Located between Mile 13 and 27 on the Chena Hot Springs Road, Two Rivers draws mushers in droves because of its endless trail system and tight knit community. That's why Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race veteran Aliy Zirkle moved there a decade ago.

"You can't go on the trail without seeing at least one other team," said Zirkle, who has finished as high as 11th in her eight completed Iditarod races.

Amid the recreational dog drivers and weekend warriors, there are several competitive racers living in the Two Rivers community. Besides Zirkle and SP Kennel partner and fellow Iditarod veteran, Allen Moore, there's five-time Iditarod champ Rick Swenson, 2003 Iditarod Rookie of the Year Jessica Hendricks and Judy Currier, who will take on her fourth Iditarod this year, just to name a few.

Because of its winding trails that could take you all the way to Nome in one direction or Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, in the other, and the easygoing, dog-crazy attitude of the hamlet's inhabitants, Two Rivers is a mecca for dog drivers.

"I think it's neat to see tons of people out on the trails and everyone is pretty positive," Zirkle said. "It's usually the high-end racers who are the least positive," she added with a laugh.

"The thing about Two Rivers is that you can swing by someone's house to say 'Hey' or to ask about the trails; people are accessible out here," Zirkle said.

As many recreational mushers as racers live in the area, she added, and remarkably, dogs and mushers are all well-behaved.

As for the trails, Two Rivers offers challenging training for any race. It's got long straight stretches, river running, winding paths through wooded areas, and there's always the possibility for overflow and open water.

"We can definitely do three 50-mile runs and be on different trail the whole time," said Zirkle, who is the first and only woman to win the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race in 2000.

A common misconception is that there aren't significant hills to train on, but according to Zirkle, that's simply not true.

"We've got good enough hills to put a competitive Copper Basin team together," she said. In January Zirkle was 11th in the 300-mile Copper Basin, while Moore, a past champion, was fifth this year.

Moore is signed on for this year's Iditarod - it will be his third start, having finished once in 2007 - and admitted that he will truck the dogs north into the White Mountains or south to the Denali Highway on occasion, but there's nothing better than leaving right from the yard.

Currier, who has finished three Iditarods and will take on her fourth this year, agreed that leaving with a fresh team from her own yard is ideal.

She's taken the past few years off from 1,000-mile racing to regroup and pay off some debt, she said.

"You don't need to spend as much money when live right on the trails," Currier said. "If we didn't live here, we wouldn't be able to do this."

Currier and her husband Devon, who has finished two Iditarods, moved to Two Rivers in 2002 from Wasilla. And though the training was decent there, it was just getting too crowded, said Judy, an accounting manager in Fairbanks.

"The weather wasn't consistent, but really, it was just too busy," she said, adding that Devon was offered a job opportunity in Fairbanks that they couldn't refuse. "Plus, we always had a feeling that the Interior was more relaxed than the Anchorage/Wasilla area. I think mushers are starting to feel the stress of development down there. Two Rivers is totally different, the environment here is more relaxed with a nice neighborhood and a nice trail system."

And the fall training can't be beat, she said.

Each year, when the leaves start to turn, mushers look for the perfect mix of challenging trail for fall four-wheeler training and, according to Judy, Two Rivers is superior.

"Until November, we have the best trail system in Alaska, then when things freeze up it's still good, as long as we get snow," she said.

But when the Chinooks blow in, however, like they did this January, mushers are limited by soggy, melting trails and bare roads.

Another perk for mushers living in the area, is the Two Rivers Dog Mushers Association which hosts a variety of short and distance races as well as clinics for advanced and neophyte mushers alike.

"The association also offers a network for people to get to know each other in the area," Judy said.

So if a dog gets loose, the phones are ringing and e-mails are sent within minutes to get the dog home safely, she said, adding that they often free run their dogs on the trails, as do many others.

"There's really no animosity between non-dog people and mushers out here. When people move here, they know that there are dogs around," said Judy. "It's just not an issue."

Jillian Rogers is a freelance writer living in Fairbanks.