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Features Commonly Backpacked · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Wildlife

Family Friendly It's not too difficult for children and has a nice beach (North Beach) to play at mile 5.1.

You MUST time your trip around the tides, which means leaving 2 hours before low tide when traveling beyond Tonsina Point, such as to the public-use cabins or North Beach. When hiking from North Beach to Lowell Point, be sure to leave 1.5 hours before low tide.

Need to Know

Distances:
2.1 mi one way (to Tonsina Point)
5.1 mi one way (to North Beach)
7.4 mi one way (to Fort McGilvary)

Elevation Gain:
200 feet (Lowell Point to Tonsina Point)
120 feet (Tonsina Point to North Beach)
650 feet (North Beach to Fort McGilvary)

Description

The Coastal Trail, also called the Caines Head Trail, begins with an easy and wide uphill segment that then goes down to near sea level. From there, it's a nice mostly flat trip to Tonsina Point. After this, it levels out a bit for a couple of miles through a rainforest climate until you come to Derby Cove. You'll then follow an inter-tidal zone that can only be navigated when the tide is three feet or lower. From North Beach, you can continue on to climb to Fort McGilvary on the Fort Trail. That trail is what eventually leads to the summit of Caines Head, and is a great addition to this route.

You can find more information at the Alaska DNR website.