Located on the tip of western Alaska, neighbor to the Bering Sea and bordering the southern shore of the Seward Peninsula, Nome is the farthest West you can go for adventure in Alaska. Located 540 Northwest miles from Anchorage and a very close 160 miles from the Russian boarder. Most famous for being a gold rush town founded in the 1900’s, Nome brought people from all over the world. Ever heard of Balto? This is the town that was affected by the diphtheria outbreak needing the medicine that made the first Iditarod trek a now present annual race. The Iditarod race still happens yearly and ends in Nome. Read more about the Iditarod here.
With over 350 miles of road to travel, this small town is a destination to check out close enough to have modern conveniences like internet, yet far enough to maintain its rich history and Native culture. Here you will see beautiful scenery, find adventure and if you go in the spring, see the migration of multiple bird species. Muskoxen can be seen here as well as other wildlife on tundra or ocean.
Nome has an estimated 20,000 people in the early 1900’s after the discovery of gold in Anvil Creek. Before this contact the area was primarily inhabited by Eskimos. After the most easily assessable gold claims were gone, the population decreased to less than 1000 people which was exacerbated by the influenza and diphtheria outbreaks of 1918 and 1925. Nome played a part in WW2 as a station for planes being shipped to Russia as part of the lend lease program.
You can travel to Nome by Air and Sea and once you are there take advantage of the many roads leading out to the tundra. They stand uncompleted. You can see remnants of the Gold Rush all over this town in the roads and railways that now lead to nowhere.
Where to stay
Seeing as Nome is such a little town, there are only a few places to stay while you are visiting. Normally I break these into catagories but it looks like there are only bed and breakfasts and inns there. Here is the list of the places I found and most of them are by the water and have great views.
Aurora Inn & Suites
302 Front St, Nome, AK 99762
(907) 443-3838
A casual hotel with a sauna and views of the water.
Golden Sands Stables & Lodging, LLC
410 W Seppala Dr, Nome, AK 99762
(907) 764-1884
Lodging with easy access to all that nome has to offer. Also home to the farthest west equestrian center (Horses to ride!!)
Noxapaga Suites
406 W C St, Nome, AK 99762
(907) 304-2668
One of the newest places to stay in Nome with fully stocked kitchens, in unit laundry and located close to everything in the middle of Nome. Will help you with car and maritime rentals
Nome Nugget Inn
315 Front St, Nome, AK 99762
(907) 443-2323
A modest but warm place to stay built in the 1930’s. Has 47 rooms and ameninities such as internet and cable TV.
Noxapaga Suites
406 W C St, Nome, AK 99762
(907) 304-2668
One of the newest places to stay in Nome with fully stocked kitchens, in unit laundry and located close to everything in the middle of Nome. Will help you with car and maritime rentals
Dredge 7 Inn
E D St, Nome, AK 99762
(907) 304-1270
Operated by generational mining family in Alaska, this newly built lodging was built with the history in Nome in mind. Located a little outside the heart of Nome city, this lodging offers vehicle, bike rentals and is serviced by taxis.
Bering Sea Bed and Breakfast
1103 E 5th Ave, Nome, AK 99762
(907) 443-2936
Located near the bearing sea, this bed and breakfast is a cozy place to stay and see great scenery.
Sweet Dreams Bed & Breakfast
406 W 4th Ave, Nome, AK 99762
(907) 443-2919
A Small 3 room bed and breakfast close to the Iditarod finish line and decorated with Alaska mementos
(no website for this one, just call)
What to See and Do
Alaska is known for its simple way of life and beautiful culture that has been around for hundreds of years. We have the awesome opportunity to explore and discover these things here and now.
· Check out the Carrie M. Mclain Memorial Museum. This museum is committed to “collecting, preserving and sharing the culture, history and artistry of Nome and the Bering Strait.“ (From the website) highlighting topics such as sustience living, the landscape and gold mining ( and many more) this museum is a good stop in nome to discover the Alaskan culture.
- Visit the local parks:
- o Snake River Park – good fishing, can look for gold here, By the water and beautiful scenery
- o Swanberg Rocker Gulch Park – Walk along the boardwalk and see Gold Dredge relics by the little pond there. The informational signs also give great information about the Gold rush history in Nome.
- Take a long drive once you get to Nome and see the wildlife, history and scenery.
- o Nome – Council Highway – Bird viewing, the famous “last train to nowhere” and beautiful coastal views (2 hours one way)
- o Nome – Teller Highway – This road gets you 55 miles from the Russian-Alaskan Boarder and the land bridge and ends in the Inupiat village of Teller, crossing multiple clear rivers and creeks- This dirt road takes approximately 2 hours 1 way
- o Nome – Taylor Highway – This road takes you north and you will enter Alaskan forest lands with a side trip option to stopping at pilgrim hot springs (2 hours 1 way)
Winter
- In the winters you can go to Nome and check out the northern lights. You can read about them here. Generally you can see the northern lights wherever you go but it always feels magical in a new place.
- You can also catch the end of the Iditarod race, raced yearly and always ending in Nome.
- Check out the local shops
- Use a snow machine, dog sled team or fly and check out the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve
- Fly to Serpentine Hot Springs and enjoy a dip
Summer
- Go fishing
- Gold panning
- Drive on the 350 miles of abandoned roadways left in Nome from the gold rush era. – You can see a nice run down of the drives here: Nome Drives
- Check out the gold mining history
- Check out the wildlife
- Check out the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve through flying, or hiking. If hiking, there are 5 old miners’ cabins you can use along the way left over from the gold boom in the 1900’s.
- Fly to Serpentine Hot Springs and enjoy a dip
What to Eat
For a small town, there are quite a few places to eat. I have added the most popular places but because this town is so small, you should check in with your hotel/inn place of stay and ask the locals the best place to go. There are a few other places I did not include.
Husky Restaurant
235 Front St, Nome, AK 99762
Hot, fresh and tasty selection of Asian and American Cuisine
Milano’s Pizzeria
2824 Front St, Nome, AK 99762
Italian, American, Pizza, Sushi! Good customer Service and tasty food with a nice atmosphere. Come here for a cold beer!
Pingo Bakery – Seafood House
308 Bering St, Nome, AK 99762
Touted as one of the best places to eat – including homemade pastries, pizzas and seafood!
Bering Sea Bar & Grill
305 Front St, Nome, AK 99762
Comfort food! + American and Asian
Polar Cafe
225 Front St, Nome, AK 99762
Comfort and Diner Food. A good place to visit with friends and eat.
Where to Hike/Camp
In Alaska, you can find a place you like off the road and camp there. However if you are unsure of the terrain or wildlife and haven’t packed for the camp, I would not recommend it. Don’t let Alaska’s beauty fool you into a safe idea of this state. It is wild!
In Nome, you can check out some of these maintained and known trails/hiking places
- On the Nome- Teller Highway, there are two turn offs that allow for hiking.
- King Mountain Hike – located just 7.5 miles out of town this 900 ft. elevation hike, there is no trail head you just park off the road and make your own way.
- Dorothy Falls – 4 mile trip, 700 ft. elevation gain and you have to cross a river to get to the trailhead so bring your water boots. Located off Kougarok Rd about 26 miles north of Nome
- Anvil Rock – an easy hike for beginners and perched above Nome, you’ll see good views of the town, ocean and mountains as well as some wildlife. It is also close to the old abandoned white Alice communications tower. You can’t miss the rock that gave this area its name as it looks like an Anvil. You can also see Anvil creek (the official place of the gold rush boom)
- Anvil Mountain Hikes – An easy hike that will give you stunning views of the sea, town of Nome and beautiful flora and Fauna
- Newton Peak – a nice place to hike up to or ski and snowboard in the winters.