Entry No. 19 — the Anchorage file — filed under: science
Anchorage Lightspeed Planet Walk (the hunt for Pluto)
A scale-model solar system where one walking step equals the distance light travels in a second. The Sun and inner planets cluster downtown, but Pluto is marooned about five-and-a-half hours away at the Kincaid Chalet — built in 2003 by a local high-schooler and the Rotary Club. The fun is the absurd scale, not the plaques.
The move: Skip the easy inner planets — drive to Kincaid, find the lonely Pluto marker, then walk to Neptune/Uranus together as a tiny pilgrimage to the edge of the solar system.
📍 Before you go The Sun marker hides on the back, southwest corner of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts at 5th and G; the inner planets march west along 5th Avenue, so look down at curb level or you'll walk right past them. Pluto sits several miles southwest at the Kincaid Chalet, far enough that nearly everyone drives there directly rather than walking the whole route. Park at the chalet lot, then wander the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail toward Neptune and Uranus on foot. Summer's long daylight makes the Kincaid leg the best window, though the wooded trails get buggy. Pair it with Point Woronzof's inlet overlook on the drive out.
- 📍 Downtown to Kincaid Park
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Sun station at 5th Ave & G St, Anchorage, AK; Pluto at Kincaid Chalet
Hours: Outdoor markers anytime; Kincaid Park daylight hours best
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · Atlas Obscura
last checked: 2026-06-06