The Iditarod to run the southern route for the 53rd running of the race

The Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) announced the 2025 Iditarod will run the southern route this year.

“After extensive trail flyovers, on-the-ground reports from snow machiners and information from Checkpoint communities, the current weather conditions will allow for the race to run the southern route, as originally planned for the 2025 Iditarod," race officials said in a press release issued late last week.

The Iditarod alternates between a northern and southern route each year, with the southern route is run on odd years. However, this year there have been concerns about the race and which route the ITC would use as there has been less snow than anticipated.

The release goes on to say that there may still be some course modifications necessary, including the Official Restart of the race depending on snow coverage at the traditional Willow Lake start.

The ITC says that if any changes are made, it would not impact the rest of the Southern Route, which runs 998 miles and mushers travel through Iditarod, Shageluk, Anvik, Grayling and Eagle Island before converging at the junction of Kaltag, where the mushers then run the same route to the finish line in Nome.

The Ceremonial Start is still scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 1, in Downtown Anchorage on 4th and D Street.