Blueberry Picking 2025 Eureka Alaska

Well, everyone... looks like we might have theme this month. This will be my second post about blueberries, and I don't think it will be the last. We have four more days to the month of August, and I plan to make some book discussion post about upcoming fall books you don't want to miss. So please stay tuned for that and sign up for the newsletter.

This month's blueberry harvest has been very plentiful. I'll be showing you all a spot I found just by taking the ATV out and trekking around. Blueberry season is vital to Alaskans, because how else are we going to make our blueberry pies. In all seriousness, blueberries are a part of Alaska's culture history. Native Alaskans use the berries in "Akutaq", also known as native ice-cream. It's a mixture of moose or caribou meat and fat, or seal oil, along with the berries. It's known to be a special treat. Nowa days, some just us Crisco shortening as a fatty substitute. The women traditionally made akutaq after the first catch of a polar bear or seal. Traditionally, it was always made for funerals, pot latches, celebrations of a boy's first hunt, or almost any other celebration. As lucky as the Native Alaska's are, they are a plentiful harvest of berries in the tundra, where they can pick gallons of blueberries all day. Here in the interior and Anchorage area, it's harder to find spots that reasonability easy to get to. I'll be listing some common areas down below, as to where to go for some easy pickings. After that, keep reading to see where we went last weekend if you are up for more of a challenge.

Commonly known blueberry picking sights near Anchorage

• Flattop hiking area/ Powerline Pass

• Artic Valley Ski Area

• Eklutna Lake

• Eagle Rive Nature Center (Check for trail closures)

• Hatcher Pass/Read Lakes

Whenever you enter a new trail that you haven't been to before, make sure to check the latest conditions and bear activity. Ok, so now that we got some well-known spots out of the way, let's talk about the more challenging ones. Last weekend my boyfriend and I decide to take a day trip to the Eklutna Area. This area is well known for the wicked snow machining trails and deep snow in the wintertime. However, it also provides some amazing blueberry picking.

I set an alarm the previous night for 8am, so we had time to stop for coffee and a light breakfast at the Eureka Lodge. We left the house at around 9am after loading our ATV and hit the road. We stopped at a cafe in Palmer called Ell Woods. I ordered a blueberry mocha with oat milk. It was obviously delicious. We got on the highway and arrived at Eureka Lodge, just in time for the breakfast rush. The large amount of people made me nervous that we the blueberry spots would be crowded. I quickly remembered that folks were getting ready and prepping the cabins for moose season. We seat ourselves and within minutes we place out order. Chase orders pancakes and order the French toast. The food has always been amazing. For a little lodge off the side of the highway, I've always left satisfied. The French toast was fluffy and moist with sweet maple syrup on top. Within 20 minutes we were ready to get the ATV out of the truck and start getting ready to hit the trails.

I didn't really have a plan in mind for what trails we took and which ones to stay away from. We decided to park behind the lodge and unload. Whenever you are going in the back country you have to double, triple, check the items that you take with you. Bear deterrent, warm clothes, water, and a tarp... in case you gotta spend the night. Oh, and snacks. We get out bags and strap them to the ATV, excited to find some new trails. We took the road behind the lodge and made the first right, not knowing where we were going but using the OnX app to make sure we were on public land. I'm going to insert a picture of trail conditions below (8/25/25). It's been pretty rainy recently in this area, so we were cautious about water crossings. Knowing when to cross and where to cross is critical when exploring new trials. I always carry a trekking pole with me to track depth. The first section of this trail was about 50 feet of straight water and flood. To be expected as it was right next to a lake. The trail goes to higher elevation, so we were confident in moving forward.

We took the trail until it wasn't safe to keep going. Theres a pretty good rule of thumb to go by when you're exploring a trail you've never been to before; don't drive on bright green grass, and if it looks deep, it probably is. The whole way to the end of the trail, there were blueberries along the sides of the trails. I always wondered how they got on the sides, probably from tires tracking seeds. These berries were very nice in size and color. If you trend deeper into the bushes, you find even more. It was a beautiful day, and we managed to get around four pasta jars full of berries. Take a look at the pictures below. The next post will be about what to make with your blueberries and a simple how to. Thanks for reading and enjoy!