Iditarod Trail
- Main route of the Iditarod Trail
- Pathways and secondary routes
- Route of the serum run to Nome
The Iditarod Trail, formerly called Seward -to- Nome Mail Trail, is a historic and currently around 1600 km long trail system in Alaska. The trail is known today named after him Iditarod dog sled race. He was originally from the end of the Alaska Railroad about 80 km north of Seward on the eponymous place Iditarod, which is now a ghost town, up to Nome.
To commemorate the historic role of the path 1978, a total of 3780 km long route has been reported under the name of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. She is the only trail in Alaska part of the National Historic Trails system.
History
The result of the Trail in 1908 out of the need, during the time of the Gold Rush, mail and goods from the southern coast of Alaska in the Gulf of Alaska continue to transport inland and to the port of Nome in the northwest on the Seward Peninsula in Norton Sound. The route has been created on behalf of the government and followed over long distances existing paths of Alaska Natives. In the interior were paths of Tanaina and Ingalik and used those of the Inupiaq and Yupik of the west.
Course
The historical trail began about 80 km north of Seward at the end point of a former railway line of the Alaska Railroad, followed shortly the Turnagain Arm, crossed the Crow Pass in the Chugach Mountains, then ran along the valley of Eagle River and on to Knik on the Knik Arm of the Cook inlets. Then followed the trail west the valleys of the rivers Susitna and Yentna and crossed the Alaska Range at Rainy Pass. After crossing the Kuskokwim River, the trail from Ophir was southwestward through the Kuskokwim Mountains to Iditarod, then turned north to Kaltag on the Yukon, where he of the 145 km long Kaltag Portage through the Nulato Hills to Unalakleet on Norton Sound followed. From here, the trail along the coast of the Seward Peninsula went to Front Street Nome.
The route of today's Iditarod Sled Dog Race follows in large parts of the historical course. The center piece between Ophir and Kaltag but traveled around the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge around in alternate years to a northern and a southern route.
The dog sled relay that had brought in 1925 because of a diphtheria epidemic in Nome serum from Nenana to Nome was followed the Iditarod trail from Kaltag.