Options for trips on sections of the trail: Folks looking for shorter trips on sections of the trail could consider the following options. All can be ridden in either direction.

• Knik/Deshka Landing toward the Alaska Range: This section of the trail has quite a few lodges along the trail, so an out-and-back to one or two of those is a great way to get a taste of the trail for a few days in some easier terrain traveling mostly on the Susitna and Yentna Rivers. If riding this section, plan to depart a few days before or after the Iditarod Trail Invitational/Iditarod sled dog race starts to avoid those pulses of racers on the trail.
  

• Knik/Deshka Landing to McGrath: This is the classic touring adventure on the Iditarod Trail – 300 miles that includes the stunning crossing of the Alaska Range and some very remote country on the north side of the mountains. Plan on this taking roughly 7-9 days to complete with decent trail conditions. If riding this section from Knik/Deshka Landing, plan to depart a few days before or after the
  Iditarod Trail Invitational/Iditarod sled dog race starts to avoid those pulses of racers on the trail.

• Unalakleet/Kaltag to Nome: Unalakleet to Nome is a 250-mile section following the coast that likely will take a bit under a week to complete with decent trail conditions. This section of the Iditarod has several villages along the way and tends to see regular snowmachine traffic; it can also be rather windy. Adding the ~50 miles between Unalakleet and Kaltag incorporates the beautiful “Kaltag Portage,” a thousands-years-old trade route linking the Yukon River and coast.
  
  

Riding the full length of the trail: Plan on roughly a month to complete the full length of the trail. Careful timing of the trip for passable trail conditions is crucial (see details on that in next section below), and taking any longer than a month dramatically increases the likelihood of seldom-traveled sections of the trail becoming unpassable.

• Timing is of the essence for trips on the Iditarod Trail – leave too early and the trail won’t be in. Leave too late, and the trail might not see much more traffic. Human-powered travel is entirely reliant on snowmachine traffic to keep the trail packed and passable, and a single wind or storm event could blow the trail closed for hundreds of miles. So, the key takeaway here is no snowmachine traffic = no trail. Here are some considerations for planning the timing of a trip on the trail.
• The Iron Dog snowmachine race typically starts around the middle of February and racers head west from Big Lake (just north of Knik), over the Alaska Range via Hells Gate, out to Nome via the Northern Route, north from Nome to Kotzebue, back to Nome, and then back to Big Lake, again via the Northern Route. The race finishes a week after the start. Snowmachine traffic associated with this event generally opens up the most remote sections of the trail and the Northern Route for the first time each winter. It’s not advised to travel on remote sections of the trail during the Iron Dog given the speeds at which the racers travel – they won’t be expecting other trail traffic out there; traveling on the Yentna River on the final day of the race is far less dangerous, however (use bright safety lights to be as visible as possible and give the racers as much space as possible).
• The Iditarod sled dog race usually starts two weeks after the Iron Dog, heads west, and crosses the Alaska Range at Rainy Pass rather than Hells Gate. Farther west, the race alternates yearly between the Northern and Southern Route. The team of trailbreakers (~4 snowmachiners tasked with putting in the trail) will be ahead of the lead dog teams by a day or two packing/breaking and marking the trail. If using the Southern Route, the trailbreakers may well be the first snowmachine traffic of the winter from Takotna to Shageluk and on the Yukon River from Grayling to Kaltag. If traveling on the trail during this race, be sure to hop off the trail well before dog teams reach you so they can easily pass you. Also, do not expect any sort of support at race checkpoints – volunteers tend to be friendly and very busy. But if things are quiet, they’re often excited to chat about the race! Safety cabins along the trail will also be busier with mushers and others stopping for sleep.
• The Iditarod Trail Invitational human-powered race (skiers, bikers, and walkers) typically starts the week prior to the sled dog race and heads west from Knik or Big Lake. As many as 100 racers, mostly cyclists, start, with ~80% finishing in McGrath. This increase in bike traffic on the trail can help improve riding conditions. If on the trail during this race, don’t bother aid station volunteers – they’re there for ITI participants, not you. Safety cabins are also busier as many racers rely on them and race cabin-to-cabin/village-to-village west of McGrath.
• The eastern end of the trail (Knik to Rainy Pass Lodge) sees regular snowmachine traffic and some occasional grooming efforts by local residents prior to the Iron Dog race. The farther from Knik, the less traffic the trail sees. Trail use declines considerably west of Shell Lake. This section can be ridden prior to the Iron Dog. 
• Farther west, snowmachine traffic between villages establishes sections of trail. The more traveled sections are generally on the Northern Route along the Yukon River, from Kaltag to Shaktoolik, and from Koyuk to Nome. 
• The trail over Rainy Pass in the Alaska Range generally isn’t in until sometime in between the Iron Dog and the Iditarod. Volunteers typically construct makeshift bridges in the Dalzell Gorge on the north side of the pass, so the trail isn’t usually in until a week or so before the start of the Iditarod. The Hells Gate route is not advised given the likelihood of long stretches of open water and/or overflow on the South Fork of the Kuskokwim River.
• Deshka Landing is a great alternate starting location to Knik – the trail on the Susitna River from Deshka to the Yentna River sees much more snowmachine traffic and freight sled use, so that section of trail tends to be in better condition than the trail from Knik to the Susitna/Yentna Rivers.
• So what’s the ideal time to tour the trail? If riding from Knik/Deshka Landing to Nome, departing as the Iron Dog teams are returning at the end of their race is probably the best time to leave, aiming to reach Nome as soon as possible after the last of the Iditarod sled dog teams finish. Starting sooner risks there not being a trail over Rainy Pass. Starting later risks storms potentially closing up the less traveled sections of trail along the coast. Before continuing on from McGrath ahead of the sled dog race, inquire about trail conditions beyond Ophir; if the trail has not been put in (Southern Route) or it has stormed the Iron Dog (Northern Route), wait for the Iditarod trailbreakers to come through and leave right behind them. If doing a shorter trip between Knik and McGrath, there’s often a longer window with which to work – a few weeks or more starting no earlier than a week or so after the Iron Dog race begins. If departing from Knik/Deshka Landing, also plan your departure to be a few days before or after the Iditarod Trail Invitational/Iditarod sled dog race starts to avoid those pulses of racers on the trail.
• How long will it take? That depends on so many factors. The best rule of thumb is plan for slow progress – slower than you expect slow to be. This is not a groomed trail, and conditions are often rutted, soft, and slow. A good day of touring on the trail (good being reasonably fast and moving all day) is probably 35-45 miles for most strong riders. A “bad” day might be as little as 10-20 miles. There can also be big days with fast trail and tailwinds that may be closer to 60 miles! And there likely will be days with zero forward on which you find yourself sitting out  a storm, waiting for the Iditarod trailbreakers to come through, or just recovering. Planning for an average of 30-40 miles per day seems like a reasonable general recommendation. On our 2023 trip, we planned on 50 mile days, and that was most certainly a very over-optimistic goal, even for very strong riders.

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For a series of incredibly detailed section-by-section descriptions of the trail, the landscape, and bits of history, spend some time on the Iditarod sled dog race’s trail map/descriptions page. For anyone unfamiliar with the trail, there’s no better resource than this for helping figure out just what to expect along the way. Below is a far less detailed description of the trail.

Knik to McGrath

Although the historic Iditarod Trail originally began in Seward, the contemporary winter route to Nome starts at Knik Lake, a bit north of Anchorage. A network of snowmachine trails can take riders west from Knik to the Susitna and Yentna Rivers across marshy lowlands. Deshka Landing near Willow, is an alternative location to start right onto the Susitna River. This route is slightly shorter, but more importantly, snowmachine traffic is higher on the Susitna River, so the trail is more likely to be easily rideable than on the trails west of Knik. These two routes converge at the confluence of the Susitna and Yentna Rivers. From there, the trail heads upstream on the Yentna for 50 miles to Skwentna. Along the way are a handful of lodges that are open in the winter (think hot food and beds) and scattered private cabins. At Skwentna, the trail leaves the river and heads overland toward the Alaska Range. Trail traffic gradually declines, the rolling hills get a bit larger, and the forested valley through which the trail meanders grows deeper. 70 miles past Skwenta sits Rainy Pass Lodge below imposing peaks. This is the final opportunity for a hot meal and bed until McGrath, some 150 miles distant in the Interior. Services at Rainy Pass Lodge are expensive, but consider its location!

The push over the low Rainy Pass to the north side of the Alaska Range begins right upon leaving Rainy Pass Lodge – it’s 20 miles and 2,000 feet of climbing to the summit. The trail gradually but steadily climbs a broad valley, trees become sparse, and the wind even more raw. It’s an exposed section of trail to say the least. Seven miles from the summit, the trail over Rainy Pass splits off from the trail to Hells Gate and ascends a narrower drainage. Even with great trail conditions, expect some hiking through this stretch leading to the top; also note that this section of trail isn’t usually in until a week or two before the start of the Iditarod sled dog race (see section below on ideal timing to ride the trail). Beyond Rainy Pass, the trail descends steadily and steeply toward the Dalzell Gorge, quickly getting into willow and alder thickets, and then forest – this means shelter if conditions on the pass were harsh. Through Dalzell Gorge, the trail repeatedly crosses Dalzell Creek – beware of open sections, weak ice bridges, or overflow. Iditarod volunteers usually build some makeshift bridges as needed in this section. The long descent leads riders to the Tatina River and then Rohn, where there’s a safety cabin (not available for public use during the Iditarod), an airstrip, and sheltered areas to camp. 

Upon leaving Rohn, riders will cross the South Fork of the Kuskokwim River (overflow is likely here) and begin the 70-mile trek to Nikolai. This section of trail sees very little use and is deceptively demanding with seemingly endless short, steep climbs. Passage through the Farewell Burn section is quite exposed, snow cover can be very minimal, and winds on the north side of the Alaska Range can be quite strong. 50 miles from Nikolai, the terrain eases slightly and becomes more sheltered among black spruce and the trail can be frustratingly “whooped out” in places from Iron Dog racers. The Bear Creek safety cabin, a mile off the main trail, is the only shelter from the elements between Rohn and the very small village of Nikolai. Nikolai to McGrath is a 50-mile stretch that’s relatively flat traversing marshes, lakes, and forested lowlands. In the final miles to McGrath, there may an overland trail or one on the Kuskokwim River. McGrath has several lodging and restaurant options, a store, and an airport with scheduled flights.

McGrath to Unalakleet
Coming soon . . . I haven’t had time to write this quite yet!

Unalakleet to Nome
Also coming soon . . .