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2013 Iditarod Race Tours
2013 Northern Lights Tours
Photo Galleries
 Clients viewing muskox
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This 2013 Iditarod Race Tour Package is designed to let you visit with the mushers at checkpoints along the race trail and experience the lifestyles and cultures of these remote villages. This tour starts in the village of McGrath, an area steeped in Alaskan mining history and Athabaskan Indian culture. In McGrath we will visit the remnants of Old Town McGrath, the jumping off point for miners headed to the gold rush in Iditarod, Cripple and Ophir. We will visit the McGrath Museum and meet local experts on the history of the area. We will also fly to Nikolai and Takotna, traditional Athabaskan Indian villages. In McGrath, Nikolai and Takotna you will be cheering the mushers on as they enter and leave the checkpoints and visiting with them. You will find this tour to be richly rewarding in both the interaction you will have with the Iditarod racers and the local residents.
The Bering Sea is a unique environment and March is a wonderful time to experience it. Flying along the coastline as we visit the Unalakleet and White Mountain checkpoints gives us wonderful views of this frozen expanse. We then travel along the frozen coastline and surrounding snow covered hills by snowcat to the safety checkpoint, an experience you won't want to miss. In the villages of Unalakleet and White Mountain we will get a taste of the Inupiaq Eskimo culture and lifestyle. Plus, being at the finish line when the Iditarod Champion comes up the chute is a perfect finish to this fantastic tour.
11 Day Checkpoints and Nome Finish Tour Package Highlights
Include
- Scenic flight over the Alaska Range and Rainy Pass.
- Sightseeing excursion along the Iditarod trail.
- Visit to the Athabaskan village of Nikolai
- Visit to the Takotna checkpoint in the historic Iditarod Mining District.
- Optional Dog Mushing, snowmobiling and flight seeing activities.
- Opportunity to be a volunteer checker at the McGrath checkpoint.
- Scenic flights along the Iditarod Trail to the villages of Unalakleet
and White Mountain.
- Snowcat sightseeing excursion along the Iditarod Trail from Nome to the Safety Checkpoint.
- Snowcat sightseeing excursion to Dredge #5 and to look for muskox.
- Opportunity to be standing there when the winning musher crosses the finish line and be part of the Nome party.
Cost and Details
March 4 - March 15, 2013. $6600 shared
accommodation, single supplement: $400-$1200 depending on availability.
Tour Includes
- 1 night Accommodation in Anchorage
- 4 nights Accommodation in McGrath
- 6 Nights Accommodation in Nome
- 9x Breakfast
- 9x Lunches
- 9x Dinners
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Flight from Anchorage to McGrath
Flight from McGrath to Nikolai
Flight from McGrath to Takotna
Flight from Nome to Unalakleet
Flight from Nome to White Mountain
Snowcat ride to the Safety Checkpoint
Snowcat ride to Anvil Mountain and Dredge #5 |
Itinerary
- Day One Monday : Clients will
fly to the community of McGrath on the Kuskokwim River. You will have
opportunity to explore the town of McGrath, the old townsite of McGrath
and meet a lot of interesting and friendly people. Clients can book optional activities such as dogmushing . Lodging ; Hotel McGrath . (L,D)
- Day Two Tuesday : Today you will fly to the Athabaskan community of Nikolai and
watch as the lead mushers come in from their grueling travels through the
Alaska Range and the Farewell Burn. Nikolai is a great place to watch the
musher's care for their dogs and experience a little bit of life in a
remote Native village. In the late afternoon we will return to McGrath and
spend the evening watching the lead mushers come into the McGrath
checkpoint. Lodging ; McGrath (B,L,D)
- Day Three Wednesday : The Takotna checkpoint has earned a reputation as the
friendliest checkpoint on the trail and the spot where many of the lead
mushers take their 24 hour layover. Today we take a short flight there and
spend the day watching the mushers and their teams. We will spend the
evening watching the lead mushers come into the McGrath checkpoint.
Lodging ; McGrath. (B,L,D)
- Day Four Thursday : Today is a free day in McGrath with teams entering and
leaving McGrath. We will work to schedule slots for clients who are
interested in being a volunteer checker. Lodging ;McGrath (B,L,D)
- Day Five Friday : Today we leave McGrath and return to Anchorage where we will take a break before heading out to the finish in Nome. Lodging; Anchorage. (B)
- Day Six Saturday : Clients arrive into Nome . Lodging ; Nome (D)
- Day Seven Sunday : Today we take a snowcat tour exploring the historic Dredge #5 before traveling to Anvil Mountain to look for muskox.. Lodging ; Nome (B,L,D)
- Day Eight Monday : Fly from Nome to Unalakleet, the first village the mushers will stop at on Norton Sound. Lodging ; Nome (B,L,D)
- Day Nine Tuesday : The Nome party clicks into high gear today as the leaders approach the finish line. We will cheer on our favorite mushers as they cross under the famous burl arch on Front Street. Lodging; Nome (B,L,D)
- Day Ten Wednesday : Fly to White Mountain, 75 miles from Nome and the last checkpoint with a mandatory layover. This is a good place to watch mushers care of their dogs before they make their last push to the finish line. Lodging ; Nome (B,L,D)
- Day Eleven Thursday : Today we will take a tundra buggy tour to the Safety checkpoint. This 22 mile ride along the coast gives us more opportunities to view the mushers heading to Nome along the Iditarod trail. Farewell dinner of Alaskan King Crab. Lodging; Nome (B,L,D)
- Day Twelve Friday : Clients will depart for Anchorage.
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