Talkeetna, AK

Talkeetna is where three rivers meet and a lot of Alaska stories pass through. The community took shape as an Alaska Railroad district headquarters in the 1910s, and the historic downtown still carries that railroad-era feel, with buildings such as Nagley’s General Store, the Talkeetna Roadhouse, and the Fairview Inn. The town also serves as the starting point for Denali expeditions: climbers check in at the Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station, while local air taxis carry people into the Alaska Range. Add the Susitna, Chulitna, and Talkeetna Rivers around the edges, and you get the local picture—part river town, part railroad outpost, part base camp for the highest mountain in North America.