bodenburg butte

It's rather quick hike the whole family can enjoy. We hiked the north side. The trail is good. Great for first timers or for families with smaller children.

Great little hike the whole family can take. You can hike the south side which is steep, or the north side that has a good trail, but takes longer.

I have made this hike many times and takes my breath away in beauty now the hike too. Bring rain jacket and water with your camera. Make sure your camera battery is charged with room for tons of pictures.. Watch for bush planes flying around the mountains and towards Knik/Colony Glacier. The Air Force does fly by rarely but a treat if you are luck.

There are two sides to choose from when wanting to climb to the top. Not a big parking lot on either side. Make sure you have a camera because once you get to the top you will want to take lots of pictures.

Good paring area, and usually very clean and cared for trail. Great little outing for the family and less experienced hikers

We did this hike after going a helicopter tour to Knik glacier. Maybe our enjoyment of this hike was lessened by having just done one of the highlights of our vacation but we found this hike to be very average. We hiked up the "dirty" side, it lived up to its name and the hike was steep, dusty, and hot on the day we were there. It's not a very long hike but it is fairly difficult. The views from the top are nice but compared to the other hikes we did during our vacation (Harding Icefield, Lost Lake, Bird Ridge, several hikes in Denali), it just didn't compare. It was nice to get a view of the glacier we had just visited an hour earlier and was a chance to stretch our legs before getting in the car and continuing our drive north, but other than that it wasn't exciting. Might be worthwhile for locals or tourists with plenty of time, but if your time on your vacation is limited, this is one that can be skipped, there's too many nicer hikes in Alaska to do instead.

A pretty ride down the old Glenn hwy takes you right to this little gem. Actually the old Glenn past the eklutna tail race through the little town of Butte is amazing. The old cars rusting out there will stun you.Back to the hike. Matsu Parking is 5.00 per day but that's the same for state parks. The walk starts out on a dirt path, then to stairs that go up the side of the butte. Really pretty, and pretty easy with places to rest. Once you start getting above the trees the vistas are pretty awesome! The top of the butte offers great views of the knik glacier, the rivers, mountains. Today we saw two red tailed hawks. Bring water, snacks, and have a great break on the top.Hiking or walking sticks are a good idea too.

Awesome hike with great photo opportunities. Good parking area and very safe place for everyone. It is even a good place to take your dogs.

Two sides offer a great afternoon hike. Beautiful view from the top. Good for all hiking ability levels.

We went up the side with stairs. It's paved until the last 100 yards into the parking lot so you can get here without violating your rental car agreement. The hike itself is about 1.5 miles each way with about 400 stairs when you get near the top (about the last 1/2 mile). If you can't handle the stairs, there is still a nice view and benches at the bottom of the stairs. Great way to spend a couple of hours and get some fresh air and exercise. $5 parking fee and pit toilets at the parking area.

Great for kids and active people! Some portions of the Butte are steep, but it is well worth the view.

This is a great hike and very popular -- both sides have lots of adults/kids/dogs -- you can hike up one side and down the other or you can hike up and then come back down the same way. If you hike up and over I suggest you have two people and park one vehicle on each side; otherwise the walk back to the car is long and boring on an unpaved ditch/edge of the road until you get to the main highway then you walk on a bike path and then back to unpaved ditch/edge of the road. I have done it once and would not do it again without 2 cars/2 people. I hiked up the dirty side, over the top, down the stair side, and then walked all the way around to the vehicle that was parked on the dirty side. - if you were really ambitious you could hike up one side, over the top, down the other side, and the go back up that side, over the top, and back down...I don't know anyone who has done that...but it is possible. ----------------There are two sides: Regardless of which side - from Palmer take the Old Glenn highway to right on Arctic (aka the Old Glenn Highway) - Arctic actually turns into the Old Glenn just outside of Palmer.Directions "stair"/tree side -- West side of the Butte From the point that Arctic turns into the Old Glenn go approx 4.5 miles and turn right on the first Bodenburg Loop, take the 2nd street on the left which is Mothershead and follow down and around, the parking lot is on the right hand side of the road. Please pay the small parking fee it helps maintain the parking lot. The trailhead is just past the parking lot on the right...just follow it up. -----------------Directions "dirty" side -- South Side of the Butte -- From the point that Arctic turns into the Old Glenn go approx. 5.5 miles (go past the first Bodenburg Loop at 4.5 miles) and take the 2nd Bodenburg Loop at 5.5 miles (it has a 4-way blinking stoplight) you can't miss it, take a right on Bodenburg Loop at the light and then follow the road down, you will see a small parking lot on the right hand side of the road near the Reindeer Farm. Please pay the small parking fee it helps maintain the parking area. the Trailhead is just past the parking lot on the right - it goes pretty mush straight up for a little while, and is usually very dusty or muddy depending on the weather.-----------------"dirty"dusty - South Side of the Butte (we will call that the "dirty" side/ reindeer side/old side, etc.)....the views are awesome as you gain elevation. On this side of the Butte there are many paths and you can really just pick whatever way you want - eventually you will get to the top as long as you continue to go up; the trail is sort of maintained on this side, but as you get higher it has very deep ruts in certain places and as you near the top you have to climb up a deeply rutted, dirt path/large rocky area...pick your path carefully -- you don't want to fall.This is a popular hike and their are usually quite a few people/kids/dogs on the trail (please keep the dog leash in your hand so you can quickly leash your dog if necessary - please don't be one of those people). ___________"stair"/woodsy side -- West Side of the Butte (last year 2013 they changed this side and added more stairs/path protectors, it now has stairs going almost all the way up, and those slippery path protectors) I do not like this side as much as I use to, and it was much more difficult for my dog. With that said you can really climb back down fast...if you don't get knee pain...This side also has very nice views, but they are frequently blocked by dense forest. Also this area is shaded and you cannot hike it as early in the Spring/Summer as the "dirty" side. You pretty much following the trail around on level ground with slight elevation with thick trees until you reach the steeper section and then its pretty much all stairs for quite awhile, then back to trail, stairs, some dirty paths, and lots of path protectors, it also has some very deep rutted sections - the trail on this side is pretty straight forward - but it can be hard to find it again on the way back down if you don't pay attention...___________Regardless of which side you take bring bug dope (you may not need it on the dirty side but you will DEFINITELY need it on the "stair" side, sun block, water, snacks, and camera, (if you want you could bring binoculars but I don't). I have cell reception most of the time during the hike and I can make phone calls/text send photos from the top. - the only restroom facilities are at the parking area (both sides) - there are absolutely no facilities on the hike. Dirty side takes people anywhere from 30 min (very fit) to 2 hours - this includes parking, hike to top, take photos, have snack, go back down.Please remember that Alaska weather can change quickly and even on a couple hour day hike you should be prepared - I also bring a small first aid kit,a sweatshirt, and a small emergency kit...probably not necessary on this particular hike but I like to be prepared. (my friend's don't normally bring anything except their cell phones/water). Don't forget wildlife lives in this area make noise while on the trail...

This is a well maintained trail with many stairs as you get closer to the top. It was a beautiful view of the area from the top.

The path up the steep side starts just down the road from the Reindeer Farm. There is a parking lot just off the road. There are no steps on this side, and the path is uphill the whole way. My kids (ages 7, 9 and 13) had no trouble scampering up, but the adults huffed and puffed! We had to stop and catch our breath a number of times, but it was very rewarding to make it up! There are benches at the top but none on the way up. Downhill was more fun!

What a great challenge. We climbed starting at the parking lot around the corner from the Reindeer Farm. The side that is not maintained. It took us around 45 min to make it to the top and it was absolutely worth it. The glacier was easily seen today. Views were great.