Show the Valley off to your holiday visitors

MAT-SU — The presents have been unwrapped, but your holiday visitors are still here. Treat them to a winter getaway in the Mat-Su Valley and show them why you love living in a winter wonderland.

Each year, friends and relatives visit Alaska during the holidays. This is a great opportunity to get out and enjoy the crisp winter weather. You may even find places you never knew existed right here in your own backyard.

Take them for a ride. There are a number of local operators who offer snowmachine treks – from a day trip around the Petersville area to multi-day excursions with stays in remote cabins. You don’t know have to know the terrain or own your own machine; these operators and guides have you covered.

If you do have your own snowmachine, give a bed and breakfast a call to make it a true getaway. Many offer a cozy retreat after a long day spent traversing the powder on your snowmachine.

Even though it’s not March, you can still show your relatives why the Iditarod is world famous. Local mushers can give you a behind-the-scenes tour of their kennels, complete with a ride in a sled. It’s a memory your visitors won’t soon forget. Vern Halter’s kennel, Dream a Dream Dog Farm, is located in Willow, along with Northern Lights Adventures. In Talkeetna, you can try Huskytown Kennels for an adventure.

Flightseeing in the winter is always an amazing experience, because the snow and alpenglow on the mountains make it simply breathtaking. Try one of the many operators out of the Talkeetna area. The crisp, winter days provide excellent viewing of Denali on the flightseeing trips this time of year.

You don’t have to blow up the budget for your visiting friends and relatives either. A quick trip to Hatcher Pass provides endless opportunities for fun — including skiing, snowshoeing, snowboarding and more. Hatcher Pass Lodge is open year-round and nothing beats the cold like a hot cocoa at the end of the day. Another option is Crevasse Moraine, off the Palmer-Wasilla Highway.

Winter is a great time to get outside, burn off those holiday calories and show your visitors a side of Alaska the majority of tourists never get to see. Visit the Mat-Su CVB’s website at alaskavisit.com for a list of activities, contact information and more.

Casey Ressler (casey@alaskavisit.com) is the marketing and communications manager at the Mat-Su CVB.