“Talkeetna began at the turn of the century as a supply station for miners and trappers. This pioneer town has maintained its rustic spirit. Historic buildings line the one-block main street, and many locals still live in log cabins. Miners and trappers who live in the bush without running water or electricity come into the village for supplies and messages. Talkeetna is the nearest town to Denali and is the staging area for many climbing expeditions.”

Logistics: Talkeetna (PATK) has a paved runway and is a short flight for Cirrus pilots from the Kenai Peninsula or Anchorage. Visit it for lunch as part of a flightseeing day trip to Mt. McKinley, or stay a few days in a local hotel or bed and breakfast. If you choose to flightsee near Mt. McKinley enroute to Talkeetna, monitor CTAF on 122.7 or 122.725 for tour plane traffic and periodically announce your position, altitude and intentions in Denali National Park.

Consult the National Park Service’s flight page and the FAA’s Denali Flight Advisory page for maps and other important information.

Things to do in Talkeetna include flightseeing around Mt. McKinley (including some charter flights that land with skis on the glaciers); fishing/river tours to see wildlife and fish in the gorgeous river valleys; whitewater rafting through the Class 3 and 4 rapids of the Talkeetna Canyon; visit the Talkeetna Historical Museum, with its gold-panning equipment, trapper and old hunter cabins hike or bike the Chase Trail to the north along the railroad tracks, or take a horseback ride along the same route; or go canoeing across a quiet lake near town.

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