Like many Alaskans, I've been part of the annual migration to Seward for July Fourth weekend. The tiny town -- where its namesake highway begins -- triples in population over the holiday weekend as residents and tourists gather to watch the world-famous Mount Marathon Race.
Several years ago, my girlfriend (now wife) and I decided to forgo the tradition because we didn't want to fight the crowds and traffic -- not to mention that our normal, lazily-located sleeping area on my parents' boat was unavailable -- and we decided at the last minute to pack the car and head north, away from the Seward Zeitgeist. Traffic thinned out around Montana Creek campground, on mile 96.5 of the Parks Highway. From there, we took the Talkeetna Spur toward that small town near Denali National Park.
Neither my wife nor I had been to Talkeetna before, so we followed the road until it spilled out into a small campground -- with spaces still available -- within walking distance of the rocky beach where the Talkeetna River merges with the Susitna. We pitched the tent quickly, since our sunny day had been lost behind heavy gray clouds. Even if there hadn't been spots available, we could have camped out on the beach, where dozens of overflow tents (and one large teepee) were eventually stationed.
We spent the weekend exploring Talkeetna -- which takes all of about 15 minutes, since the bulk of the town lies on one main road -- and surrounds, and tossing rocks into the river. Our black lab chased after them, plunging her head into the water where the rock had disappeared, searching for it in vain. Fireworks went off late into the night, and intermittent rain pattered on the tent while we slept. For a last-minute July Fourth plan, it couldn't have worked out better.
If camping's not your thing, you can always try for a reservation at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge. Talkeetna is small but tourist-friendly, with souvenir shops and several good restaurants; the Talkeetna Roadhouse was featured in a Season 2 episode of the Travel Channel show "Man Vs. Food," and serves pancakes bigger than your head. Kayaking, boat tours and flightseeing are all available from the town.
Contact Ben Anderson at ben(at)alaskadispatch.com.