Some extra Information I got from a local

I got this from Aimee who works for the company I am doing the Knik Glacier ATV tour with...use as you will!

-K

A tidbit of information before I load you down: the cities Wasilla and Palmer basically constitute what is known as the Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su) Valley. I live in Wasilla, almost on the border of Palmer. The Valley is about 45 miles north of Anchorage, about an hour’s drive. Other nearby cities/towns are Sutton, Big Lake and Willow. You’d be able to find all of these on a good map. Wasilla leads to Big Lake and then Willow, and then up to Talkeetna and eventually Denali National Park. We usually have pretty good weather in June, but towards July sometimes it rains a lot, so pretty much just be prepared for any kind of weather. Definitely bring some grubby clothes, or an old swimsuit if you want to do the mudsliding thing. And you’ll definitely want a can of your favorite brand of mosquito spray J The first place you’d want to stop by is the Visitor’s Center. They have all kinds of info for lodging, food, and tours, but they also have instructional pamphlets for fun hikes in the area. The Palmer one has a little museum along with it, but the Wasilla one will be closer to where you’ll be staying.
Mat-Su Visitor’s Center
8:30a-6:30p
Mi 35.5 Parks

Palmer Visitor’s Center
9a-6p
(907) 745-2880
723 S. Colony Way
www.palmerchamber.org

Ongoing Local Events:
Wasilla Farmer’s Market (the folks from around here sell their homegrown lovin’)
Every Wed 12-6pm

Friday Flings-Palmer, across from visitor’s center (this is just a small, fun festival to get a glimpse of Palmer life. Usually live music and food and crafts)
11a-6p Fridays

Drag Racing (if you like this sort of thing, the schedules are on their websites. Lots from the Valley do this)
-North Star Speedway
www.northstarspeedway.com
-Alaska Raceway Park
www.akracewaypark.com
-Willow’s Capitol Speedway
mi 75.5 Parks Hwy, (907) 495-6420

Susitna Speedway Go-Karts (for some random amusement; plus you can do it till midnight and it’s still light! A lot of the younger couples do this for fun in the Valley. There’s also bowling and pool and more of that kind of thing around the Valley, where the locals hang out)

Mat-Su Miners Alaska Baseball (the Valley’s bb team; a lot of us go to their games)
(907) 745-6401
Games June 14-Aug 1
www.matsuminers.org

Celebrations you might be around for:
Big Lake Triathlon
June 29th
www.biglakechamber.org

Independence Day Celebration, Wasilla
July 4, usually 10 am

Random fun (If you want to do some of these, you’ll need to rent the gear or set up a tour):
Nancy Lakes canoe trails (there are canoes for rent and a ton of different trails between lakes that are marked that you can go on. It’s pretty much out in the boonies other than a bunch of campsites. This would be a day-long thing, but so much fun if you like canoeing).
7 mile Fingerlake Canoe Trail (A lot closer than Nancy lakes; this one’s near my house, but it can be a little tricky trying to find the streams that connect the four lakes. If I have time off I’d love to take you on it but if you and a buddy feel adventurous and would like to just kind of figure it out, I can probably explain it pretty well. It’s one of my favorites, and there are tunnels you go through and small streams. My aunt says, “Oh! It’s just like Disneyland!” Tourists don’t do this; mostly just us who live on the lake.)
Mudsliding (this is another one of those things where I’d love to take you, but if I can’t, I can just give you instructions—this one is definitely a must-do, though, and it’s what most tourists never do)
Horseback riding (there are a few companies, and some really fun trails with nice overlooks)
Kayaking (there are kayaks for rent sometimes, but mostly they are guided tours, even if you have experience. Still a great thing to do around here, especially fun when it’s foggy)
Clam Digging (this is in Homer, quite a drive—5 or 6 hours—from the Valley, but it’s SO much fun that we have to do it every year as a family)
Fishing (you probably don’t want to bother with this one)
Camping, backpacking (you’d need to bring gear for that, I don’t know if they rent it out or not.)
Golf and Frisbee Golf (If you’re into it, we’ve got some fun places for that kind of thing)
Rafting (there are plenty of rivers and enough companies that you can find a good deal)
Visits to Glaciers (depends where you are and how far you want to drive; you’ll see the Knik Glacier on your ATV tour, though, up close and personal.)
The locals like to have bonfires and skip rocks down on the Knick River bed; more of a social get together, but it’s also something that tourists never do.
Airboating is also popular on the Knik, but you’d need a guided tour for that one.
If you’re crazy enough to swim in the lakes (we are!), then Kepler-Bradly lake is a deep, clean place (sometimes lakes here can be nasty and weedy), and Wasilla Lake is definitely a popular beach on a sunny day.
Eklutna Lake has a little bit of all of everything (this is a really beautiful nature reserve about halfway in between the Valley and Anchorage, with all kinds of rentals if you want to do the bike trails, kayaking, or just hiking.)
There are also some farms that are fun to visit:
Pyrah’s Pioneer Peak Farm (this is a place where locals come and pay pennies to go and hand pick their own vegetables. It’s a nice farm with a scenic view)
July-Oct (closed Sun)
Mile 2.8, Bodenburg Loop, Palmer
(907) 745-4511

Reindeer farm (you can pet the reindeer and see the other animals they have there—they take care of wild ones that can’t return to the wild).
Daily, 10a-6p
(907) 745-4000

Musk Ox farm (I don’t think this is a petting farm, but it is very informative)
Daily, 10a-6p
(907) 745-4151
Hikes in the Valley:
Butte (about an hour up and an hour down; a medium hike, everyone in Palmer and Wasilla hikes here for fun on weekends or Solstice. You get a nice view of the Reindeer Farm, Knik Glacier, and basically all of the Mat-Su Valley from here)
Lazy Mtn & Mt Vigor (if you want a little more tough of a hike, Lazy really isn’t so lazy, and I don’t know if I’ve ever hiked Mt Vigor, but it sounds about the same. Again, really nice views of the Valley)
Reed Lakes/Archangel Valley (This is in Hatcher Pass and I would take a whole day to do it. It’s not bad if you take your time, and considering that it’s my most favorite place in all of Alaska, I’d definitely recommend it if you’re into hiking. There are a few lakes and some waterfalls, some beautiful views—just a bit of everything I guess. The wildflowers are especially beautiful in June/July. It’s pretty popular, and you wouldn’t get lost too easy. I can also walk you through this one)
The Pinnacle (don’t know this one, but heard it’s a good hike)
Independence Mine (this is more of a walk than a hike, but some interesting history to it and a bunch of historical buildings they’ve preserved; it’s a park now and I think they give free guided tours, and it’s probably the easiest mine you’ll be able to get to. This is also in Hatcher Pass.)
Thunderbird Falls (this is more of a walk than a hike; pretty easy, about 30 min, but a pretty waterfall at the end. Just before Eklutna on your way into Anchorage from the Valley)
Scenic drives:
Palmer Fishook (some of the Palmer, farming countryside)
Eklutna (the road winds through the forest, but I’m pretty sure you can drive around the glacially-fed lake)
Hatcher Pass (my most favorite place in all of Alaska—just more and more mountains, and nice views)
Glenn Hwy out to Sutton (some pretty breathtaking vistas)
Hatcher’s Pass to Willow (60 miles through the mountains; it’s the scenic route to Willow from Wasilla)
Old Glenn Hwy into Anchorage (you’ll drive through the forest, the closest you can get to the base of the mountain by car, and see some nice outcroppings and rivers.
My personal favorite places to eat (I can give you directions):
Little Miller’s Ice Cream (there are little shops here and there around the Valley)
Bagels Alaska, Palmer-Wasilla Hwy (best bagels and calzones ever—good for lunch or dinner)
Crazy Moose Restaurant in Wasilla (I haven’t been here yet, but my best friend swears by it)
Bear’s Tooth Theatre Pub & Pizzeria (or Moose’s Tooth if you just want Pizza—but it’s the BEST pizza ever in your LIFE…these are both in Anchorage, though)
There’s some fun things happening in Anchorage, but I only have a few things down. I can look up more if you like. These were just things I thought of off the top of my head:
Saturday Market (every Sat from 10a-6p), I can give you directions
First Friday Art Walk, every Friday (they have artisans selling work and also sponsor new artists
Elmendorf AFB Arctic Thunder Airshow. June 28-29, 9a-4p; free (fun if you like military planes)
Flattop mountain is a medium hike with a beautiful view of Anchorage and the ocean. We do it usually once a year.
Earthquake Park is a nice place to bike or just walk; it celebrates the ’64 earthquake. And the Tony Knowles coastal trail is another good one that goes along the shore. Sometimes you can see Belugas out in the bay.
Also, the Alaska Native Heritage Center is supposed to be really big and fabulous. They have a really nice website and it looks like it would be worth the money if you want to learn about the Native cultures here. I want to visit it this summer, actually. (www.alaskanative.net)
Museums (if you like that sort of thing; they’re usually pretty small, but good quality):
Colony House Museum
Tues-Sat, 10a-4p
(907) 745-1935
316 E. Elmwood Ave, Palmer
www.palmerhistoricalsociety.org

Alaska Tsunami Warning Center (This is the nation’s leading center for Tsunami studies; it’s supposed to be pretty neat though I’ve never been. Open on Fridays to the public for free. It’s in btw Palmer and Wasilla almost.)

Dorothy Page Museum (historic museum of Wasilla)
North Main St, Wasilla
Mon-Sat, 9am-5pm
(907) 373-9071

Iditarod Trail Headquarters (this is fun and free, and you can take a summer sled dog ride for a fee)
Mile 2.2 Knik-Goose Bay Rd, Wasilla
Daily 8am-7pm
(907) 376-5155

Museum of AK Transportation and Industry
Mi 47 Parks Hwy, Wasilla
(907) 376-1211
Tues-Sun 10am-5pm

Knik Museum
Mile 13.9 Knik-Goose Bay, Wasilla
(907) 376-7755
Thurs-Sun 1-6pm

Alpine Historical Park
Mi 61.6 Glenn Hwy, Sutton
745-7000

There’s also a wax museum and a fur industry museum that I can look up if you want.

If you end up going to Denali National Park, you’ll probably want to browse all over this website for info. You’ll pass Talkeetna along the way up, and I’d recommend visiting there also if only for a couple of hours. It’s a pretty unique city. Denali has pretty much any kind of tour you can imagine and it’s one of the nation’s biggest national parks, so if you’re visiting Alaska, it’s a must do, but it’s also a lot of just driving. www.nps.gov/dena