Scenic Drive North to Palmer
Stroll the downtown district of Palmer, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1935 families from the Midwest-reeling from the Great Depression-homesteaded here, forming Alaska's only community that began based on agriculture.
In nearby Hatcher Pass, prospectors worked the land for another reason: gold. Located just off the Glenn Highway via Hatcher Pass Road, find the Independence Mine State Historic Park gold mine buildings and visitor center, a ghost town of sorts with abandoned buildings and mining machinery. Along the 18-mile unpaved road up to the pass, get spectacular views of glaciers, glacial rivers and valleys.
In the winter, the pass is a popular telemark and cross-country skiing destination. In fact, it's often used as a training center for the U.S. Ski Team.
For a closer look at Ice Age survivors, Musk Oxen, stop by the Musk Ox Farm located just north of Palmer. It's home to a large herd of musk ox, which look like a cross between a sheep and a water buffalo. Their extremely soft wool, called qiviut (pronounced kih-vee-ute), is knitted into hats, scarves and other clothing by Alaska Natives. An ounce of qiviut is eight times warmer than an equal amount of sheep wool. Open May through September.
Some 18,000 years ago, the Matanuska Glacier covered all of Palmer. Today it measures 27 miles (43.5 km) long and 4 miles (6.4 km) wide and is the start of the Matanuska River. If the majestic view of the glacier from the Glenn Highway north of Palmer isn't enough, pay a fee and drive through a private campground to a walking trail leading right up to the glacier.
