Nome, Alaska

Nome, Alaska

Nome offers colorful, sweeping views of seemingly endless tundra, plentiful wildlife, gold rush history and Alaska Native culture.

Visitors can explore over 720 km of roads that wind through tundra, mountains and coastal plains. Visitors will see artifacts of the Gold Rush everywhere including abandoned dredges, turn-of-the-century steam engines, old mining claims, old railroad track and decaying tressels. Abundant wild flowers and tundra plants blanket the landscape while herds of musk oxen and reindeer graze within sight of the road. Grizzly bear, moose, fox, beaver, wolves, wolverine, lemmings, voles and shrews present additional opportunities. The road system passes through a variety of habitats from beach to boreal, each boasting its own bird populations. Summer also provides great fishing with ample streams and rivers as well as the Seward Peninsula waters. 

Iditarod Finish, Nome

Iditarod Dog Sled Race 

The finish line for the 1,049-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race is in Nome. The race begins the first Saturday in March in Anchorage and the first dog teams begin arriving in Nome as early as 9 days later. Nome’s Iditarod Festival begins a week after the start and continues as the mushers trickle in.

Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum

Daughter of a prospector, Carrie McLain arrived in Nome when she was eight and grew to become the town historian and one of Nome’s leading citizens. The museum showcases the lives of the gold prospectors as well as presents the art and lifestyle of the Alaska Natives with rare artifacts and photos.

Land of the Midnight Sun

Nome is just 200 km south of the Arctic Circle. In summer the sun barely drops below the horizon for a couple hours. Beautiful sunsets can last for several hours.

Access: Scheduled air service from Anchorage and Fairbanks. Seasonal ships.

Location: Nome lies along the Bering Sea, on the south coast of the Seward Peninsula, facing Norton Sound. It is 539 air miles northwest of Anchorage, a 75-minute flight. It lies 102 miles south of the Arctic Circle and 161 miles east of Russia.

Population: 3,500.

Accommodations: Three hotels, eight bed and breakfasts and apartments, nine restaurants.

External Link: City of Nome official website.