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Eagle Quest Cabins & Lodge

Hotel | "Outstanding Rustic Alaskan Experience"

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We were very fortunate to have received this personal referral through someone on another internet travel resource given that they are about seven miles off the Parks Highway, just north of Willow in the middle of nowhere. It is the "in the middle of nowhere" that makes this such a wonderful and unique experience!Ray & Shirley Roth built Eagle Quest about six or seven years ago. With a main lodge where they live, along with the kitchen, dining area and bathrooms, this alone would make a wonderful base to call home in the summer or winter. They have also built six cabins on their property, each able to accommodate five guests in a truly rustic "dry" manner. Yes that is right, dry as...Read More

We were very fortunate to have received this personal referral through someone on another internet travel resource given that they are about seven miles off the Parks Highway, just north of Willow in the middle of nowhere. It is the "in the middle of nowhere" that makes this such a wonderful and unique experience!

Ray & Shirley Roth built Eagle Quest about six or seven years ago. With a main lodge where they live, along with the kitchen, dining area and bathrooms, this alone would make a wonderful base to call home in the summer or winter. They have also built six cabins on their property, each able to accommodate five guests in a truly rustic "dry" manner. Yes that is right, dry as in no running water, bathrooms, etc. For that you would need to head over to the main lodge. Worry not, however, as it was a short walk of around 10 to 15 yards. I must admit, it wasn't much of a big deal for us to have to get up for the bathroom in the middle of the night as temps were hovering just above zero overnight and there was no precipitation in the air. Had it been colder with snow and blowing winds, perhaps I'd have a different opinion, but for us it would have just added to that Alaskan experience.

We arrived at the lodge just in time for lunch at around noontime. The place was buzzing with several locals, all known to Shirley; as well as some guests up from Anchorage in the area via snow machines for the official start of the Iditarod Trail Race at 2:00pm. Shirley invited us to sit down with some of their friends, who were enjoying coffee. Having eaten breakfast rather early, we were both hungry and ready for some good home cooking.

The lunch buffet featured sloppy joes, potato salad, baked beans and an assortment of baked goodies like muffins and cookies. Hot tea was the perfect accompaniment, although they had a full service espresso bar along with coffee and soft drinks.

After lunch we were able to get into our cabin where we could layer up for our time out on the trail. Shirley's son-in-law was running the "shuttle" between the lodge and the frozen lake where the teams were anticipated to come through around 2:30-2:45pm.

When we got down there, it was great! It was a large open area with the local owners providing hot sandwiches and beverages for those looking to make a purchase. Further on down the trail were folks tailgating with Weber grills, as well as small groups of snow machiners congregating as we all awaited the teams. After the 63 teams passed through the area (about 2 1/2 hours later), we were picked up by the "shuttle" and taken back to the lodge.

Dinner was being served, which was available via ala carte menu. I had the chili with a piece of pineapple upside-down cake and hot tea. It was good and warm for the tummy. We enjoyed the early evening sharing stories with the Roth family, which included several of their children and grandchildren who help in running the lodge. The family atmosphere was very enjoyable.

The next morning we slept in a bit and joined those already in for breakfast. The scrambled eggs with ham along with french toast and breakfast potatoes were very good. Homemade baked goods and juice were also provided.

Our lodging included breakfast, so lunch and dinner the day before were an additional cost. Given that there is nothing close to Eagle Quest, guests have the choice of taking advantage of the great home cooking or head about 15 miles back into town in Willow. I'm glad we had the option of dining at the lodge throughout our stay.

A little about our cabin . . . as you can see in the photos, it is a small two level with three single/twin beds upstairs and a small sitting area on the lower area. Along with the day bed (for two?) there is a small table with two chairs, a mini-fridge and microwave. Space is close but for just two of us it was perfect. I could also see it being a good set up for a small family of say parents with a couple of little kids. I would think it would be tight for four adults or parents and a couple of teenagers, but since people aren't really staying inside for much time, the limited amount of space shouldn't really be a concern.

The entire stay (overnight in the cabin plus three meals for two) was $205. Jane and I felt this was a fair price for the high quality meals and convenience of the location to the Iditarod trail. Given that they also have a great summer business with her husband Ray offering guide services for fishing and hunting, I am certain that my hubby and I will visit Eagle Quest Cabins & Lodge again in the future.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 12, 2025

Eagle Quest Cabins & Lodge
11929 North Remote Lane
Willow, Alaska
(907) 495-1116

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The Iditarod Mushers Drawing Banquet

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Dallas Seavey Pulls #21 Photo - Anchorage, Alaska

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Before the race can be contested, mushers must first obtain their race number which they will wear throughout the competition on a "bib". These bibs are big collector’s items, going for as much as $5,000 after the completion of the race. In order to bring the racers and fans together, the Iditarod Trail Committee hosts their annual Mushers' Banquet in downtown Anchorage at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center. I heard that they estimated the crowd to be over 1,500. At $75 per person, this event also serves as a fundraiser for the Iditarod.This year, I traveled to Anchorage and met other Alaska enthusiasts from Minnesota and Michigan for this event. The three of us had a great tim...Read More

Before the race can be contested, mushers must first obtain their race number which they will wear throughout the competition on a "bib". These bibs are big collector’s items, going for as much as $5,000 after the completion of the race. In order to bring the racers and fans together, the Iditarod Trail Committee hosts their annual Mushers' Banquet in downtown Anchorage at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center. I heard that they estimated the crowd to be over 1,500. At $75 per person, this event also serves as a fundraiser for the Iditarod.

This year, I traveled to Anchorage and met other Alaska enthusiasts from Minnesota and Michigan for this event. The three of us had a great time finally meeting after getting to know one another through another internet travel site with an Alaskan forum. As photographers, I must admit feeling a bit inadequate having seeing hundreds of great photos from both of these guys.

We arrived at the convention center shortly after the 5:00pm no-host bar time, allowing for plenty of time to mingle among the sponsors (ExxonMobil, Wells Fargo, DELL and Coca-Cola to name a few), mushers and their families, and fans from around the world. Sled dog people are some of the friendliest and most accessible athletes allowing folks to obtain autographs and photos with their favorites. Throughout the evening lines could be seen for stars of the sport including DeeDee Jonrowe, Rick Swensen and current four-time defending champion Lance Mackey.

We were pre-assigned to table 19 which was very fortunate, as the Seavey table was right next to ours. Mitch Seavey won the Iditarod in 2004 and his son Dallas is the reigning Yukon Quest champion having just won that grueling 1,000+ mile race at the end of February. Both figure to be top-ten favorites this year.

Before dinner was served at 6:00pm, guests were entertained by Hobo Jim, a well known troubadour with a local flavor truly unique to Alaska. With a invocation delivered by DeeDee Jonrowe and the singing of the National Anthem and the Alaska Flag Song, it was time to enjoy dinner. While we did not have a musher seated at our table, we did have a very interesting group to break bread with including a medical supply rep from Washington State in town for the weekend on business, a family of four from Washington and a couple from Alberta. The couple from Canada was to travel the entire Iditarod Trail by small plane following the teams from check point to check point. How exciting!

Our meal was good, especially when you consider what it takes to feed a crowd of that size. The beef steak with fingerling potatoes was preceded by a salad and followed by a tasty apple crunch pie.

As folks began their desserts, it was time for the draw to take place. Mushers were called up to draw a poker sized chip from the mukluk. As each came to the stage, they prepared their final thoughts and words of appreciation to their family, friends and supporters. Most were very eloquent about their upcoming journey although some were also noticeably shy and understated.

I tried to keep up with the draw writing down the numbers of those mushers I would be most interested in following over the weekend at the ceremonial start in Anchorage on Saturday and the official start in Willow on Sunday afternoon. I think I had about 25 names that were familiar to me, including some I had only learned of on this trip. It was very helpful to have their starting numbers while out on 4th Avenue Saturday.

While at the banquet I did make it a point to stop by the Seavey's table to introduce myself to Dallas Seavey since my friend Jane and I were scheduled to take a mushing tour at his kennel the following Monday. Last year another friend and I did the tour just prior to the Iditarod at his place and thoroughly enjoyed it. After following his race from the Yukon to Fairbanks in February, he had quickly become my personal favorite!

Throughout the evening volunteers sold raffle tickets benefiting the Iditarod Trail Committee and the race. I was happy to plunk down my $100 especially since I had considered making the purchase online the week before but forgot about it. They are offering $190,000 in prices with a maximum of 4,000 tickets available. The odds of winning something are 1:200. My running joke is that I will probably not win one of four2011 Dodge Ram 4x4 Quad Cab Pickups (or any other Chrysler/Jeep vehicle of equal value), but instead will win a chain saw or something else more Alaskan than I can use in Milwaukee. We'll see . . . the drawing will be on April 10, 2011.

We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the opportunity to hob knob with the mushing community. I will certainly do it again, if I am back in Anchorage for the Iditarod in the future.
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The Greatest Race on Earth - The Iditarod Trail Race

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Iditarod Lead Dogs Photo - Willow, Alaska

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The 39th running of the Iditarod Trail Race continues as I write this trip report on my experiences this past weekend in Alaska. The race itself presents fans with two opportunities to take in the fever pitch of long distance mushing; the ceremonial start on Saturday in downtown Anchorage followed by the official race start about an hour north in Willow. We were fortunate to take in both, each exciting for different reasons.The Ceremonial Start - AnchorageThis event is largely for the fans and community, with people lining both sides of 4th Avenue for as far as the eye can see. There are additional vantage points along the trail where those with cars and a bit of local knowl...Read More

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Iditarod Headquarters

Attraction | "Pleasant Stop Along the Way"

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The Iditarod race trail stretches across roughly 1,150 miles of Alaskan landscape from Anchorage (well technically Willow) to Nome that pushes man and dog teams for close to two weeks or more. Started in 1973 to commemorate the primary mode of transportation for decades, along the historical trail that actually begins in Seward, today the Iditarod represents the Alaskan spirit that makes this the great place it is today. The Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla is a nice stopping point for a break in the driving through town whether you’re heading north or south, to or from Talkeetna or perhaps Denali National Park. Inside, visitors can take the self-guided tour of the artifacts and m...Read More

The Iditarod race trail stretches across roughly 1,150 miles of Alaskan landscape from Anchorage (well technically Willow) to Nome that pushes man and dog teams for close to two weeks or more. Started in 1973 to commemorate the primary mode of transportation for decades, along the historical trail that actually begins in Seward, today the Iditarod represents the Alaskan spirit that makes this the great place it is today.

The Iditarod Headquarters in Wasilla is a nice stopping point for a break in the driving through town whether you’re heading north or south, to or from Talkeetna or perhaps Denali National Park. Inside, visitors can take the self-guided tour of the artifacts and media from past races. They also have a continuous running video that was released before the 2009 race. In it, they talked a lot about the changing face of long distance dog racing with the back-to-back wins of Lance Mackey.

They foreshadowed that should he pull off the unthinkable in today’s competitive climate, a THIRD consecutive win, he could be setting the standard in dog racing for years to come. As of this writing, let it be known, Lance Mackey and his dog kennel of champions are the undisputed kings (no pun intended towards another great Iditarod champion, Jeff King) of the Iditarod with their fourth consecutive win in 2010.

While I too am amazed by the four consecutive Iditarod wins, I’m probably more impressed with the years that he won the Yukon Quest just a month before taking on the Iditarod back in 2007 and 2008, also part of a run of four consecutive wins. The Yukon is another 1,000+ mile long distance race that takes place between Whitehorse, Yukon and Fairbanks, Alaska. As you can imagine, to put man and animal through such a test over the span of just about six weeks is very impressive . . . to win them both . . . perhaps superhuman!

Back to the Iditarod Headquarters, you can buy a memento of your trip to Alaska in the form of a tee-shirt or hoodie or snow booties for your four-legged friend back home. I know our Miss Heidi would have no part of snow booties no matter how much she dislikes the cold Wisconsin snow. They have a decent assortment of items in their gift shop including several books chronicling the race’s history, its champions and the lives of perseverance that it takes to race in "The Last Great Race on Earth." One such book, which I had read before this trip, is Lisa Frederic’s "Running with Champions".

Open year-round, visitors will find extended summer hours (mid-May through mid September); 8a – 7p daily and abbreviated hours in the off-season 8a – 5p. There is no admission fee to take in the museum which includes several interesting exhibits and video of past races. For those interested in experiencing the thrill of mushing your own dog team, check out the rolling "cart" rides pulled by a small team of sled dogs (weather permitting) for $15 (summer only, 8a – 5p). While I’m guessing it may be interesting and even fun, having actually mushed for real on snow, this activity seemed a bit lame to me.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 1, 2025

Iditarod Headquarters
Knik Road
Wasilla, Alaska

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Seavey's Ididaride Sled Dog Tours

Attraction | "Mushing at Dallas & Jen Seavey's Kennel"

Quote:

Dallas and Jen Seavey are two of the Iditarod Trail Race's up and coming stars. Their stories while different are not so unique to so many in Alaska enjoying a lifestyle focused on dogs and mushing.Dallas is a third generation Iditarod musher, with his grandfather Dan Seavey and father Mitch Seavey having both competed in the "Last Great Race on Earth". Mitch won the Iditarod in 2004 while Dan's best finish was the inaugural race in 1973 when he finished third.Dallas competed in the Junior Iditarod in 2005 and turned 18 years old just days later to make him eligible to compete in that year's main race just a couple of weeks later. He is the youngest musher to compete in the ...Read More

Seavey's Ididaride Sled Dog Tours

Anchorage, Alaska
907-561-6874

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IgoUgo

Willow Journals

Von Gets Her "Mush" On

Eagle Quest Cabins & Lodge

The Iditarod Mushers Drawing Banquet

The Greatest Race on Earth - The Iditarod Trail Race

Iditarod Headquarters

Seavey's Ididaride Sled Dog Tours

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