Serenity Now: Find tranquility in this verdant Alaska valley

[...] it's worth driving the bumpy gravel road for 6 seemingly endless miles to enjoy the splendor that is Arctic Valley, nestled in the Chugach State Park at the edge of military property in the greater municipality of Anchorage.

Best of all, you're in for some stunning views that feel far removed from civilization right here in Anchorage's backyard, a place dotted with wildflowers, a creek weaving through shrub thickets and one of the few local places to see alpine tundra.

On top of that, there are some vestiges of the Cold War era and a little skiing history thrown in.

Keep going, and high up in the distance are the partially refurbished clamshell radar towers that were once part of the national Nike Hercules missile site system established at 145 locations in Alaska and the lower 48.

At Arctic Valley, the Nike Site Summit was activated between 1959 and 1979, and is the only site to survive in a nearly complete state, according to Friends of Nike Site Summit, a citizen preservation group that occasionally conducts group tours.

The Cold War relics are just part of the scenery encountered along my favorite Arctic Valley hike — a one and a quarter-mile trek to an aerial view of the Anchorage suburb of Eagle River.

Nearby is a parking-payment kiosk, with the $5 per vehicle fee paid on the honor system going to the Anchorage Ski Club.