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Each of the 223 parks has a story

The Municipality of Anchorage manages 223 parks covering 10,946 acres. Some, like Kincaid Park, are sprawling, while others are pocketed away in urban neighborhoods. Each has a unique story, including these three:

Delaney Park (the “Park Strip” along 9th Ave): This downtown centerpiece hosts military monuments and summertime fairs and music. It was first cleared as a firebreak in 1917, then used as a golf course and an airstrip. In the 1920s, it was lined with brothels, which Mayor James Delaney ordered shuttered in the 1930s.

Kincaid Park: Stretching between Turnagain Arm and Knik Arm, Kincaid is a local favorite for biking, disc golf, and miles of groomed and lighted ski trails. It was withdrawn from the Chugach National Forest in 1915 and later served as a Nike-Hercules missile battery before the park was pieced together beginning in the 1960s. It is named for Ralph Kincaid (1907-1953), a construction contractor who built several ballfields in town.

Resolution Park: Perched at the west end of 4th Avenue, this tiny park has expansive views of Cook Inlet and the mountains beyond, including Denali, along with a bronze monument to Captain James Cook, who explored the inlet in 1778 aboard the HMS Resolution. In March 2023, representatives of the Native Village of Eklutna, Anchorage Museum, and Anchorage Parks and Recreation unveiled a new sign (pictured above) featuring Alaska Native names for the mountains visible from the park.

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