Berry Picking

August is here and this is prime time to pick berries in our area. From blueberries to crowberries to salmonberries (my husband’s fave) to raspberries and lingonberries, the harvest is plenty this month before they disappear in September.

You can find berries all over the area- on trails outside of the city and on the mountainsides. All you need is your own two hands (though some pros use berry combs) and a bag or a bucket to collect your loot. After we collect each season, we rinse and freeze our berries to make cobblers, muffins, pies, jellies and other sweet treats throughout the year. Some people use their picked berries to make akutaq. Though my husband is Alaska Native, our household is not an akutaq eating home. (I tried it once and once was enough for me!)

Berry picking with the family in the summer of ‘20 on Powerline Pass Trail by Flattop Mountain.

Though some locals have their secret, tried-and-true location(s) for the best berries, the following areas are well known places to go picking in or around the Anchorage area (in alpha order):

• Eklutna Lakeside Trail (Eklutna)

• Flattop Mountain Trail (South Anchorage)

• Mount Alyeska (Girdwood)

• Peters Creek Trail (Peters Creek)

• Rendezvous Peak Trail (North Anchorage)

• South Fork Valley Trail (Eagle River)

Do’s and Don’t When Berry Picking

• Do pack cash to pay for parking, unless you have season park pass, if you are planning on picking in the parks that access the trails.

• Don’t eat white berries. All white berries in Alaska are poisonous.

• Do stay alert to any wildlife that you may encounter (read: bears).

• Do respect the land and avoid trampling on any flora or foliage. Some places have signs out reminding you of that.

• Do have fun!