The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has had quite the journey since the first race to Nome took place in 1973. Many obstacles have tried to keep what is known as ‘The Last Great Race On Earth’ from happening, but as the old saying goes; “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” So even though unpredictable weather conditions have pushed the start of the 2017 Iditarod all the way up to Fairbanks, we couldn’t help but relive some of the most stunning moments along the historic route. Be sure to stay tuned to the upcoming 2017 Iditarod by checking out the official countdown clock HERE.
The Iditarod Trail is also known historically as the ‘Seward-to-Nome Trail’ and was once heavily used by homesteaders, Native Alaskans and those coming to the 49th state as a part of the notorious gold rush.
Flickr - Madeleine Deaton The full length of this trail is over 1,000 miles and is a mix of historic trials and contemporary maintained trails.
Below is the official northern map of the historic Iditarod trail.
iditarod.com During the earlier years of the Iditarod, the northern route was the only one used by mushers.
Below is the official southern map of the historic Iditarod trail.
iditarod.com After several years, the Iditarod race started to rotate between the northern and southern route every other year. This change helped distribute the Iditarod attention more comfortably among small villages along the way. It helped alleviate stress from the Iditarod off of communities like Ruby, Galena and Nulato. It also helped the villages of Shageluk, Anvik and Grayling as they were now able to participate in the race fun.
- Anchorage
Flickr - Michael Hayes The start of the Iditarod kicking off on a bright and early March morning before the sun even rises and the moon is still out.
Flickr - Dana Orlosky Crowds gather in downtown Anchorage to soak in all of the athlete action and to gush over all of the beautiful dogs.
Flickr - Arctic Warrior The crowds in Anchorage line the streets and cover balconies and rooftops as far as the eyes can see.
Flickr - Travis After the dogs get all geared up (with two sets of running shoes each), they take off and the crowds go wild with cheer.
- Willow
Flickr - David Weekly Head out to Alaska’s Mat-Su Valley and make your way to the town of Willow.
Flickr - Mike Juvrud You’ll be flabbergasted by all the energy these happy dogs have at the Ceremonial Start in Willow.
- Skwentna
Facebook - Skwentna Roadhouse You can’t miss the idyllic Skwentna Roadhouse on the way to your next stop.
- Finger Lake
Flickr - David Weekly A stunning aerial view shows a mushing team crossing a frozen path at Finger Lake.
- Rainy Pass
Flickr - Airman Magazine Sled dog team comes in nice and sharp around a tough turn at Rainy Pass.
- Nikolai
Flickr - Travis A summertime look at the winding river valley around the village of Nikolai.
- McGrath
Flickr - Travis A piercing sunrise from the village of McGrath is more powerful than we can put into words.
- Ruby
Flickr - qayaq The isolated village of Ruby looking absolutely picturesque during the late spring months.
- Kaltag
Flickr - Bureau of Land Management Alaska
Flickr - Bureau of Land Management Alaska Along the way between Kaltag and Unalakleet you’ll see mushers passing the Old Woman Shelter Cabin along the historic Iditarod Trail.
- Unalakleet
Flickr - Angela All you have to do is wake up in time for the sunrise in order to see a million dollar view in Unalakleet.
- Shaktoolik
Flickr - Stephen Cysewski The tiny village with a population around 250 residents sure is filled with natural beauty.
- Elim
Flickr - Bering Land Bridge National Preserve In Elim, mushers along the historic Iditarod Trail get to soak in epic sunsets that paint the sky over the Bering Sea.
- Golovin
Flickr - Travis This area is home to a tiny village with around 150 year-round residents. Off the grid never looked so good!
- Safety
Flickr - jpc.raleigh The Safety roadhouse checkpoint looks a lot different during the summer months after all the snow and ice melts, but don’t let these simple flatland’s fool you. The stretch between the village of White Mountain and Safety is one of the most dangerous stretches along the route. When the wind picks up and a storm starts brewing, this stretch is straight up hellacious.
- Bering Sea
Fickr - Jeff Walters But when the weather is calm and clear, this stretch of the race outside of Safety is absolutely the epitome of picturesque.
- Nome
Flickr - James Brooks For the mushing community, crossing the Iditarod finish line in the city of Nome is one of the greatest accomplishments of their lifetime. For us crazy-obsessed viewers, we also tend to go pretty nuts when we see our favorite teams cross that historic finish line.
- Nome 2.0
Flickr - Bering Land Bridge National Preserve After days on end spent weathering the storm, the Iditarod athletes take some much deserved (and totally adorable) R&R in the city of Nome.
If you want to learn more about the Iditarod, be sure to check out the short and sweet summary on the YouTube video below.
Flickr - Madeleine Deaton
The full length of this trail is over 1,000 miles and is a mix of historic trials and contemporary maintained trails.
iditarod.com
During the earlier years of the Iditarod, the northern route was the only one used by mushers.
After several years, the Iditarod race started to rotate between the northern and southern route every other year. This change helped distribute the Iditarod attention more comfortably among small villages along the way. It helped alleviate stress from the Iditarod off of communities like Ruby, Galena and Nulato. It also helped the villages of Shageluk, Anvik and Grayling as they were now able to participate in the race fun.
Flickr - Michael Hayes
The start of the Iditarod kicking off on a bright and early March morning before the sun even rises and the moon is still out.
Flickr - Dana Orlosky
Crowds gather in downtown Anchorage to soak in all of the athlete action and to gush over all of the beautiful dogs.
Flickr - Arctic Warrior
The crowds in Anchorage line the streets and cover balconies and rooftops as far as the eyes can see.
Flickr - Travis
After the dogs get all geared up (with two sets of running shoes each), they take off and the crowds go wild with cheer.
Flickr - David Weekly
Head out to Alaska’s Mat-Su Valley and make your way to the town of Willow.
Flickr - Mike Juvrud
You’ll be flabbergasted by all the energy these happy dogs have at the Ceremonial Start in Willow.
Facebook - Skwentna Roadhouse
You can’t miss the idyllic Skwentna Roadhouse on the way to your next stop.
A stunning aerial view shows a mushing team crossing a frozen path at Finger Lake.
Flickr - Airman Magazine
Sled dog team comes in nice and sharp around a tough turn at Rainy Pass.
A summertime look at the winding river valley around the village of Nikolai.
A piercing sunrise from the village of McGrath is more powerful than we can put into words.
Flickr - qayaq
The isolated village of Ruby looking absolutely picturesque during the late spring months.
Flickr - Bureau of Land Management Alaska
Along the way between Kaltag and Unalakleet you’ll see mushers passing the Old Woman Shelter Cabin along the historic Iditarod Trail.
Flickr - Angela
All you have to do is wake up in time for the sunrise in order to see a million dollar view in Unalakleet.
Flickr - Stephen Cysewski
The tiny village with a population around 250 residents sure is filled with natural beauty.
Flickr - Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
In Elim, mushers along the historic Iditarod Trail get to soak in epic sunsets that paint the sky over the Bering Sea.
This area is home to a tiny village with around 150 year-round residents. Off the grid never looked so good!
Flickr - jpc.raleigh
The Safety roadhouse checkpoint looks a lot different during the summer months after all the snow and ice melts, but don’t let these simple flatland’s fool you. The stretch between the village of White Mountain and Safety is one of the most dangerous stretches along the route. When the wind picks up and a storm starts brewing, this stretch is straight up hellacious.
Fickr - Jeff Walters
But when the weather is calm and clear, this stretch of the race outside of Safety is absolutely the epitome of picturesque.
Flickr - James Brooks
For the mushing community, crossing the Iditarod finish line in the city of Nome is one of the greatest accomplishments of their lifetime. For us crazy-obsessed viewers, we also tend to go pretty nuts when we see our favorite teams cross that historic finish line.
After days on end spent weathering the storm, the Iditarod athletes take some much deserved (and totally adorable) R&R in the city of Nome.
For more beautiful sights in the Last Frontier, be sure to check out these 7 wonders of the world that are right here in Alaska. You’ll also love these 15 mountain towns in Alaska that are straight out of a storybook.
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