The Iditarod Trail: From Resurrection Bay to Norton Sound, by Helen Hegener, published in March, 2026 by Northern Light Media, was reviewed in June for the Anchorage Daily News and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner by Alaskan author and literary critic David A. James.

James’ review begins with the trail’s well-earned reputation thanks to the famous race which takes place each winter, but notes that not many people know more about the route and its history: “Ask them why the race exists, and they might mutter something about honoring the frantic 1925 scramble to bring serum to Nome amidst a deadly diphtheria outbreak, perhaps mention a dog named Balto, and otherwise a offer blank stare. Beyond that, even many Alaskans would struggle to cough up much more.”

“Diving into this void of knowledge is Alaska’s most perpetually productive popular historian Helen Hegener, owner and publisher of Northern Light Media. Her latest volume, “The Iditarod Trail: From Resurrection Bay to Norton Sound,” examines how the route came to be and what’s happened along it since. Which is to say, quite a bit.”

There has indeed been a lot of history along the Iditarod Trail, and that led to the route being among the first four trails selected when the National Historic Trails were formally named under the 1968 National Trails System Act.

David James continues in his review: “As with her other books, Hegener breaks down the history she’s sharing into thematic chapters that could stand alone as magazine articles, making the book easy to pick up at one’s leisure. She packs those pages with plenty of her own writing, reprints long passages from contemporary accounts by those who lived in the periods being covered, and includes hundreds of photographs that add immeasurably to the telling.

“Though not an academic historian, Hegener’s a stickler for accuracy, and the end result is a book that serves as both a history and, because of the included historical narratives, documents, references, and photographs, a compendium of materials for those wishing to search further into the story.”

The Iditarod Trail: From Resurrection Bay to Norton Sound, by Helen Hegener, is available at bookstores and gift shops throughout Alaska. Published in March, 2026 by Northern Light Media. ISBN 9798252387352. 6” x 9” b/w format, 408 pages, over 200 photographs, indexed, bibliography, annotated references, extensive online resources. $29.95 plus shipping from any bookseller or directly from Northern Light Media.