Going To The Dogs At Iditarod

Want to combine history, culture, spectacular naturalAnchorage it's possible to undertake any number of
sightseeing and wildlife in one exciting family vacation?winter activities, including alpine skiing, sledding, ice
It's never been easier to tackle it all than with afishing, ice skiing, northern lights viewing,
vacation taking you to one of the most excitingsnowmobiling, snowshoeing, and, if inspired by the
races in the world - the Iditarod Sled Dog Race inIditarod racers, it's possible to lead a dog sled team
beautiful Alaska.of your own!
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is a challenging sledThe race finishes in Nome, on the western Bering sea
dog race in Alaska, held annually in February or March.coast, where travelers can experience a different
This grueling race sees mushers and teams ofkind of Alaska. Nome is, like many Alaska towns,
huskies covering 1150 miles (1850 km) in eight tosmall and isolated, but is unique in that it was
fifteen days. The scenery is spectacular - with theestablished as a Gold Rush boom town. The feeling
teams passing glaciers and frozen lakes and travelingof the wild west still pervades the city streets. Nome
through pristine wilderness as they race for the finish.gets a festival flavour during the Iditarod, and
Although racers can face brutal temperatures, forcedfeatures such events as a reindeer potluck, native
to race through blizzards and whiteout conditions,arts & crafts show, Iditarod awards banquets, and
sub-zero temperatures, and gale-force winds, for thethe opportunity for tourists to "meet the mushers."
*** NUMBER *** of tourists who come up for aThis glamourous race commemorates a meaningful
glimpse of the action, this can make a comfortable,event in 1925, when a dog-sled team raced medicine
relaxing, and entirely unique winter vacation.from Nenana to Nome to save the town from a
The ceremonial start occurs in Anchorage, a lively anddiphtheria epidemic. Although there hasn't been quite
charming town any time of year, which provides athe same purpose in recent years, the Iditarod is still
great base for other exploration of the state. Froma fun adventure for travelers.