Stop 2 of 17 · Southcentral
Moose Pass
A railroad community in the Kenai Mountains near the Johnson Pass Trail, a 23-mile segment of the historic trail system.
What to See
- The Johnson Pass Trail, a 23-mile segment popular with hikers and mountain bikers, with trailheads at miles 64 and 32.5 of the Seward Highway
- The Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop, reached on the Alaska Railroad in the Chugach National Forest
Ways to Travel Here
- Hike or BackpackHike the 23-mile Johnson Pass Trail, a segment of the historic trail system.
- BikeMountain bike the Johnson Pass Trail.
- Ride the RailroadRide the Alaska Railroad to the Spencer Glacier Whistle Stop for backcountry hiking.
- DriveReach the Johnson Pass trailheads from the Seward Highway.
No matter what the time of year, be prepared. Check local conditions before you venture out.
History of Moose Pass
The community was first named in 1912 as a station on the Alaska Railroad. The name is reportedly derived from a mail carrier's team of dogs that in 1903 had considerable trouble gaining the right-of-way from a moose. A post office was established in 1928.
Southcentral, Seward to Knik
- 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.
- Moose PassRailroad community
A railroad community in the Kenai Mountains near the Johnson Pass Trail, a 23-mile segment of the historic trail system.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.