Real Estate, Activities, Things to do and see in Willow, Alaska
Welcome to the best outdoor playground in Alaska. For things to do in Willow Alaska. Willow has hiking, biking, flight-seeing, fishing, snomachining, cross country skiing, Dog Sled mushing, 250 miles of groomed winter trails, the list goes on and on. Come to Willow Alaska for your summer and winter adventures!
HIKING AROUND WILLOW
If someone were to ask us where the good spots in Willow are for hiking, at the top of the list is Hatcher Pass. How do you get there? When driving through Willow, look for the “Willow-Fishhook Road” sign and turn east on it. This will take you on one of the most spectacular drives in Alaska. Typically, a 35-40-minute drive this road will take you past towering mountains, and open meadows. In the fall, the colors are amazing and the mountain sides are fantastic for berry picking. Hatcher Pass is at the top of this scenic wonder and once there you can park and start hiking on any of the numerous trails. If you want to take this drive one step further, continue driving down the other side where you will find more hiking trails and take a tour of Independence Mine. An entire day could be spent at Hatcher pass with no problem. As far as the hiking goes it would be difficult to cover all the hiking areas in a lifetime. Make Hatcher Pass a destination when visiting Willow! If a leisurely nature walk is more your style check out some of the trails right in the Willow Area.
FISHING WILLOW, ALASKA
To say the fishing around the Willow area is great wood be a grand understatement! Nearby rivers and creeks include The Susitna, the Deshka, Willow Creek, Montana Creek, the list goes on and on. The closest to Willow would be Willow Creek. At the confluence of Willow Creek, you can catch four species of Salmon. Kings, Silvers, Chums, and Pinks. Large Rainbow Trout, Artic Grayling, Dolly Varden, and an occasional Burbot and whitefish. Kings peak from mid-June to early July, Silvers in August. These fish can be caught by standing on the river or creek banks, elbow to elbow with someone else. This is commonly referred to as “Combat Fishing’. Another way is to hire a fishing guide. This will typically get you off the river bank away for the combat fishing and right in the middle of the river. This will greatly increase your chances of “catching” instead of “fishing”. Deshka Landing the nearby boat launch has several fishing guides. I highly recommend Alaska Chinook Charters.
FLIGHT-SEEING IN WILLOW
If there would be that “ONE THING” you should do when you visit Willow, Alaska it would be a flight-seeing tour. What simply can’t be described is what you see from the air when doing a flight-seeing tour over Denali. From the ground mountains are covered by other mountains. You can’t see the wildlife, or the Glaciers. You can’t see the wildlife, or the Glaciers. The vastness, the immensity of Denali and the surrounding terrain is truly breath taking. Of course, the weather needs to cooperate for this incredible experience. Denali can create its own weather pattern and although it might be clear all around the area, Denali can be completely covered up by its own bad weather. In the summer time if it makes its grand appearance from behind the clouds you better be on the phone booking your flight! Because it may not last long. The winter time here in Willow has clearer sunny days than the summer and most air taxis will still take you. But make no mistake! This should be at the top of your Alaska bucket list! If you visit Willow and don’t take in this one thing, well…. You haven’t truly seen what Alaska is. Make this “one thing” a priority! I highly recommend Talkeetna Air Taxi in Talkeetna, Alaska
VISIT A KENNEL IN WILLOW
There is perhaps no single thing that Willow, Alaska is known better for than Dog Mushing. People from all over the world come to Willow to set up their Kennels and get started training for the Iditarod. Even in the summer time you can see the mushers as they run their dogs down the trails pulling an ATV or a sled of some sort with wheels on it. But then comes winter! Some mushers are very serious about training for the Iditarod, and some are hobbyists. No matter, you can see them all over the winter trail system running their dogs. On a cold winter night, if you are lucky you can step outside your door and hear the dogs howling all over. It’s a magical sound. Several of the local Kennels offer tours. Summer time can mean you get to see a new litter of pups which is always a huge hit. Winter time means watching them hitch up the team and running the dogs. Many of the Kennels offer a Dog Sled ride to their visitors for a fee or course. Many of the Kennels offer a Dog Sled ride to their visitors for a fee or course. Regardless, a visit to a Kennel is a unique Alaskan experience. I highly recommend Snowhook Adventure Guides.
