Map #3 - Click for larger view

From sea level at Seward, the trails follow various narrow valleys through the Kenai and Chugach Mountains to Knik Arm. Topographic relief is varied, with Crow Pass and Indian Pass reaching 3,500 and 2,300 feet, respectively. From sea level at Knik, the Trail again begins a slow climb across the Susitna River valley, the Skwentna and Happy Rivers to Rainy Pass (at approximately 3,350 feet) in the Alaska Range, where surrounding peaks are over 5,000 feet. In these mountainous areas, avalanche danger threatens contemporary travelers as it did historic travelers.

Vegetation types vary from the coastal western hemlock-Sitka spruce forest communities of the Kenai Peninsula to the alpine-tundra and barren-ground communities of the Chugach Mountains and Alaska Range. From Knik Arm north, the transition from lowland spruce-hardwood forests to bottomland spruce-popular forests is as subtle as the elevation gain. Sitka spruce is commercially harvested adjacent to the Trail in the Seward area.

Soils in the Cook Inlet and Susitna River Valley are generally well drained, strongly acid silt-loams, while extremely shallow and rocky soils are found in the Chugach Mountains and Alaska Range. Patches of poorly drained soils occur in the Susitna River Valley. Wildlife is plentiful in the area south of the Alaska Range. Moose, caribou, black bear, brown-grizzly bear, lynx, beaver, land otter, marten, muskrat, northern bald eagles, and all types of waterfowl are common. Fish species include salmon, steelhead, Dolly Varden trout, arctic grayling, and lake trout.

Major climatic zones—the Maritime, Transition, and Continental—provide varied weather conditions along the Iditarod Trail system between Seward and Nome.

Whittier, falling into the Maritime Climatic Zone, has weather typical of a thin band along the Gulf of Alaska: heavy precipitation (175 inches, including 140 inches of snow), cool summers (45 degrees F to 63 degrees F), and mild winters (11 degrees F to 42 degrees F). Extremes of -25 degrees F to 84 degrees F have been recorded.

The major portion of the Trail system falls in the Transitional Climatic Zone. Near Rainy Pass at the Puntilla Lake station, precipitation is light (14 inches, including 86 inches of snow); summer temperatures are cool (37 degrees F to 63 degrees F), and winter temperatures of -47 degrees F and 86 degrees F have been recorded. Transition Zone stations at Skwentna, Wasilla, Anchorage, and Seward record similar weather statistics.
As in the gold rush days, climatic conditions are always a vital consideration in planning travel along many portions of the Iditarod Trail. Extreme temperatures and winds, and heavy snowfall with extreme avalanche danger will threaten the lives of unwary travelers.

The communities of the Iditarod Trail system south of the Alaska Range have changed more than those north of Rainy Pass. Anchorage, nonexistent in 1910, today boasts a population of more than 200,000. As the largest city in Alaska, it is the regional trade/transportation and service center. Substantial amounts of land have been developed for transportation, commercial and residential, and to a lesser extent, agricultural purposes. (The importance of Anchorage today tends to alter the contemporary perception of the historic Iditarod. Anchorage was not a major destination or supply point during the 1880-1920 period.”

All communities within this region of the Iditarod system are linked by major transportation systems. The Alaska Railroad, the Alaska Highway System, the Alaska Maritime Highway, and an international airport connect this portion of the Iditarod Trail with interstate points.

Table 1 summarizes community population, government, services, and access information for this region.

Recreation is the most diverse on the Trail segments south of Rainy Pass; the Trail receives the heaviest recreation use of any part of the Trail system. Several segments receive year-round use for hiking, skiing, and snowshoeing. Other Trail segments are popular routes for sled dog teams and snowmobiles, and at times unregulated use has created conflicts on various portions of the Trail system.

Within the Chugach National Forest, no summer motorized use is allowed on the historic trails, which are currently used as hiking trails. The Crow Pass-to-Eagle River traverse is closed to motorized use during the entire year within both the National Forest and Chugach State Park. Similarly, Indian Pass, within the State Park, is also closed to motorized use year-round.

The large tracts of land on the Trail system south of Rainy Pass presently have several land managers.

Most of the Trail between Rainy Pass and Seward is presently managed as public lands by the State of Alaska, the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, the Municipality of Anchorage, the U.S. Army, and the U.S.D.A. Forest Service. Several miles of it are private ownership. Only those portions of Trail situated on federally managed land are presently in the National Trail System. Section IV – Significant Sites and Segments will discuss which non-Federal portions of the Trail system are recommended for active management and for inclusion into the Iditarod National Trail System.

B. Rainy Pass to Kaltag

Branching off the Alaska Road Commission’s original Seward-to-Nome Trail, a trail system developed connecting the villages and mining camps of the Kuskokwim, Innoko, and Yukon rivers. Remaining today are trails still used each winter, summer roads, and abandoned sections of trail which have probably not been used in 40 years. Along the almost 1,200 miles of Trail system between Rainy Pass and Kaltag, no railroads, paved highways, or maintained recreation trails have been constructed. (See Map 4.)

The Iditarod Trail system between Rainy Pass and Kaltag leaves the 3,500-foot level of the Alaska Range and descends for more than 3,000 feet into the Kuskokwim Mountains (over several routes) into the Yukon River drainage. All routes meet at the village of Kaltag (elevation 200 feet) on the Yukon River.

The predominant vegetation type through which this section of the Iditarod Trail passes is the spruce-hardwood forest of the Kuskokwim and Innoko Flats and surrounding mountainous areas. Bottomland spruce-poplar forest communities dominate the major river valleys of the Yukon, Kuskokwim, Iditarod, and Innoko rivers. Alpine tundra and barren ground communities are scattered throughout this large area, with large communities located near the Iditarod Loop of the Trail and the Alaska Range. The major low brush bog community is located in the lowlands between Kaiyuh Mountains and the Yukon River. Other snall low brush bog communities are located near the Yukon River, Iditarod River, and Takotna River.

Wildlife species are diverse in the interior portion of the Iditarod Trail System: caribou, hare, lynx, moose, black bear, wolverine, fox, wolf, brown-grizzly bear, beaver, Dall sheep, marten, land otter, bald eagle, golden eagle, osprey, peregrine falcon, muskrat, weasel, and mink.

Important waterfowl areas are located in the Innoko and Kuskokwim valleys. Sport fish species in various areas include grayling, northern pike, and several species of salmon.

The entire Trail system between Rainy Pass and Kaltag falls into the Continental Climatic Zone. Generally, weather conditions are characterized by extreme temperatures both winter and summer, light precipitation, and often light surface winds.

At McGrath, average daily temperatures range from about 45 degrees F to 68 degrees F during the summer months and from -1 degrees F to -18 degrees F in the winter months. Precipitation averages 18 inches, including 56 inches of snow. The towns of Flat, Ruby, Galena, and Nulato experience similar weather conditions.

The Iditarod Trail in Alaska’s interior has fewer communities along the route now than it did at the height of the Iditarod and Ruby gold strikes. The population is concentrated in the villages along the Yukon River between Ruby and Kaltag, with Galena being the transportation and trade center in the area. McGrath serves as the population/trade center between the Yukon and Rainy Pass on the Kuskokwin River. Athabascan Indians make up the majority population of communities in this portion of the Trail System.

Besides employment relating to trade, transportation, and service in McGrath and Galena and the U.S. Air Force Base in Galena, the people living in villages and camps along the route are engaged in seasonal and/or subsistence activities. Mining is a significant economic base for the area, with active mines around Ganes Creek, Moore Creek, Flat, Poorman, and Ophir.

Transportation between villages is chiefly by light plane. Galena and McGrath are connected to Anchorage by commercial airlines. The State maintains roads between Poorman and Ruby, and between Takotna and Ophir. Riverboats, snowmachines, dog teams, and all-terrain vehicles transport equipment and people between villages, subsistence areas, and mining camps.

Table 2 summarizes community population, government, services, and access information for this region.

Due to the extreme weather conditions and lack of support facilities away from communities, the Trail system does not attract many visiting recreationists. During the fall, some big game hunting is based out of the Yukon River villages and the McGrath area. Each March, the Iditarod Sled Dog Race attracts mushers, tourists, and support personnel, who utilize portions of the historic route. Recreational use of the Trail system is concentrated around villages by local residents during the winter months.

Thte State of Alaska is the major landowner of the Trail system between Rainy Pass and the Yukon River. The State will manage major blocks of land around the Alaska Range, Iditarod Loop, and between McGrath and the Yukon River.

Various Trail segments are within the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. One frequently used Trail segment between Ophir and Iditarod (commonly called the “Hunter Trail”) crosses a “Designated Wilderness Area.”

The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for various blocks of Federal land near the South Fork of the Kuskokwim River and Flat.

Various portions of the historic route cross Doyon, Ltd. Regional corporation lands, Native village lands of McGrath, Takotna, and Kaltag, and individual Native allotment lands.

Federal easements generally follow all sections of the historic Trail system across Native lands except for small portions through Kaltag Village, McGrath Village, and Doyon Regional Corporation lands.

C. Kaltag to Nome

The travel routes between the Yukon River and the villages bordering Norton Sound have changed little since the gold rush era. Of the almost 400 miles of Trail included or eligible for inclusion in the National Trail System, 33 miles are a State-maintained road between Nome and Solomon, and the remainder are winter trails which follow the beaches and cross Norton Bay. No developed recreation trails have been established between Kaltag and Nome. The winter trail tread is quite evident in all seasons along most of the Kaltag portage, but portions of the Trail that cross tundra areas are undetectable during the summer months. Various segments of the Trail are visible at scattered intervals along the Kaltag-to-Nome segment. (See Map 6.)

The route leaves the 200-foot elevation in the Yukon River basin at Kaltag and follows the low, broad Unalakleet River Valley, reaching an elevation of 600 feet in the vicinity of Twenty-two Mile Cabin as it passes through the Kaltag Mountains with peaks averaging 2,000 to 3,000 feet.

From Unalakleet, the Trail generally stays at or near sea level as it skirts Norton Sound along the tidewater lagoons, spits, and barrier beaches. The normal winter trail actually crosses Norton Bay when sea ice will support such travel. The portion of the Trail system that leaves barren beaches reaches a maximum elevation of 300 feet near the village of White Mountain.

Vegetation types range from the upland spruce-hardwood communities of the Yukon and Unalakleet River valleys to the various tundra and beach communities bordering Norton Sound.

Wildlife species common to the area include: brown-grizzly bear, red fox, moose, arctic fox, land otter, marten, hare, musk-ox, caribou, beaver, lynx and walrus.

Important waterfowl nesting areas are located along the shores of Norton Sound. Grayling, arctic char, northern pike and several species of salmon are found in the Unalakleet River and other creeks and streams along Norton Sound.

Passing from Kaltag to Nome, a traveler will leave the Continental Climatic Zone and enter the Transitional Climatic Zone. In gerneal, coastal summer weather temperatures will be less extreme, but precipitation will be about the same as for the interior region.

At Nome, precipitation averages 19 inches, including 82 inches of snow. Average daily temperatures range from 38 degrees F to 56 degrees F in the summer months, and from -4 degrees F to -13 degrees F in the winter months. Other coastal communities experience similar weather patterns.

This portion of the Iditarod Trail crosses the boundary between Indian and Eskimo cultures. Athabascan Indians inhabit the Yukon River village of Kaltag, while people of Eskimo descent make up a majority of the population of the villages along the route between Unalakleet and Nome.

Nome has remained the largest community in this area since the gold rush boom. It serves as the trade, transportation and service center for the villages of the Norton Sound area.

Besides employment relating to trade, transportation, and service in Nome, people living in Nome and other villages on the route to Kaltag are engaged in seasonal employment such as reindeer herding, commercial fishing and fish processing, and fire fighting. Mining for precious metals is still the most important economic activity of the Seward Peninsula.

Subsistence activities within the area include hunting trapping, fishing firewood gathering, and berry picking.

Transportation between villages during winter is by light plane, snowmachine, and dog team. Boats or small planes are used during the summer. Only Nome and Unalakleet are connected by regularly scheduled mail planes.

The villages of Council, Solomon, and Nome are connected by a State-maintained road system.

Table 3 summarizes community population, government, services, and access information for this region.

Recreation use in the region is concentrated around Nome, where a large number of tourists are attracted by the historic Nome townsite, active and historic mining, the annual Iditarod Sled Dog Race, and side trips from Nome. Access to the Trail system is by aircraft to the villages along the route. Outside of Nome, recreational use of the Trail is limited primarily to local villagers with snowmachines and dog teams.

Native regional and village corporations have selected most of the land along the route between the Yukon River and Nome. Federal easements protect public access along the historic route, however, the primary route between Kaltag and Unalakleet crosses the Unalakleet National Wild River, crosses U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge. The State of Alaska manages the historic between Solomon and Nome along the State-maintained road.