George Parks Highway - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 10

5. Nancy Lake State Recreation Area
Back on Rte. 3 the drive curves northwest toward Willow. Shortly after crossing the train
tracks at mile 66.5 (the Parks Highway parallels the Alaska Railroad), Rte. 3 intersects a
spur road leading into Nancy Lake State Recreation Area. Swampy but scenic it covers
nearly 23,000 acres and is studded with some 130 lakes.
NancyLakeParkway,thearea'sgravelaccessroad,meandersthroughforestsofspruce,
birch, and aspen inhabited by moose, black bears, and coyotes. Sandhill cranes have been
known to perform their elaborate springtime courtship ritual within view of the road, and
common loons often can be glimpsed on the canoe trail that stitches together 22 of the
area's lakes (canoes can be rented at the South Rolly Lake Campground).
Returningtothehighway,thedrivepassesthroughWillow,alazylittletownthatalmost
became Alaska's state capital during the 1970s, when a move from Juneau was considered
but never carried out. Willow lost its shot at glory in 1982 but held on to a more eternal
claim to fame: It is here that travelers heading north on the highway often catch their first
glimpse of mighty Mt. McKinley, which reigns supreme over the 600-mile-long Alaska
Range.
Did you know…
George Parks Highway was originally called the Anchorage-Fairbanks High-
way, renamed in honor of George A. Parks, the territorial governor of Alaska
from 1925 to 1933.
6. Talkeetna
During climbing season—May and June—mountain fever reaches its peak in Talkeetna, a
colorful town that serves as a springboard for expeditions to Mt. McKinley, some 60 miles
to the northwest. Weather permitting, one of the best views of the mountain comes at mile
13 on the Talkeetna spur road, which branches northeast from the highway at mile 98.7.
At 20,320 feet high, Mt. McKinley is North America's loftiest pinnacle. But what
makes the mountain so daunting to scale is not its height but its climate. Thin air, frigid
temperatures (even in summer), and winds gusting up to 150 miles per hour make McKin-
ley's upper reaches one of the most-forbidding places on earth. In spite of such danger,
about a thousand people per year try to reach its summit; in a good year, half of them suc-
ceed.