Parks & Recreation

Bethel parks committee to discuss a $1 fitness center fix projected to save $46,000 a year

A $1 change to YK Fitness Center ventilation settings could save the Bethel center nearly $46,000 a year, an audit says. A city committee discusses it Monday.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Forest Service hires company to clear brush on Portage Pass and other Chugach trails

The Forest Service hired a Colorado company to cut back alder and devil's club on Chugach trails, including one where the crew has to take the train to work.

by Melinda Communities.News1w ago2 min read

Fairbanks borough to show Growden and Kiwanis park renovation concepts Nov. 5

Fairbanks gets a first look Thursday at new playgrounds for Growden and Kiwanis parks, part of a $2.25 million fix-up borough budgets have carried for years.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read

Assembly to consider $587,000 contract to rebuild Creekside Park paths and playground

Creekside Park's worn paths and playground could get rebuilt. The Assembly takes up a $587,000 contract Wednesday, with work expected done by summer 2027.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read

Juneau's all-winter recreation pass goes on sale at $250, up $50

Juneau's all-you-can-swim-and-skate Winter Pass is back, now $250 plus tax, $50 more than last year. A regular adult swimmer breaks even in about 30 visits.

by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read

Seward council member asks for $75,000 to start making beach fishing spots accessible

A Seward council member wants $75,000 to start building beach access so anglers in wheelchairs and older anglers can get over the rocks to snag salmon.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Anchorage Assembly to weigh $587,000 contract for Creekside Park paths and playground

Kids from nearby schools helped pick Creekside Park's new playground. The Anchorage Assembly votes Nov. 4 on a $587,000 contract for it and new paths.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Cordova's pool loses its only full-time lifeguard Friday, with little money for temps

Cordova's only full-time pool lifeguard leaves Friday, and $25,000 for temps covers about three months of October's hours. Nonprofit fees are in play too.

by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read

Fairbanks borough panel backs grant bids for a Chena Lake loop and a Tanana Lakes trailhead

A Fairbanks borough panel backed grant bids to start a paved loop around Chena Lake and add a toilet and better parking at Tanana Lakes' Flicker Trailhead.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read

Juneau reopens Lemon Creek playground with fencing meant to keep out bikes

Sigoowu Ye Park was closed more than a year for a renovation, and bikes damaged its new surface within weeks. It's open again, with fencing meant to stop them.

by Alaska News2w ago2 min readFrom Oct 21

Wasilla council votes Monday on $200,000 contract for a new parks plan

Wasilla may pay $200,000 for a plan to guide its parks for 20 years. A city official already has a question: can sales tax keep paying for them?

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Cordova council weighs charging nonprofits for city recreation facilities

Cordova lets nonprofits use about $45,000 a year in city facilities for free. The council talked about charging them Wednesday, then decided to keep thinking.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Cordova's Bob Korn pool reopens Thursday after boiler repairs

Cordova's pool reopens Thursday after a boiler failure shut it again, about a month after it came back from a 16-month closure. The city thanked swimmers.

by Alaska News3w ago1 min read

Mat-Su Assembly accepts $2.5 million to refrigerate the ice at Big Lake's rink

Big Lake's rink waits on cold weather to make ice. The Mat-Su Assembly took $2.5 million from the Mat-Su Health Foundation to make its own instead.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read

Follows: Mat-Su Assembly weighs $2.5 million grant to refrigerate the ice at Big Lake rink

Cordova to show concepts for a future recreation and aquatic facility Oct. 20

Cordova's pool reopened after 16 months shut. On Tuesday, residents get a first look at concepts for a future rec and pool building, and a say in it.

by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min read

Haines trail group and State Parks seek federal money for a Chilkat State Park cabin

A cabin halfway down Chilkat State Park's coastal trail would give Haines families and elders a roof for the night, if federal trail money comes through.

by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readFrom Sep 30

Kodiak parks fees rise to $6 a session for adult swimming, skating and racquetball

A swim, a skate or an hour of racquetball in Kodiak now costs adults $6, a dollar more than before. Renting the whole pool or rink went up a lot more.

by Alaska News4w ago2 min read

Kenai commission backs grant bid for $800,000 Old Town Park playground and court plan

Kenai's Old Town Park would get a new playground and basketball court under an $800,000 plan, about half the cost of the bulldoze-and-start-over version.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Kenai parks commission puts tennis and pickleball courts ahead of shop design

Kenai's parks commission wants to shift $150,000 from a parks shop design to fixing tennis and pickleball courts. The pickleball crowd wants concrete.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Cordova pool hours hit the limit of the temp staff budget

Cordova's pool is running more hours than its temporary staff budget allows, forcing the parks director to choose between expanding recreation programs or cutting existing ones.

by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

Fairbanks grant would fix the Davis Road turf fields and start closing Kiwanis Field

A federal grant application before the Fairbanks North Star Borough Parks and Recreation Commission on Monday would pay for upgrades at the Davis Road turf complex.

by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read

The state says Girdwood's Moose Meadow trails are trespassing

Four beloved Girdwood trails cross onto state airport land, and the state now calls using them trespassing — just as residents push to make them official.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Hikers take two days. Crow Pass runners do it in hours

The Crow Pass Crossing sends 150 runners 23.5 miles across glaciers, brush, and a cold river Saturday, with no aid stations. Hikers take two days; the fastest finish in about three hours.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

Anchorage weighs $4M in park fencing as it works to hold reclaimed space

Anchorage votes July 21 on up to $4M in park fencing — a routine-looking contract that lands as the city works to hold parks it cleared of homeless camps.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Juneau proposes handing North Bridget Cove trail to state in budget-driven swap

Juneau proposes giving Alaska State Parks the remote North Bridget Cove trail to cut $75,000 in maintenance costs, gaining city control of closer Mt. Juneau and Granite Basin trails instead.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Juneau advisory committee to vote on banning Class 2 and 3 e-bikes from city trails

Juneau's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee will vote July 7 on banning throttle-equipped and high-speed e-bikes from city trails, allowing only pedal-assist Class 1 models.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Juneau proposes trading trail maintenance with state to offset $75K budget cut

Juneau Parks proposes swapping trail maintenance with Alaska State Parks to offset a $75,000 budget cut that eliminated brushing on city trails in the coming fiscal year.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Anchorage trails plan is 27 years old. A replacement is in the works.

Anchorage is replacing its 27-year-old trails plan with a new guide for trail building and maintenance across Anchorage and Chugiak-Eagle River, aiming for approval this summer.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Juneau may bar the fastest e-bikes from its trails — but not the most common ones

Juneau may keep pedal-assist e-bikes on its trails but bar the faster throttle kinds — a split that roughly tracks what the limited research actually shows.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read

Foreign-visitor park fee survives a House vote, with stakes for Alaska

A House panel kept a $100 surcharge on foreign park visitors — $400 for a family of four. Alaska's gateway towns, which live on summer tourists, are watching.

by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

On the wild Alatna, a guide makes his case to the state

A Fairbanks guide wants the state's OK to run commercial trips on the Alatna — a Wild and Scenic river so remote the only way in is by floatplane.

by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Anchorage Platting Board to weigh Canyon Road trail easement vacation

Anchorage Platting Board will decide July 1 whether to eliminate a Canyon Road walking path so a developer can build a house on a vacant lot near Flat Top trailhead.

by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

Katmai bear cams return as Brooks River season begins

Katmai's bear cams go live Tuesday at 11 a.m. Alaska time, streaming brown bears fishing at Brooks Falls as salmon season begins.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Anchorage Assembly to vote on burying power lines through two East Side parks

Anchorage Assembly will vote on giving Chugach Electric permanent easements through Russian Jack Springs Park and Ira Walker Park to bury power lines underground, improving storm resilience.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom Jun 2

Basher parking plan rises after city estimate showed need for more

Bashing in Basher, but can't unbash what's been bashered.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min read

Kenai parent asks commission to lower weight room age limit

A Kenai parent asked the Parks and Recreation Commission to lower the weight room age limit at Kenai Rec Center from 16 to 14, saying the current policy pushes families to drive to nearby communities where younger teens can use gyms independently.

by Alaska News5mo ago2 min read

Kenai unveils 20-year parks master plan with sports complex overhaul

Kenai approved a 20-year parks plan to consolidate ball fields into one expanded sports complex. • Downtown green spaces become seasonal campground and event venue. • City spends 1.3 million yearly on parks but recovers only 17 percent through fees. • Near-term priorities include new playgrounds and ice rink upgrades.

by Walter AlaskaNews5mo ago2 min readFrom May 21

Kenai Parks Commission approves master plan, sends to City Council

Kenai Parks Commission unanimously approved a 10-year Parks and Recreation Master Plan on May 7 and sent it to City Council, which will review it May 20 and vote in June.

by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago2 min read

Kenai garden tour set for Aug. 11, focus on Leif Hansen Park

Kenai Beautification Commission hosts a free garden tour August 11 at 5:30 p.m. to showcase landscaping at Leif Hansen Park and the visitor center.

by Alaska Newsadded 5mo ago1 min read

Mat-Su Parks Recruiting Summer Trail Crew, Campground Workers

Mat-Su Borough Parks is hiring seasonal trail crew and campground workers for summer 2025, with positions offering training in sustainable trail building and facility management.

by Alaska Newsadded 6mo ago1 min read