Page 90 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

88  ALASK A AREA B Y AREA

retail booths, live music, a
rodeo, Native dancing and
blanket tossing, and a range
of competitions.
E Colony House Museum
316 E Elmwood Ave, Palmer.
Tel 745­1935. Open Jun–Aug:
10am–4pm Tue–Sat. &

g Reindeer Farm
5561 S. Bodenburg Loop Rd.
Palmer, AK 99645. Map C2.
Tel 745­4000. Open May–mid­Sep:
Hay bales on a Mat-Su Valley farm near Palmer 10am–6pm daily. & 8 7
∑ reindeerfarm.com
f Palmer due mainly to the city’s
42 miles (70 km) NE of Anchorage. dwindling land and high costs. Located in one of the original
Map C1. * 6,000. @ from The surrounding Matanuska Colony farmhouses on the flat
Anchorage. n 723 S Valley Way, and Susitna Valleys, popularly farmlands off the
745­2880. ( Fri. _ Alaska State Fair abbreviated to Mat­ Old Glenn Highway,
(Aug–Sep), Colony Christmas (Dec). Su, are now among the Reindeer Farm
∑ palmerchamber.org the fastest­growing lets visitors see
regions of Alaska. reindeer close­up.
Historically best known as a Well worth visiting Children are invited
farming community, the town is the Colony House to hand­feed and pet
of Palmer nestles beneath Museum, which the animals, and meet
Matanuska Peak and the reflects one of the five Reindeer at the farm an elk, a moose, and
Talkeetna Range along basic farmhouse styles near Palmer a black­tailed deer.
the glacial Matanuska River. available to the Colony Those inclined to
Founded as a social experi ment farmers. Inside, their story outdoor activities can join
in 1935 as part of President is told with old news paper a horseback trail ride.
Franklin D Roosevelt’s New articles, period furnish ings,
Deal, it was settled by 200 and artifacts.
Midwestern families (see p58). For 12 days in August and h Bodenburg Butte
Each family in the newly estab­ September, Palmer hosts the Adjacent to the Reindeer Farm at Mile
lished Matanuska Colony was Alaska State Fair (see p48), 11.5, Old Glenn Hwy. Map C2.
given 40 acres (16 ha) of land the state’s biggest annual
for vegetable farming, growing event, drawing nearly half of Rising out of the farmlands
hay, and raising dairy cattle. Alaska’s population. The fair on the Knik River flats south
Today, while farming is still features the valley’s famous of Palmer, the 900 ft­ (270m­)
important, Palmer’s outskirts giant vegetables, as well as high Bodenburg Butte is one
are rapidly turning into bed­ other agricultural displays, of the Matanuska Valley’s most
room suburbs for Anchorage, crafts, livestock, food and prominent landmarks. It was
created when Knik Glacier rode
Green Giants over a small knob of resistant
bedrock, leaving a glacier­
Alaskans are rightfully proud of the produce grown in the scraped dome known as a
Matanuska Valley. The growing season may be short, but thanks roche moutonnée. Once used
to the long summer days, vegetables continue to grow around for military training, it is now a
the clock, resulting in enormous carrots, turnips, zucchini, and popular picnic and hiking spot
other produce. At the annual Alaska State with a windy summit from where
Fair, awards are given for the largest vegeta­ parasailers can launch out over
ble of each variety. The record­winning the flats. The steep trail leading
rutabaga (swede) was 75 lb (34 kg), while
the largest pumpkin weighed in at a to the sum mit starts opposite the
whop ping 942 lb (428 kg). The most Reindeer Farm and soon passes
popular annual competition is for the from the stands of birch at the
cabbage – the world­record holder, base into open grassy ridges
grown in Wasilla in 2009, tipped the scales and rocky bluffs near the top.
at 127 lb (38 kg), winning the $2,000 grand The two­hour­long round trek
Gargantuan cabbage from prize. Local farmers and gardeners are still is worth it for the views from
the Mat-Su trying to break that record. the summit, which take in the
Palmer area and Knik Glacier.
For hotels and restaurants in this area see p242 and pp250–51

088-089_EW_Alaska.indd 88 02/05/17 2:29 pm