No matter where you go in Alaska, chances are you’re not too far from some spectacular wilderness area itching to be explored, but snow piles high in Alaska, and even the hardiest of skiers can become winded after pushing through miles of powder.
Enter the snowmachine — basically a motorized sled that can skim across the snow like ajet ski on water. Today’s machines are a far cry different than those designed in the early 1920s, though. The engines are quieter, cleaner and oh, so much more powerful.
It’s easy to enjoy Alaska by snowmachine. A growing number of tour operators offer treks into the backcountry, both guided and unguided, for snowmachine riders of all abilities. Here’sasampling from across the state:
Girdwood:
This popular ski town is located in Southcentral Alaska, just 30 miles south of Anchorage, and the snowmachining is endless. Alaska 4 Seasons can arrange tours that include a three-hour introduction to snowmachining. Learn a little about the mechanics of the snowmachine and take a sightseeing ride into the surrounding country. More experienced snowmachiners might choose the five-hour trek that leads into a remote valley just outside of Girdwood. Even multi day trips can be arranged.
The locally operated Glacier City Snowmobile Tours offers a snowmachine adventure that takes in area glaciers of the Chugach National Forest. There’s even a stop at an area ice cave for exploration. The all-day tour includes a meal, all the appropriate gear and a request from the owner: Don’t forget your camera.
Alaska Snow Safaris also organizes snowmachining tours through Alyeska Resort, including multi-day adventures for those who really want to see the backcountry.
Fairbanks:
This Interior city attracts snowmachiners galore, who appreciate the vastness of the land, much of it going on for hundred of miles at a time before approaching civilization.
Options for snowmachine tours in Fairbanks include Alaska Snowmachine Adventures, which guides clients of all abilities. Tours can be custom-designed or cover popular local areas. Beginners and families are welcome. Night riding is also an option for those who want a chance to see the northern lights.
Another option for snowmachine planning is the Fairbanks Snow Travelers of Alaska snowmachining club, which can help put you in touch with an appropriate guide for your trip.
Valdez:
If you want snow, there is perhaps no better place to visit than Valdez. Where there is snow, there will be snowmachines. Valdez receives something in the neighborhood of 325 inches of snow per year, and that’s just the average. One year, there was a whopping 560 inches on the ground.
“We have a very active snowmachine club, and the good thing about them is that they have a lot of safety courses, a lot of avalanche courses, so they’remaking sure people are learning about safety,” said Sharon Crisp, director of the Valdez Visitor and Convention Bureau. “At Thompson Pass, we have several glaciers that go into the heart of the Chugach (mountains). The snowmachine club does several competitions and several snow crosses throughout the winter, and they set up a race track for those who like to go fast.”
In April, Crisp said, there is a hill climb for those who want to push their snowmachines to their highest potential. Called The Mountain Man Hill Climb, the event awards more than $40,000 in prizes, and is continuing to grow every year. Another event, the Mayor’s Cup, is a 200-mile cross-country race over Hogback Mountain and Valdez Glacier.
So, snowmachine away. The trails are endless and the opportunities infinite. Alaska
Snow Safaris of Valdez offers tours of the area. The company takes groups of four to six riders over glaciers, across untracked snow and through open valleys teeming with wildlife. Expect to cover about 200 miles a day — in other words, expect to see a LOT of country.
Haines:
Here’s a snowmachining hot spot that offers wilderness tours in untracked snow. According to Michelle Glass, tourism director in Haines, it doesn’t get any better than Haines.
“We don’t get as much snow as Valdez, but it’s still cool,” she said. “I love living in Haines because, scenically, it’s the most gorgeous place in Alaska. As for snowmachining, there’s the Alcan 200 high-speed snowmachine race, where they are averaging speeds of like 119 mph. And in Haines Pass, it is just wide open. Weget a lot of Canadians who come down for snowmachining, and when they’re all up there, we basically have this little city that opens up on the pass.”
Snowmachiners can have their choice of places to ride and companies to guide them. Northern Nights Adventures offers trips that follow old historic trails, forest service roads, frozen rivers and open valleys and passes. Trips include stops for bits of history, a bite to eat, a stay in a cabin, if you like.
Big Country Snowmobile Tours is another guide available locally. They specialize in two- and three-day packages that include overnight stays at an area lodge, meals and guided snowmachining during the day.
Kenai Peninsula:
While the peninsula may appear to flatten out between the towns of Cooper Landing and Homer, look off in the distance to see that the mountains are still quite close. It is in these mountains, and the area known as the Caribou Hills that snowmachining can be had. Despite the area’s name, you’ll more likely spot moose than caribou, but be on the lookout for old homesteader cabins, too. It’s intriguing to think of the hard scrabble folks who once eked a living out in such a harsh but beautiful environment.
If you have your own machine or plan on renting one elsewhere, the place to set up base camp is Caribou Creek Cabins, in Ninilchik at the base of the Caribou Hills. There’s plenty of room for snowmachine parking, and the cabins offer a cozy and close-by retreat for your daily outings.
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