George Parks Highway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 9

out cirques, and meadows carpeted in the summer months with bluebells, chocolate lilies,
low-bush cranberries, and forget-me-nots. Sweeping vistas take in Summit Lake, to the
west, and the surrounding Talkeetna Mountain range.
3. Wasilla
From Hatcher Pass the drive does an about-face and retraces part of its path to Wasilla, a
hamletthathugstheshoresoftwolong,narrowlakes.Turnoffthehighwaynearthecenter
of town for a picnic at Lakeshore Park, which offers winter skating, summer swimming,
and year-round views of the crenelated Chugach Mountains.
Foundedin1917asastationontheAlaskaRailroad,whichlinksAnchorageandFairb-
anks, Wasilla is now the biggest town between those two cities. About 10 miles east of
Wasilla,theGeorgeParksHighway(Rte.3)intersects withtheGlennHighway.Namedfor
themanwhogovernedtheAlaskaTerritoryfrom1925to1933,thispavedarteryrunsnorth
into the rugged heart of the state.
Wasilla is also along the route of a different sort of scenic drive—the annual Iditarod
Trail Sled Dog Race, sometimes referred to by locals as the Last Great Race on Earth. In
early March solo mushers drive dog teams about 1,100 miles from Anchorage to Nome.
Visitors who miss the race can catch it on video at the Iditarod Headquarters, a log cab-
in museum located two miles south of town on Knik Road. This museum chronicles the
colorful history of the event, which commemorates a race against disaster: In 1925 a relay
of heroic dog teams traveled 674 miles in about 127 hours to deliver serum to diphtheria-
threatened Nome on the Arctic Ocean. Dog racing is also the theme of the Knik Museum
and Sled Dog Mushers Hall of Fame, located at mile 13.7 on the Knik Road.
4. Big Lake
From Wasilla the drive proceeds due west, snaking through low, level terrain all the way
to the turnoff for Big Lake. A short side trip leads to three state recreation areas (Big Lake
North, Big Lake South, and Rocky Lake) supplied with campgrounds and picnic sites.
Although Big Lake is just five miles long, it is the largest of the dozen or so ponds that
glaciers created in the lower Mat-Su Valley. Man picked up where the ice left off, dredging
waterways that connect Big Lake to several of its smaller siblings. You can explore this
network's 53-mile shoreline by powerboat, paddle wheeler, or canoe. Tranquil waterside
views are available from restaurants that front the lake.