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Connecting trail · Southcentral

Anchorage

A blank spot on the map when the trail opened in 1910, Anchorage became a stop on its main route after 1915, and every March the Ceremonial Start of the sled dog race runs through it.

A white canvas wall tent with a roadhouse sign stands on a grassy fairground.
The Iditarod Roadhouse at the Anchorage Centennial Tent City. 2015

What to See

  • The Ceremonial Start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Fourth Avenue, the first Saturday in March
  • The Ship Creek to Indian Pass trail, a 20-mile traverse best done on skis in winter
  • The Alaska Public Lands Information Center on Fourth Avenue, open year round

Ways to Travel Here

  • BikeRide the paved Chester Creek path the sled dog teams follow at the Ceremonial Start.
  • Ski or SkijorSki the 20-mile Ship Creek to Indian Pass trail in winter.
  • Mush a Dog TeamWatch the teams leave Fourth Avenue at the Ceremonial Start in March.
  • Ride the RailroadThe Alaska Railroad’s Anchorage-to-Seward run follows the historic trail.
  • Fly InMost trips to the Bush begin with a flight from Anchorage.

No matter what the time of year, be prepared. Check local conditions before you venture out.

Southcentral, Seward to Knik

  1. SewardMile 0

    Mile 0 of the historic trail: a tripod and the historic Iditarod Trail monument stand on the shoreline of Resurrection Bay beside the Alaska SeaLife Center.

  2. Moose PassRailroad community

    A railroad community in the Kenai Mountains near the Johnson Pass Trail, a 23-mile segment of the historic trail system.

  3. GirdwoodTrail town

    Founded in 1906 as a place to rest and resupply before crossing the Chugach Mountains, Girdwood keeps some of the most easily reached and historically intact segments of the trail.

  4. Eagle RiverTrail valley

    The Eagle River Nature Center sits on the trail at the north end of the Crow Pass traverse, in a valley Army explorers on the Iditarod once called a miniature Yosemite.

  5. AnchorageConnecting trail · Ceremonial Start

    A blank spot on the map when the trail opened in 1910, Anchorage became a stop on its main route after 1915, and every March the Ceremonial Start of the sled dog race runs through it.

  6. EklutnaDena’ina village

    A Dena’ina Athabaskan village site established in 1650 and once the winter crossing of the Knik River on the historic trail.

  7. WasillaRace headquarters

    Home of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters, with a replica public shelter cabin, and near Reflections Lake, the old ice crossing of the Knik River.

  8. KnikGold-rush outfitting town

    The last major outfitting town before the goldfields, home to 1,500 people at its peak, until Anchorage and the railroad passed it by.