Talkeetna

Tucked 14 miles down the Talkeetna Spur Road is the quiet little community of Talkeetna, which despite its small size is a very diverse place.

It is a Mecca for mountain climbers, who use it as a staging community for climbs of Denali. It is a recreationalist's dream, with rivers, trails and lakes around each bend in the road. It is a tourist's ideal stop, with its quaint Main Street filled with gift shops. In essence, it really is Alaska, the way Alaska was meant to be.

Located at Mile 99 Parks Hwy., the Talkeetna Spur Road winds its way north to the community of Talkeetna. As you make your way to town, you are treated to some of the most breathtaking scenery you'll ever see -- Mount McKinley looms large, right in front of you, as you stare at the confluence of the Chulitna, Susitna and Talkeetna Rivers.

The town was founded in the early 1900s as miners headed to the area in search of gold. Some of the buildings were built around that time, and many more were built in the 1940s and 1950s as the Alaska Railroad made accessibility easier. It became a major staging area for miners heading north on the railroad looking for fame and fortune. Today, it is still a major stop on the Alaska Railroad for passengers heading north to Denali National Park and Fairbanks.

Downtown Talkeetna is a rustic place, with gift shops, pubs, cafes and tour operators residing in buildings that suggest you have traveled back in time. It is a place every tour bus stops at, and for good reason -- Talkeetna is a down-home, feel-good town that you don't want to miss.

Talkeetna is a Native word meaning "river of plenty," and for anglers, that is a big reason why the town swells every summer. The three rivers turn into aquatic highways from the middle of May through October, as boats carry anglers to every corner of the river in search of the five species of Pacific salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden and grayling.

But fishing isn't the only summer recreational activity taking place in Talkeetna. The area is a great place for hiking, berry picking, mountain biking and camping, among other things. In the winter, snowmachiners flock to the area around Talkeetna and north to Trapper Creek to snowmachine into the backcountry. Cross-country skiers find the area perfect for their sport, as do snowshoers.

The town is home to several community festivals. Talkeetna is a secluded town more than 100 miles from Anchorage and the big-city lights, and the community festivals are a way for the town's residents to show off all Talkeetna has to offer.

Each July, the Talkeetna Moose Dropping Festival attracts thousands of visitors to the town, celebrating summer in Alaska. And while they don't actually drop moose during the festival, as some tourists have asked, they do drop moose droppings -- and raffle tickets are sold for the "landing" of the droppings.

The Mountain Mother competition tests the necessary Alaska skills of mothers -- fish cleaning, water carrying, log splitting and the like.

The community is the proud host of another festival, this time celebrating winter. The Talkeetna Winterfest takes place in early December, and again, the town's women are put to the test -- this time, in the Wilderness Woman competition. The women must make their man a sandwich, catch a fish, snowshoe, ride a snowmachine and cut firewood -- all while the bachelor watches television.

During the festival, the Talkeetna Bachelor Auction attracts hundreds of women, who bid for a drink with the men. Some of the bachelors garner hundreds of dollars for their "services."