Buildings from a erstwhile excavation beryllium successful fog. Independence Mine State Historical parkland successful Hatcher Pass. (Amy Bushatz/Alaska Public Media)

The Matanuska-Susitna Valley is location to a wide assortment of parks and recreation lands managed by nan authorities aliases Mat-Su Borough. From Hatcher Pass down to Jim Creek Recreation Area and retired to Denali State Park, there’s plentifulness happening each twelvemonth agelong to make abstraction for a wide assortment of motorized and nonmotorized sports enthusiasts, protect nan chaotic spaces galore users love, and invited successful some locals and tourists.

So what’s caller successful Mat-Su and what are you missing by not exploring nan Valley more? In this section we perceive from Stuart Leidner, superintendent of nan Mat-Su’s authorities parks, and Hugh Leslie, recreation head for nan Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

Amy Bushatz

Amy Bushatz is an knowledgeable journalist based successful Palmer, Alaska. Originally from Santa Cruz, California, she and her family moved to Palmer sight-unseen from Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to prosecute a consistent, outdoor-focused manner aft her hubby near progressive work Army service.

Since moving to Palmer, Amy has built a manner and expertise astir spending clip outdoors arsenic she connects pinch outdoor-minded Alaskans while penning and podcasting astir section news and outdoor issues. An ultrarunner and ridge moving enthusiast, Amy tin often beryllium recovered exploring nationalist lands astir nan Valley, roadworthy moving connected section motorcycle paths, snowboarding astatine Skeetawk, cross-country skiing successful Hatcher Pass, crystal skating (poorly) connected Mat-Su lakes, paddleboarding aliases kayaking pinch her family, and camping retired of her disfigured van.

You tin hear Humans Outside, her podcast astir building an outdoor-centric manner wherever you get your podcasts, publication her reporting astatine the Anchorage Daily News, aliases travel her valley-based nonprofit news task Mat-Su Sentinel at MatSuSentinel.com.