Bering coast · Iditarod checkpoint
Unalakleet
The first checkpoint on the Bering Sea coast and the largest community on the coastal portion of the trail.
Approx. mile
~748
of ~1,000
To Nome
~252 mi
remaining
Leg
Bering coast
Western Alaska
Setting
Bering Sea coast
On the trail
Unalakleet in the race
Reaching Unalakleet — the name means roughly 'where the east wind blows' — is a milestone: the teams have made the coast. From here the race runs the wind-blasted shoreline north to Nome.
Mile markers are approximate and shift with the year's route. Unalakleet sits on the bering coast leg of the 2027 southern route.
Background
History
One of the oldest continuously occupied sites in Alaska — a Yup'ik and Inupiaq community and historic trade center where coast and interior meet.
Visiting
Getting there
The largest coastal-trail community, with a real airport and regular flights from Anchorage and Nome.
← Previous checkpoint
Kaltag
Next checkpoint →
Shaktoolik
Plan around it
Events in Western Alaska
Iditarod Finish — Nome
Teams reach the Burled Arch in Nome
Nome Bathtub Races
The whole trail