Lost Lake Trail – Seward, AK

(Note: I didn’t bring my camera on this hike and only have pics from my iphone, so bare with me on the quality)

I don’t do many overnight hikes, but this one was absolutely worth it. This is a great route for trail running or a camping trip. It’s a lot of hiking to get to the views, but if you trail run (they actually do a race on this trail), you’ll get up to it faster, and if you hike it, it’s worth staying for the night. This is also a popular mountain biking trail. You have to walk your bike in some sections, but lots of people love this route on mountain bike.


Out-and-Back or Through-hike

This trail is about 14 miles, out-and-back, or as a through-hike, with around 2,500’ elevation gain. You can either out-and-back this trail from one of two trail heads, or, if you have two vehicles, you can hike from trail head to trail head.

The Primrose trail head (at the Primrose campground) is about 17 miles from Seward, and the Lost Lake trail head is about 5 miles from Seward. If you plan on camping and want to through-hike, I would suggest starting from Primrose. When you head out the next day, you’ll be facing the views of Seward and Resurrection bay on your way down.

Note that when looking up the Primrose trail on Alltrails, you need to type in “Lost Lake Primrose.” If you type in “Primrose” first, it’ll pull up “Primrose to Long Lake,” and it’s easy to get them confused if you’re not paying attention.

Also, don’t be like the goober on Alltrails who turned around well before the views because they got tired of walking in the trees. This is not like a lot of hikes in Alaska, where you get above the tree line pretty fast, but trust me, it’s worth it to keep going.

Where to Camp

On the Primrose side of the lake, there are camping spots along the trail, each marked by a pole with a tent symbol. These camping spots have bear lock boxes for food storage and a pit toilet. Campers are encouraged to camp at these spots, but if they’re taken, you can really set up anywhere that’s comfortable.

More to Explore

I’ve only been out here once, but the next time I go, I plan on doing some exploring towards the west of the lake. There are multiple glaciers to be found back there. Just follow the edge of the lake from either of the trails that take you to the camping area around the lake. Work your way around and past the lake, towards the west to explore the glaciers.

Lost lake, Seward
It was around midnight when I took this photo.
You can see Resurrection Bay in the background, as we head towards Seward.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

capturing your adventures

Alaska • Oahu • Beyond

Connect

Read the
blog

@orion_Satori

Follow the adventures