The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is a challenging sled dog race in Alaska, held annually in February or March. This grueling race sees mushers and teams of huskies covering 1150 miles (1850 km) in eight to fifteen days. The scenery is spectacular - with the teams passing glaciers and frozen lakes and traveling through pristine wilderness as they race for the finish.
Although racers can face brutal temperatures, forced to race through blizzards and whiteout conditions, sub-zero temperatures, and gale-force winds, for the *** NUMBER *** of tourists who come up for a glimpse of the action, this can make a comfortable, relaxing, and entirely unique winter vacation.
The ceremonial start occurs in Anchorage, a lively and charming town any time of year, which provides a great base for other exploration of the state. From Anchorage it's possible to undertake any number of winter activities, including alpine skiing, sledding, ice fishing, ice skiing, northern lights viewing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and, if inspired by the Iditarod racers, it's possible to lead a dog sled team of your own!
The race finishes in Nome, on the western Bering sea coast, where travelers can experience a different kind of Alaska. Nome is, like many Alaska towns, small and isolated, but is unique in that it was established as a Gold Rush boom town. The feeling of the wild west still pervades the city streets. Nome gets a festival flavour during the Iditarod, and features such events as a reindeer potluck, native arts & crafts show, Iditarod awards banquets, and the opportunity for tourists to "meet the mushers."
This glamourous race commemorates a meaningful event in 1925, when a dog-sled team raced medicine from Nenana to Nome to save the town from a diphtheria epidemic. Although there hasn't been quite the same purpose in recent years, the Iditarod is still a fun adventure for travelers.
