Alaska Day

October 17, 2024 by Casey Ressler
Happy Alaska Day! October 18 marks the formal transfer of the Territory of Alaska from Russia to the United States. And it was a pretty good deal, too - just $7.2 million. The sale price was approximately 2 cents an acre and enlarged the United States by 586,000 square miles. Alaska was originally a...

Su Dog 300

October 8, 2024 by Casey Ressler
A new sled dog race is coming to the Upper Susitna Valley this winter, as the Su Dog 300 makes its debut in January. The race is a 300-mile Iditarod qualifier that organizers say helps fill the void of mid-distance races in the Willow area, a community with strong historical roots in the dog mushing...
It's just like clockwork. As the snow finally reaches the lakes and fields of Mat-Su Valley's Glacier View area, massive flocks of snow geese take to the skies and start heading southward. This is just one of many bird species that spend their summers in Alaska and swing through the Valley on their...

Aurora season begins

September 23, 2024 by Casey Ressler
Many of us have already seen and photographed them this season. That's right, they're back! With the return of starry night skies comes a new season - aurora watching. Every fall and winter, eager aurora chasers are able to find this celestial wonder dancing across the sky in the Mat-Su Valley. As...
This is such a fun time of year in the Mat-Su Valley. Fall colors are popping everywhere, the harvest is in, and everyone is in the mood to celebrate the changing seasons! Here are a few events taking place in the Valley this fall. Make plans to come out and enjoy the festivities! 1. Rebarchek...
Many people don’t think of visiting the Mat-Su Valley in autumn. Peak visitor season for Alaska is June through August, but with less crowds and some beautiful weather still ahead, September feels like a local secret only Alaskans get to enjoy. The change in seasons means the long summer days of...
Every year, more and more visitors are choosing to come to Alaska's Mat-Su Valley after the summer season. I guess the secret's out; this place is absolutely unbelievable during the winter months! You might be wondering what would motivate so many people to brave the shorter days and colder...

Alaska State Fair

August 27, 2024 by Casey Ressler
We're keeping this blog updated every week so you can see what's going on at the 2024 Alaska State Fair! Here are the concerts happening this weekend at (7pm at the Borealis Theatre). Kolohe Kai - Thursday, Aug. 29 Theory of a Deadman - Friday Aug. 30 Whiskey Myers - Saturday, Aug. 31 Oliver...
There is no shortage of scenic drives in the Mat-Su Valley. Hatcher Pass promises rushing water and rich history. The highway north to Denali State Park has some of the best views of North America's tallest peak. The Glenn Highway, with epic glacier views, is even a national scenic byway! There's a...
The Glacier View region contains one of the Mat-Su Valley's greatest gems. Matanuska Glacier is the largest road accessible glacier and there are a variety of ways to explore it from a highway side overlook with interpretive signs all the way to a winter trek into one of its frozen drainage tunnels....