When there's a wind from the north, this is often the coldest part of the trail. After leaving the river, mushers face a long 90-mile stretch from Kaltag up into the coastal foothill and then down the frozen Unalakleet River to the Bering Sea coast. Once there, mushers hug the coastline to Shaktoolik, cross a 50-mile stretch of open sea ice to Koyuk, and then follow a trail that alternates between the sea ice below coastal headlands and the frozen tundra above. Iditarod and Rohn have no permanent residents. Most of the checkpoints occur in villages, often with a small store, phone service and limited lodging.
Some stops offer nothing more than the checker's cabin.