Best Things To Do in Big Lake

Get an insider’s look at the icon­ic Alaskan sport of dog mush­ing when you vis­it Hap­py Trails Ken­nel in Big Lake, oper­at­ed by four-time Idi­tar­od cham­pi­on (and mem­ber of the Alas­ka Sports Hall of Fame) Mar­tin Buser. You can vis­it year-round; come in win­ter and you can expe­ri­ence the thrill of dog mush­ing your­self on a dog sled ride!

Feel the thrill of rac­ing cham­pi­on sled dogs at the Alas­ka Mush­ing School — choose their Wil­low loca­tion, just 75 min­utes north of Anchor­age, or their Chugiak out­post, only 15 min­utes from town. Get a professional’s insight into the mush­ing lifestyle as you ride behind a team of ener­getic sled dogs on trails con­nect­ed to the famous Idi­tar­od route. Bun­dle up and ride in com­fort, or brave the cold and dri­ve the team yourself!

The Pilot Lodge offers three retro­fit­ted air­planes, a geo­des­ic dome, and six cab­ins near Wasil­la, about an hour from Anchor­age. Cre­at­ed by pilot and flight instruc­tor Jon Kotwic­ki, the lodge blends com­fort with nov­el­ty, fea­tur­ing heat­ed floors, dish­wash­ers, and bed­rooms tucked into air­plane fuse­lages. Since the prop­er­ty sits on an active airstrip, flight­see­ing adven­tures to glac­i­ers, Denali, and Lake Clark are just out­side your door. Though it  ...more