O’Malley Peak sits as one of the highest and most prominent peaks in the front range near Anchorage. Getting to the peak is simple. However, getting to some of the climbs can be difficult. The most direct approach to the mountain is to take O’Malley road in Anchorage east toward the mountains. Turn right at the brown sign for Flattop heading south on Hillside Road. Turn left at another brown sign and head east on Upper Huffman Road. Continue to follow the brown signs for Flattop/Glen Alps. In the winter, this road can be treacherous considering the grade is steep and not maintained by the city for the whole duration. If you can make it up the road, park in the Glen Alps parking lot. From here, get on your bike or slap on your skis and take the access to the Powerline Trail. Once on Powerline trail head toward the mountains and take the first trail cutoff on the left at a post. After crossing the creek bridge, a couple of options exist. You can take the steep trail up to the saddle to access the ballfield, or if the snow conditions don’t look good, hike around the front of the ridge and hike up the creek into the ball field. Of course, these are not the only options for the approach.
