Page 9 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

HOW T O USE THIS GUIDE  7
ALASK A AREA B Y AREA  157
WESTERN INTERIOR
ALASKA Each area of Alaska is Alaska Region by Region
The landscape of the sparsely populated Western Interior
is covered with boreal forest, muskeg, taiga, and lakes. identified by color-coded
Dominated by a continental climate that creates the state’s
greatest climatic extremes, the region enjoys long summer thumb tabs. In the chapters that follow the
days with almost round-the-clock sunlight and dramatic
storms, and long, cold winter nights illuminated by the
undulating colors of the aurora borealis. section on Anchorage, the state is
This territory was first settled by Native fluctuating fortunes and population,
Athabaskan peoples who, despite its when huge military bases were set up divided into seven main regions.
exceedingly harsh environment, found to counter the Japanese threat (see p59). Introduction
it a region rich in wildlife and capable There was another growth spurt in the
of providing meat for food, and skins 1970s when Fairbanks was chosen as The map on the inside front cover
for clothing and shelter during the the logistical headquarters of the 1An overview of
bitterly cold winters. While much of Trans-Alaska Pipeline.
the land is deemed unproductive by Across the heart of the region stretches shows these regional divisions. The
modern definitions, the first Europeans the massive Alaska Range, crowned by the history and
in the area, like the Athabaskans Mount McKinley. Located within the
before them, managed to eke out popular Denali National Park, the peak most interesting places to visit are
a living in these bleak and difficult is now the area’s main draw. Denali and characteristics
conditions. These pio neers, including various state parks provide excellent
early 20th-century prospectors near hiking and wildlife viewing. Winter given on the Regional Map at the
Fairbanks, built up a semblance activities range from Nordic skiing to of each region.
of civilization in what was then soaking in hot springs and viewing the
considered the country’s last frontier. aurora. Attractive towns, including beginning of each chapter.
By the 1920s, engineers were using Fairbanks, Alaska’s second-largest city,
dredges to exploit deep seams of gold historic gold dredges, and whitewater
after placer gold (see p57) started to play rafting all combine to draw steadily
Country maps show the
out. World War II boosted the region’s increasing numbers of visitors.
location and area of the region
covered in the section.
Regional Map This
158  ALASK A AREA B Y AREA WESTERN INTERIOR ALASK A  159
2shows the main road
Exploring Western Interior Alaska
Dominating the landscape of the Western Interior is Denali, North network and gives an
Brilliant aurora borealis undulating across the sky
America’s highest mountain. Popular Denali National Park, home of Yukon
the massive peak, is on the itinerary of nearly every visitor to the state.
A Riverboat Discovery cruise on the Chena River near Fairbanks
Beyond Denali, summer visitors also enjoy Denali State Park, the rustic illustrated overview of
little town of Talkeetna, and the excellent museums of Fairbanks. Beaver
The region also contains such little-known gems as Nancy Lake Prudhoe Bay Circle
156-157_EW_Alaska.indd 157 State Recreation Area to the south and Chena Hot Springs to the Stevens Beaver Creek the whole region.
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north. The uncrowded and mostly untarred Elliott, Steese, and Village Central
Denali highways, which lead into the heart of the northern
Circle
wilderness, make not-to-be-missed drives. Mount Tozi DALTON HIGHWAY Hot Springs Interesting places to
5,500 ft Rampart Livengood STEESE HIGHWAY TOUR
Yukon ELLIOT HIGHWAY Tolovana Chatanika Chena Hot Springs
Tanana Minto Fox Chena River State visit are numbered and
Manley College Recreation Area
Hot Springs Chatanika
Tanana Tolovana FAIRBANKS North Pole there are useful tips on
Hot Springs ESTER
NENANA RICHARDSON HIGHWAY Moose dredging for pond weed, Denali National Park
Delta
Junction
Anderson PARKS HWY Wood getting around.
Kantishna Nenana Getting Around
The Western Interior has evolved around one thin lifeline,
D E N A L I HEALY DENALI Mount Hayes the Parks Highway, which connects the northern part of the
13,786 ft
N AT I O N A L Toklat VILLAGE NENANA Mount Deborah 12,298 ft Mat-Su to Fairbanks. Daily summer bus and train services link
Anchorage, Denali National Park, and Fairbanks. Daily flights
operate between Anchorage and Fairbanks; the Interior’s
Kantishna Wonder CANTWELL RIVER Paxson largest city is also the most convenient airport for scheduled
Lake K
Rafting the Nenana on the border of Denali National Park P A R DENALI HIGHWAY TOUR and chartered flights to bush communities in Arctic and
Western Alaska. Radiating out from Fairbanks, the Chena Hot Practical information at the
Key Denali 20,320 ft Springs Road, the Steese Highway, and the Elliott Highway
link the city with outly ing areas that are best accessed
Highway Mount Foraker with an organized tour or by car.
17,344 ft
Minor road DENALI STATE start of each entry includes
Alaska Railroad PARK 0 kilometers 50
Peak
Petersville Talkeetna Mountains 0 miles 50 a map reference relating to the
TALKEETNA
Trapper Creek
Yentna
Montana road map that appears on the
Skwentna Creek Glennallen
WILLOW
Sights at a Glance NANCY LAKE STATE HOUSTON inside back cover.
RECREATION AREA
Towns and Cities National and State Parks Wasilla
1 Big Lake 3 Nancy Lake State Recreation LAKE BIG Anchorage
Area
2 Houston 6 Denali State Park
4 Willow 9 Denali National Park pp166–9
5 Talkeetna
7 Cantwell Area of Natural Beauty
0 Denali Village q Nenana River 162  ALASK A AREA B Y AREA WESTERN INTERIOR ALASK A  163
w Healy
e Nenana Tours
r Ester 8 Denali Highway Tour p165 5 Talkeetna com plete with a historic ticket
t Fairbanks y Steese Highway Tour p179 A floatplane flying across Denali and the Alaska Range office, which replaced the
114 miles (183 km) N of Anchorage.
For keys to symbols see back flap For hotels and restaurants see pp242–5 and pp250–55 original 1920s structure that
Transport map E3. * 900. burned to the ground. It was
~ £ Anchorage–Fairbanks. @ moved from the railway yard
Anchorage–Fairbanks. n Parks Hwy
& Talkeetna Spur Rd, 733-2688. _ to its present location in 1990.
Talkeetna Bluegrass Festival (1st The 1923 Railroad Section
weekend in Aug), Bachelor Auction House was originally the home
and Wilderness Woman (1st week end of the railway foreman and
his family and crew. It now
Detailed Information All Possibly the only town to have houses a mountaineering McKinley Climbers Memorial in Talkeetna’s wooded cemetery
in Dec). ∑ talkeetnadenali.com
exhibit, including a 12-sq-ft
had a ginger cat – Stubbs – as (3.5-sq-m) scale model of
3the important towns and other its honorary mayor for some Climbers planning a trip at the Talkeetna Ranger Station Talkeetna Ranger Station Mount McKinley that is based no building in downtown Main Street is the 1930s Ole Dahl
on aerial photographs taken
15 years, Talkeetna, meaning
Talkeetna could be higher than
Cabin No. 2, the home of miner
“meeting of the rivers” in the
Ole Dahl, the 1930s Norwegian-
by renowned photographer,
the inn. After closing briefly,
Highway when it was built in
style Helmer Ronning House,
the Fairview reopened in 2006
the early 1970s, it still attracts a
22241 B St. Tel 733-2231. Open mid-
local Athabaskan language,
Bradford Washburn.
places to visit are dealt with began in 1896 as a trading post lot of traveler traffic: busloads of Apr–early Sep: 8am–5:30pm daily; The town’s oldest building, and is now smoke-free. It is a and the 1917 Frank Lee Cabin
winter: 8am–4:30pm Mon–Fri. 7
tourists admire its old-fashioned
and Barn, now housing the
and grew into a river boat port
the 1916 Ole Dahl Cabin, the
great spot to meet locals and
∑ nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/
climbers, and to enjoy the
air, young back packers wonder
supplying the 1910 Susitna
home of miner and barber Ole
popular Talkeetna Roadhouse.
Valley Gold Rush. There was a how to settle in permanently, mountaineering.html Dahl, was also salvaged by the occasional live band.
individually. They are listed in second wave of development and prospec tive climbers hope Maintained by the National Park museum, as were the 1924 P Nagley’s Store P Talkeetna Cemetery
2nd & F Sts.
when the Alaska
Harry Robb Cabin and the
Service, this ranger station
to scale Mount McKinley.
Talkeetna’s quiet cemetery would
provides year-round information
1920s stables operated by
Engineering
13650 North Main Street. Tel 733-
Popular activ ities include
order, following the numbering Commission set up flight seeing trips over for prospective climbers of Belle McDonald. 3663. = ∑ nagleysstore.com be of little interest to visitors if it
Mount McKinley and other peaks
its headquarters
Across the street from the
the mountain and
were not for the memorial
of the Alaska Range. The staff also
Fairview Inn, Nagley’s Store is
commemorating climbers who
P Fairview Inn
here during the
touring the
construction of Susitna, Talkeetna, mails out free information on 101 Main St (corner of D St) one of Talkeetna’s most have died on Mount McKinley
junction of the
charming buildings.
over the years. It is a sobering
Tel 733-2423.
the Alaska Railroad.
mountain eering regulations and
given on the Regional Map. Modern growth has Road sign, with Mahay’s Riverboat fees. Inside, there is a reference Built by Ben Nauman in Horace Nagley ran a reminder to those setting out
and Chulitna rivers
1923 as the overnight
been fueled by its
that the mountain and its
library of books and maps on
shop at Susitna Station
stop on the Alaska
mountaineering and Mount
favorable location near
on the Big Su (the
Service. Mahay’s also
weather can be harsh opponents
runs Denali wilderness
Each entry also contains Mount McKinley. Talkeetna on the Talkeetna river. McKinley. Rangers conduct free Railroad between Susitna River), but and are not to be taken lightly.
Any illusions of
dismantled it and
tours and fishing tours
Among the headstones is that
orientation programs for
Seward and Fairbanks,
reconstructed it on the
Talkeetna being the prototype
the Fairview Inn holds
of Talkeetna glacier pilot Don
climbing expeditions, as well as
of a small, quiet, pioneer town general interest programs at the the laudable distinc tion Fairview Inn sign, Talkeetna riverfront Sheldon, whose exploits are
practical information such will be quickly dispelled by the Mahay’s Riverboat Service Talkeetna Historical Society of having pos sessed downtown Talkeetna moved again on log rollers to its immortalized in the book, Wager
between 1917 and
Museum and the Talkeetna
Talkeetna’s first bathtub.
with the Wind. He died in 1975 at
1921. In 1945, it was
sum mer crowds. Although the
Main St, Talkeetna. Tel 733-2223.
Alaskan Lodge.
the age of 56. Talkeetna’s other
town was bypassed by the Parks
Decorated with antlers, pelts,
∑ mahaysriverboat.com
as map references, addresses, E Talkeetna Historical and local memorabilia, it was a current site. Amazingly, it stayed hero, Ray Genet, is missing here
as he was lost on Mount Everest
open during the move. The store
community hall and drinking
in 1979 at the age of 48 and his
den for both locals and visi tors.
Society Museum
houses the town’s only grocery
Off 1st St. Tel 733-2487. Open In 2003, it was decreed that and general store. Farther down body was never found.
telephone numbers, and 11am–4pm Sat & Sun. &
summer: 10am–6pm daily; winter:
∑ talkeetnahistoricalsociety.org
Located next to the old
opening times. airstrip, the Talkeetna Historical
Society Museum consists of a
complex of seven buildings. The
main displays are housed in the
Climbers and bush plane on Kahiltna Glacier red 1937 Schoolhouse, which
had rooms for teachers on the
Mountaineers and Glacier Pilots floor above. Used as a school
Mount McKinley, looming on the horizon, is Talkeetna’s main draw. In until 1971, it became the
museum headquarters three
1947, Bradford and Barbara Washburn pioneered the West Buttress years later. Today, it is packed
Route, which is the standard route in use today. Starting with a flight with pioneer artifacts, photo-
to the 7,200-ft (2,160-m) level of Kahiltna Glacier, it eliminates a long graphs, and articles on old
walk on Muldrow Glacier from McKinley’s northern slope. Talkeetna Talkeetna, including relics of
legend Ray Genet became the first McKinley guide, and his friend bush pilot Don Sheldon and
Don Sheldon ferried climbers to and from Kahiltna Glacier. Today,
dozens of Talkeetna pilots fly climbers, skiers, and sightseers to mountaineer Ray Genet.
McKinley’s slopes. The museum also includes
the 1933 Railroad Depot, Historic Nagley’s Store in downtown Talkeetna
For hotels and restaurants see pp242–5 and pp250–55
188  ALASK A AREA B Y AREA EASTERN INTERIOR ALASK A  189
8 Kennicott 162-163_EW_Alaska.indd All Pages VISITORS’ CHECKLIST Story boxes explore some of 05/05/2015 14:30
Overlooking the spectacular Kennicott Glacier, Kennicott Practical Information
is a fascinating historical attraction. In 1900, while exploring 5 miles (8 km) NE of McCarthy. the region’s historical and cultural
Transport map F3. * 50.
the mountain east of the glacier, prospectors Clarence Warner n Visitors’ Center at the old
and “Tarantula Jack” Smith discovered some of the richest General Store, 822-5234. 8 7 topics in detail.
deposits of copper ever found. Mining engineer Stephen 0 ®  informal camping
Birch convinced wealthy East Coast families to finance next to the Root Glacier Trail.
the completion of the Copper River and Northwestern
∑ nps.gov/wrst
Railway to transport ore to Cordova. Over the years, nearly Transport
~ scheduled or charter flight to
$200 million in copper was mined, but declining copper . Concentration/Crusher Mill McCarthy, then 5 miles (8 km) on
deposits and the high cost of railway maintenance led In Kennicott’s heyday, low-grade ore was processed in the mill, which is foot or by shuttle bus.
the most striking building in the town. Remnants of the tramways that
to the closure of the mine in 1938. brought ore from the Bonanza and Jumbo Mines to the mill are still visible. @ Glennallen to McCarthy.
Kennicott Glacier Lodge, housed in a replica . Ammonia Leaching Plant
of a historic mine building
Here, copper carbonates were
extracted from treated ore that had
The Visitors’ Checklist provides a
passed through the crusher mill.
summary of the practical information
Mine buildings against the Wrangell Mountains you need to plan your visit.
Alaska’s Top Sights These
4are given two or more full pages.
Plan of the site Key
Bonanza Tramway All the important features of
KEY Jumbo The General Manager’s Office Minor road
Trail to Tramway Illustrated area
1 Workers’ cottages, dotted around Bonanza &
the site and perched on the hillsides Jumbo Mines National Creek interest are highlighted.
are now used as private homes. . Power House East Bunk House
2 Electrical shop Power at Kennicott Concentration/ Hospital
3 Storage shed was generated by the Workers’ Crusher Mill Kennicott Glacier
large power plant
4 The machine shop, one of the which overlooks Cottages National Creek Bunk House Lodge
most prominent buildings at Kennicott Glacier. In Silk Stocking Row
Kennicott, held the metal-working this now partially
and maintenance operations of restored building, four McCarthy
the mine. coal-fired steam boilers Root Glacier 5 miles (8km)
5 The General Manager’s Office, and two diesel Trail Power House Old Wagon Road
Kennicott’s oldest standing structure, generators provided 0 meters 100 Ammonia West Bunk House
had a large drafting room and was enough steam and Leaching Plant Expanded maps and other
the heart of the mine’s operations. electricity for the entire 0 yards 100
mining operation.
illustrations make orientation easy.
For hotels and restaurants see pp242–5 and pp250–55 Spoil heaps surrounding the Kennicott mine buildings, against the Wrangell Mountains
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