E-Biking the Entire Tony Knowles Coastal Trail (Tips & Best Stops)

Most Anchorage residents frequent the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, whether during peak summer months or in the cold winter months. Spanning almost the entire city of Anchorage, the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is 11 miles long each way, making a roundtrip visit just about 22 miles. Whether you start in downtown Anchorage or in Kincaid Park, the entire journey is made much easier with an E-Bike, and luckily, there's an E-Bike rental right in downtown Anchorage.

​*If you have any questions that aren't answered in this post, please leave them in the comments section where I do my best to answer all Alaska related questions directly!

My Essential Alaska Travel Resources :
There are a lot of travel companies out there, but some are better than others. These are my favorite websites and resources to help plan an incredible trip to the 49th State.

For flights, I recommend using WayAway or Hopper to compare the cheapest dates to travel to Alaska.

Car rentals, arguably the best way to see Alaska, are best through Discover Cars!

I always use AGODA for hotels. They have an easy-to-use platform where you can compare the best rates.

To keep cell phone service if you're traveling internationally, I always use Airalo’s easy to purchase eSIM’s (no installation required) and NordVPN to stay safe when surfing the web.

For fun things to do, I recommend Viator to find the best tours in the area, otherwise Klook also does the trick.

Just in case, Safetywing is the insurance I always use for travel insurance.

Lastly, my Alaska packing list for your travels to the Last Frontier.

Renting an E-Bike & Best Tips

Luckily  Pablo's Bike Rental  is located right in Downtown Anchorage, and located only 1 block from Elderberry Park, the starting point for the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. I recommend booking on their website as far in advance as you can, especially during peak summer months like June, July, and August. Whether you decide to use e-bikes or manual bikes, the entire Trail is completely paved - making the ride very easily accessible.

The E-Bikes are from the Aventon brand, and have 4 different modes to boost your speed on the trail - and honestly, they made the entire experience of biking 22 miles very easy. You can book the bikes by the hour, and if you plan to bike the entire Tony Knowles Coastal Trail then I recommend booking the bikes for a minimum of 4 hours - which is how long it took my husband and I with a few sightseeing and moose stops. If you want more, then look out for other connecting trails from the Tony Knowles main trail!

As for my best tips on biking the entire Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, I recommend...

• Setting aside a minimum of 4 hours, this includes time for stops and resting.
• Wearing comfortable clothes, including light layers like a raincoat or wind protectant.
• Wear tennis shoes for safety and comfort.
• Bring a water bottle and bearspray, and maybe a camera incase you run into any wildlife.
• Review your moose safety, especially since they frequent the parks that the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail runs through.
• Not leaving your bike laying around, as one of the most popular trails in Anchorage, I recommend either bringing a lock or making sure you keep your bike within eyeshot.

Rent your e-bikes from Pablo's Bicycle Rentals right here!

My Favorite Tour near Anchorage : 
- Matanuska Glacier Tour
- Anchorage Trolley Tour
- Tony Knowles E-Bike Tour

Best Stops on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail

1. Elderberry Park
Located just one block from Pablo's Bike Rentals downtown location, Elderberry Park is the best starting point for the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Here, you can find a few picnic tables and a large playground.

2. Westchester Lagoon 
This famous park is also a well known spot with locals, and in the summer you can find all kinds of birds in the area, as well as salmon that are coming back to the area. Westchester Lagoon is also an excellent spot to jump onto another trail, and in the winter months you can find a large ice skating rink on the lagoon.

3. Low Tide Beach
As you continue along the Tony Knowles Trail you'll find a few areas to exit the trail and explore along the beach, especially if it's at low tide. From here you can continue to enjoy the views of Cook Inlet and you might even have a chance to see Mt. Susitna, or the mountain also called The Sleeping Lady. If you do go at low tide, then it's also important to know that you should never go out onto the mud flats, as they are actually quite dangerous and can cause you to get seriously stuck.

​4. Volcano Viewpoints
Possibly at the beach or as you continue along the coast, you might also be able to spot a few volcanoes - Mt. Redoubt & Mt. Spurr - on a very clear day. The last time Mt. Redoubt erupted was in 1989, and Mt. Spurr last errupted in 1992, and even though they both blend in with the many mountains you can see from the Coastal Trail now a days, you can consider yourself lucky if you have a clear enough day to spot them.

5. Earthquake Park
Next you'll find yourself in Earthquake Park's rolling hills. However it didn't always look like this. Thanks to the 9.2 earthquake in 1964, this once flat area used to be a neighborhood, and it's said that in some areas you can even still see the houses that became buried here. As you bike through Earthquake Park, you'll also want to keep your eyes out for moose that like to frequent the park!

​6. Airplane Views
Right past Earthquake Park you'll find yourself at the top of a wide open hill. A hill famously known by locals and visitors alike as one of the best spots to watch for airplanes that are taking off or coming in to land at the Ted Stevens International Airport. With a great vantage point of Cook Inlet, this is also the best spot for a picnic - albeit you might get interrupted by a few airplanes. ;)

7. Point Woronzof
Just on the other side of this hill is Point Woronzof, another great spot to watch the planes. If for some reason you missed the beach earlier on the trail, this is another great spot to walk down to the coastal beach. If you have time, I also recommend using this vantage point of Cook Inlet to look for the belugas that come through in the early or late summer!

8. Kincaid Park
As you continue into the wooded area of the trail, you'll eventually make your way into Kincaid Park. Along the entire rest of the trail you'll find lots of pull offs with benches to enjoy the view, and the closer you get to Kincaid Park the busier it'll be. In these woods, there's also a high possibility of running into some wildlife like moose, but they've also seen plenty of bears and even a wolf in this area before! Once you make it to Kincaid Park, you can enjoy the park or head back to downtown Anchorage!

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Other Alaska blog posts you might be interested in : 
-> 14 Places to Rent Bear Spray
-> The Anchorage Trolley Tour
-> 24 Hours in Anchorage Alaska

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