Pillar Mt.

Date Hiked: 14 December 23

Distance: 3.88 miles

Elevation: 1,040ft

Difficulty: Moderate

Features: Windmills, views of (in order from right to left) Monashka Mt., Three Sisters, Devil’s Prongs, Pyramid Mt., Barometer Mt., Kashevaroff Mt., also views of town, Near Island, and Chiniak Bay. Road trail or foot trail on the way up, plenty of dirt bike and ATV trails around.

Description: I wanted to summit a mountain in the winter with minimal gear, and Pillar Mt. was a safe bet. I hiked this one solo, starting up the vehicle road then translated to one of the many hiking trails. This mountain is open to cars and motorized vehicles in the summer but foot traffic only in the winter. I would highly highly recommend driving a car up when the road is open to enjoy the view or watch the sunset. The wildflowers in the summer are amazing.

The views of the snow-covered Three Sisters on my winter hike were absolutely breathtaking, felt like I was in a winter wonderland. The windmills along the ridgeline with snow were amazing also. Overall, a moderately strenuous trail that was quite enjoyable. The road and trail were completely covered in ice and light snow. Went up with spikes on my hiking boots and fell down a few times on my descent but would do again.

The photos below are from both the winter hike and summer/fall drives to the summit. During the summer, the mountain is covered in green grass and wildflowers.