Flattop Peak was enveloped in mist yesterday when I took this snapshot in the pouring rain. The local kids climbing down from the summit were a lot tougher than I.

By Tara Kyle

Day 4 of my trip to Anchorage.  Alaska's most climbed mountain, atop the 1.5-mile Flattop Mountain Trail in Chugach State Park, is just a 20- to 30-minute drive from downtown. You need to be moderately physically fit for this work-out; the trail is steep in sections, and dislodged rocks can be hazardous.

Need something lighter?  We stuck to the Anchorage Overlook Trail, a much easier .5-mile path with plenty of nice picnic spots (and, in late summer, lots of nearby blueberries for picking).

The good thing about rainy days in Anchorage:  The city gets close to 20 hours of daylight in summer (tomorrow the sun will rise at 4:30 and set at 11:30). So, if it's raining in the afternoon, you can do your trail hiking in the evenings; it's not unusual for the sun to finally come out at 7 or 8 p.m.

For the fainter of heart: In bad weather, choose the Overlook Trail.