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Road Conditions & Weather Report
Current road conditions and weather reports are
available through the
State of
Alaska Department of Transportation - (800) 478-7675.
Parks Highway

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There are several day excursions worth
considering. Drive
an hour and a half north along the Parks Highway (Hwy 3) to Talkeetna to
tour the historical mining town. The town has a lot of local color. It is the jumping off
point for the climbers on their way to or from Mt. McKinley. The Talkeetna Museum of Northern Adventure
is worth a visit, and the Denali National Park Climbing Headquarters is
also located in downtown Talkeetna.
There are also sled dog tour operators along
the Parks Highway that offer summer sled dog rides. Plettner
Kennels (907-892-6944) provides sled dog rides in the Big Lake area.
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View from Parks Highway |
On a clear day, the best views of Mt. McKinley are
along the Parks Highway on the way to Talkeetna and to mile 140 on the Parks highway or
along the Petersville Road just north of Talkeetna at Trapper's Creek. In Petersville there are a number of
trails plus active gold mines and gold panning areas.
Along the Parks highway you have the opportunity to visit
Big Lake, mile 51, a good place to trout fish, with all water sports and many good
restaurants. Houston, mile 57, is a good salmon fishing area. Nancy Lake,
mile 64, has fishing and water sports, Willow, mile 69 is the northern intersection
for the Hatcher Pass road which loops back to Palmer. Willow has a number of good fishing
streams and lakes, along with Air services that fly out to remote lodges and camps and
float trips. Miners Last Stand museum and jail is also located in Willow.
- Glenn Highway
National
Scenic Byway
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Glenn Highway view, Mile 90 |
Another nice drive follows the Glenn Highway (Hwy 1)
east about an hour to the Matanuska Glacier. Lodges along the
highway
can be a nice place for lunch. For a small fee,
Matanuska Glacier
Park Resort (907-745-2534) allows visitors to drive to the foot of the Glacier. MICAguides
and NOVA
offer glacier trekking tours. |
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Matanuska Glacier |
On the way to Matanuska Glacier you
will pass NOVA Alaska's
Adventure Co. (907-745-5754). Nova has been offering raft trips
since 1975. They offer several nice day trips and half day float trips.
More information on
local glaciers is available here. |
There are also
fossil beds and great rock hounding areas along the Glenn Highway. You can make a long day
trip by going up the Glenn Highway to the Richardson Highway across the Denali Highway
(original entrance to Denali Park) and back down the Parks Highway.
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