna (Idlughet)

Dena'ina village at the head of Knik Arm, settled more than 800 years ago, the oldest inhabited place in the Anchorage area.

1.1 mi

Public use cabins

Public-use cabin

Rainbow Trout Cabin

Walk-in cabin at Eklutna Lake, just south of the Dolly Varden Cabin; sleeps 8, $100 a night.

7.5 mi

Public-use cabin

Yuditna Cabin

Cabin at the mouth of Yuditnu Creek, 3 miles up the Eklutna Lakeside Trail; sleeps 8, $100 a night.

10.5 mi

Public-use cabin

Kokanee Cabin

Paddle-in cabin on the southwest shore of Eklutna Lake, 3.75 miles from the put-in; sleeps 8, $100 a night.

11.3 mi

Public-use cabin

Ptarmigan Cabin

Drive-up cabin at Eagle River Campground; sleeps 6, $100 a night.

11.7 mi

Public-use cabin

Boreal Owl Cabin

Drive-up cabin at Eagle River Campground; sleeps 6, $100 a night.

11.7 mi

Public-use cabin

Eagle River Cabin

Small drive-up cabin at Eagle River Campground; sleeps 4, $100 a night.

11.8 mi

Public-use cabin

Serenity Falls Public Use Hut

Multi-party hut at Mile 12 of the Eklutna Lakeside Trail; sleeps 13.

16.3 mi

Lakes

Reference 123

Lake

Eklutna Lake

Seven-mile glacial lake in Chugach State Park: Anchorage's water supply, with paddling, biking trails and cabins.

11.2 mi

Mountains

Mountain

Bold Peak

7,522-foot peak above the head of Eklutna Lake, a demanding trail-less scramble.

15.9 mi

Mountain

Bashful Peak

8,005-foot high point of Chugach State Park and the Municipality of Anchorage, rarely climbed.

18.7 mi

Glaciers

Reference 119

Glacier

Eklutna Glacier

Retreating valley glacier at the head of the Eklutna River that feeds Anchorage's main water supply.

17.4 mi

Cultural sites

A visitor steps through an oval doorway in a wooden clan house, beside a large painted house post at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.

Reference 147

Cultural site

Alaska Native Heritage Center

Statewide Alaska Native cultural center with dance, games, a Hall of Cultures and six village sites around a lake.

18.9 mi

Airports

Airport

Merrill Field (MRI)

City-owned general aviation airport a mile east of downtown, Anchorage's first airport (1930).

22.6 mi

Fishing spots

A king salmon in the shallow water of Ship Creek

Reference 133

Fishing spot

Ship Creek

Downtown king and coho salmon fishery beside the Port of Anchorage, the area's most popular stream fishery.

23.3 mi

Museums

Reference 117

Museum

Anchorage Museum

Downtown museum of Alaska art, history, science and Alaska Native cultures, with the Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center.

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