The Matanuska-Susitna Borough is frequently described as an area as large as West Virginia. The comparison may help visitors understand the size of the borough.
I'm sure West Virginia is nice, but it doesn't measure up.
At more than 23,000 square miles, the Mat-Su and West Virginia are indeed similar in size. The eastern state is famous for white-water rafting, but the Mat-Su has great rafting too. And the Mat-Su's rafting is on a glacier-fed river.
In addition to glaciers and rafting, the Mat-Su, less than an hour from Anchorage, has glacier trekking, hiking, fishing, sled dog mushing, reindeer, gold panning, musk oxen ... really, the list could go on.
And from a large portion of the Mat-Su, there are amazing views of Mount McKinley, North America's tallest mountain.
Sorry, West Virginia. It's hard to compete with all that.
"There are so many things to do right out here," said Cheryl Metiva, executive director of the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce. "You can do a flightseeing trip of Denali or the Knik Glacier. You can go fishing; really, there are a lot of boating options. The Iditarod Trail Headquarters are right here.
"This area is really the base camp for a lot of people. You can get the complete Alaska experience without having to go very far."
One of my best "Alaska experiences" was in the Mat-Su last summer. It started just 10 minutes after we put a canoe in at Tanaina Lake at the Nancy Lake State Recreation Area. As we paddled away from other people on the shore, we heard the cry of a pair of loons. As we continued across the lake, the loons came into sight -- two adults and a chick.
They floated right past us. It was the perfect send-off for a two-day paddling trip through the Lynx Lake Loop.
On the way to the Lynx Lake public-use cabin, we paddled on nine lakes and went swimming in one, Big Noluck Lake. There were eight portages on the way to the cabin, but it was a beautiful adventure. After a night at the cabin, we finished the loop, paddling through five more lakes.
While Mount McKinley and the entrance to the national park are outside the Mat-Su -- a part of the borough is often called the Valley by locals -- the mountain is frequently in the view of residents and visitors. A large portion of Denali National Park and Preserve is inside the borough. In fact, before we saw the loons, we saw Mount McKinley in the distance from Tanaina Lake.
One of the best places for views of the mountain is Denali State Park. The 325,000-acre park offers roadside camping, backcountry hiking, fishing and amazing views of Mount McKinley. Some of the best looks at the mountain are right off the Parks Highway, which leads from near Wasilla north to Fairbanks. The highway bisects the state park. At Mile 135.2, there is a highway pullout with an interpretive bulletin board that names the mountains and other terrain features visible in the Alaska Range. Other excellent views of the range are at Mile 147, Mile 158 and Mile 162.
For those who want to do a little hiking, views of the Alaska Range are simply amazing from the Kesugi Ridge. The ridge can be reached from several trail heads along the Parks Highway, including Troublesome Creek (Mile 137), Byers Lake (Mile 147), Ermine Hill (Mile 156.5) and Little Coal Creek (Mile 163.9). Reaching the ridge requires a pretty steep climb, but the payoff is immense.
Other outdoor fun can be had at the Matanuska Glacier, east of Palmer off the Glenn Highway.
Glacier Park Resort at Mile 102 Glenn Highway is the access point for the glacier. The resort charges an admission fee. But once at the glacier, visitors can hike around, near or on the ice.
For a real on-ice experience, Nova Alaska (www.nova-alaska.com, 1-800- 746-5753) and MICA Guides (www. micaguides.com, 1-800-956-6422) offer guided trekking on the glacier. Guides provide all the necessary equipment, including crampons. The companies offer a variety of trips, from 1 1/2 to four hours. They cost from $45 to $80. Midnight Sun hikes beginning at 6 p.m. are offered from June to August.
MICA also offers ice climbing, with no experience required. The six-hour trip starts with moderate slopes, and it can progress to more vertical walls of ice.
Nova also offers white-water rafting on the Matanuska River. It can combine glacier hiking and an afternoon white-water trip for $149. Other rafting options include morning, afternoon and evening trips. They range in price from $70 to $99.
It's not all about the outdoors in the Mat-Su. Consider these options:
• Colony House Museum, 316 E. Elmwood Ave. in Palmer. Take a trip back to the mid-1930s, following pioneers from the Midwest who traveled to Alaska to begin a farming community during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. The museum is in one of the original farm homes built by the pioneers and is furnished in period decor and artifacts.
• Dorothy Page Museum and Historic Townsite, 323 Main St. in Wasilla. A variety of displays focus on local history, gold mining, Alaska wildlife, homesteading and the Iditarod race. Several historic buildings are on display, including the original schoolhouse from 1917.
Special sections editor Steve Edwards can be reached at sedwards@adn.com. Visit his Alaska travel blog at www.alaska.com/alaskology .
•
Editor's picks
• Alaska animals: Don't miss the chance to see a herd of reindeer or musk oxen. The Reindeer Farm is on Bodenburg Loop Road, and the Musk Ox Farm is at Mile 50 Glenn Highway.
• Going to the dogs: Alaska is home to the Iditarod, and mushing has been a part of the lifestyle here for years. Visit the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters for more information about Alaska's sport.
• Get outdoors: Go to Hatcher Pass or the Matanuska Glacier. You won't be sorry.
