Alaska trails · Iditarod National Historic Trail
Iditarod National Historic Trail
A 14.2-mile section of the Iditarod National Historic Trail in Alaska, with 1,625 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 2,300 miles. Reaches Meridian Lake and other lake destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 48% of the ascent falls between mile 9.5 and mile 14.2. It gives back about 1,476 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Meridian Lake (lake)
- Grayling Lake (lake)
- Long Lake (lake)
Getting there
Iditarod National Historic Trail access. About 3 h 04 min drive (141 mi) from Anchorage. 60.25369, -149.35327 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:52 a.m., the sun rises at 8:34 a.m. and sets at 6:50 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:33 p.m. (AKDT) — 10 h 16 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 14.2-mile route takes roughly 6 h 05 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:39 p.m. — 4 h 11 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Iditarod National Historic Trail + Crow Pass — 2.9 mi loop, 1,051 ft gain
- Iditarod National Historic Trail — 5.2 mi loop, 1,031 ft gain
- Iditarod National Historic Trail + Crow Pass — 5.7 mi loop, 1,048 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Devil's Creek Trail — 22.4 mi
- Resurrection Pass Trail — 26.0 mi
- Skyline Traverse Trail — 29.5 mi