![]()
Climb summary from our friend Bryant Robbins, Palmer, Alaska:
We did this ride on mountain bikes because we wanted to ride down a “trail” on the other side. Turns out the gravel was very smooth and it probably makes a better road ride than mountain bike ride because the “trail” turned out to be mostly a bushwack route.
Nenana is a tiny village located between Fairbanks and Denali National Park on the Parks Highway. It sits at the confluence of the Nenana and the Tanana Rivers.
![]()
Nenana’s biggest claim to fame is the annual Nenana Ice Classic. Participants buy a ticket for a chance to guess the time that the ice goes out on the Tanana River. People from all over Alaska participate and the ticket with the nearest guess wins a large pot of money. The actual time is determined by placing a huge “tripod” on the ice with a line attached to a clock. When the tripod falls into the river it pulls a string that stops the clock.
![]()
Nenana is named from the nearby river and Native American people living in the region.
Incorporated 1921, population 357 in 2019.
It is not a likely spot to find a cycle climb but it turns out that just across the river is a good gravel road used to access an FAA radio facility. With grades of 12 to 13 percent this climb is a nice challenge in an area otherwise devoid of climbing opportunities. This is probably the least known, easily accessible climb in Alaska.
![]()
A former boarding school teaching up 28 student from all over the region.
![]()
Mears Memorial Bridge (truss bridge built in 1932) - 700’ span across the Tanana River.
When completed, this was the longest truss span in the United States and its territories.