Day 6 of 2025 Independence Day Trip to Alaska, Gold Star Peak and Mt POW

by admin

The sixth day of my 2025 Independence Day trip to Alaska. I hiked to Gold Star Peak and Mt POW, a less demanding neighbor to the East Twin Peak which I climbed two days ago, with similar views of Mat-Su Valley and Eklutna Lake.

Mountains to the East of Mt POW

Matanuska Peak, Pioneer Peak and Twin Peaks, three of the most exciting peaks that I had climbed in Alaska in one frame.

Yesterday, I opted for a ~~leisurely~~ kayaking trip on Eklutna Lake to give my weary legs some respite after a a grueling hike of East Twin Peak a day prior. However, while packing up the kayak, I inadvertently left my sandals in the parking lot, which I didn’t find out until reaching my Palmer Airbnb that evening.
Having successfully climbed East Twin Peak, which was the highlight of my week-long Alaska trip, I had intended to spend today and tomorrow on gentler hikes. However, not wanting to bear the guilt of leaving behind plastic waste, I decided to make a detour to Eklutna Lake’s parking lot and make sure they are either retrieved or disposed of. Since Eklunta Lake was located quite out of the way, I decided to explore Gold Star Peak and Mt POW today, whose trailhead conveniently shared the same access road as Eklutna Lake, hence minimizing unnecessary driving and making the most of my time.

There was no parking spaces at the “actual” trailhead of Gold Star Peak / Mt POW. Instead, a turnout 800m (0.5mi) up the road served as the de-facto trailhead. Today was July 4th, Independence Day, hence the turnout was full, with people paying respect to fallen soldiers.

As a sidenote, four years ago, also on Independence Day, I successfully summitted South Pioneer Peak, an imposing mountain that still held my personal record for the most elevation gain in a single day. From today’s intended peaks, I could see that very same summit standing proudly just a short distance away. Now, four years later, I returned to Alaska with plans to tackle East Twin Peak, which would be my first YDS class 4 mountain. Based on the weather forecasts available earlier in the week, I had chosen to attempt that ascent two days prior. In hindsight, had I saved East Twin Peak for today, I would have been rewarded with far superior conditions: nearly perfect visibility revealing the full panorama of snow-capped peaks, rather than the transient clouds I had battled through during my earlier attempt.

I arrived at the roadside turnout at 11:20am, and after some warmup, started my hike at 11:33am. The walk along the road only lasted for about 10 minutes, before I entered the woods and the proper hiking experience began.
Here’s

S tracking:

Upon leaving the road, the entire hike naturally divided itself into three segments of roughly equal lengths, separated by two distinct turns. One thing was consistent, it was a very steep climb throughout.
The segment started out in the woods, which gradually transitioned to dense thickets of bush. It was a hot day by Alaskan standards, climbing through the steep terrain, I was sweating heavily in the woods (for a brief moment, I worried that I didn’t carry enough water.) Luckily, winds picked up at higher elevation, delivering a most welcomed and cooling breeze.

Steep Trail
Tree along Trail
Looked like a tuning fork.
Flower
Steep Trail

Immediately upon leaving the woods, brief portions of the trail were overgrown. After a slight right turn, the second trail segment opened into a typical alpine hiking experience, with destination (Gold Star Peak) in view and Kink Arm gradually revealing itself above the ridgeline in the background.

At the second turn of the trail, I was greeted with the first glimpse of Eklutna Lake and the snowy mountains surrounding it, together with an improvised bench to rest my legs. From that point on, the final segment of the trail was pleasantly manageable, occasionally rocky but never technical.

Overgrown Trail
Trail
Trail to Gold Star Peak
Gold Star Peak
Trail through Steep Fields
Trail through Steep Fields
Trail to Gold Star Peak
Flowers along Trail
Flowers along Trail

In the end, I reached Gold Star Peak at 1:36pm, where I was greeted by a breathtaking panorama dominated by Eklutna Lake and the majestic Twin Peaks. The sky stretched endlessly clear, not a single cloud marring the pristine splendor of the mountains below, while the towering Twin Peaks rose magnificently before me. As I took in this spectacular vista, I couldn’t help but reflect wistfully on my ascent of East Twin Peak two days prior—how I had longed then for such crystalline clarity and unobstructed views as I now enjoyed.

Bold Peak and Bashful Peak over Eklutna Lake
Snowy Mountains around Eklutna Lake
Twin Peaks
Trail to Mt POW
Memorial on Gold Star Mountain

Leaving Gold Star Peak, a trail followed a mostly flat ridgeline to nearby Mt POW—a pleasant, short walk that rewarded me with equally spectacular views of Eklutna Lake and the Twin Peaks. However, the summit of Mt POW offered a nice addition of unobstructed views to the east, yielding the feature photo for this post. In that single frame, three peaks came together in harmonious composition—Matanuska Peak and South Pioneer Peak, which I climbed four years ago, and East Twin Peak, which I summited just two days prior.

Snowy Mountains around Eklutna Lake
Twin Peaks overlooking Eklutna Lake
Flag on Mount POW
Mountain Ranges
Flowers on Mt POW

Twin Peaks
East Twin Peak
One that I summitted two days ago.
Pioneer Peaks
Matanuska Peak
Bold Peak and Bashful Peak
Mountains to the Southeast
Deep into Chugach State Park.

Moreover, despite its lower elevation compared to East Twin Peak, I felt Mt. POW offered a less obstructed view of the Mat-Su Valley stretching northward. The intricate waterways at the confluence of the Knik and Matanuska Rivers were displayed in their full glory, painted in a distinctive cyan hue characteristic of glacial snowmelt. Beyond this aquatic tapestry, the verdant fields of the Mat-Su Valley spread gracefully against the dramatic backdrop of the Talkeetna Mountains.

Mat-Su Valley
Confluence of Knik and Matanuska Rivers
Knik River
Talkeetna Mountains behind Lazy Mountain
Mountains to the North
The ones around Hatcher Pass.

Perhaps in honor of Independence Day, vintage aircraft graced the skies throughout my time on both Gold Star Peak and Mt. POW, their engines echoing across the ranges of Chugach Mountains. I recalled watching one flying on a loop that was remarkably close to Twin Peaks, so close that its maneuvers bordered aerobatic stunts (which sort of fitted the occasion).

View from Mt POW

In the end, I spent just over an hour on the summits of Gold Star Peak / Mt POW before beginning my descent from Gold Star Peak at 2:48pm. I went a bit faster on my way down, reaching my car at 4:37pm, hence concluding the entire hike in just over 5 hours.

After having dinner in downtown Palmer, the splendid weather beckoned me to make a brief detour to the “Matanuska River Scenic Overlook”, which was located on a sandy bluff along Glenn Highway that overlooked Matanuska River. Just like earlier today from Mt POW, I was treated to the magnificent sights of all three major mountains (Matanuska Peak, Pioneer Peaks and Twin Peaks) that I had climbed in the region. The direction of Knik River meant this overlook also offered glimpses toward the Kink River Valley, of the distant Kink Glacier and the snowy mountains that fed into it-a rather remarkable sight considering the relatively modest elevation of this viewpoint. I figured such clear and pleasing views of mountains around could well serve as a fitting end to my days in Palmer as I prepared for my flight home tomorrow.