Alaska is a gorgeous place, and it makes for wonderful road trips. Alaska is also a massive state, and driving times can be long, so you should be prepared with a few tips for getting around safely. Below are a few tips for how to be prepared for driving in Alaska and how to do it safely. Then, below, I recount my recent trip from Anchorage to Fairbanks by car, with interesting stops along the way.
Driving Tips to Avoid Incidents
Slow down on turns- Especially from October through April, when there may be ice on the road. If you go too fast, then you will feel your back wheels begin to fish tail as they slide outward, and this can lead to serious accidents!
Be Aware of Moose – Do you want a 1200 lbs beast crashing through your windshield? Probably not. Lots of moose are killed each year by accidents, and the moosey can certainly kill the driver, as you knock out its legs and the moose crushes through your windshield. So, be alert for signage about moose crossing, and be particularly alert when there are flat marshes or bogs along the road, as it is moose habitat.
Increase your following distance – Keep your eyes peeled for the token cracked windshields of Alaska. Let them be a warning! In the winter, they use gravel to maintain good traction on the roads, and in the summer the gravel pebbles fly are launched at your windshield by the car ahead of you. Yikes! Be sure to increase your following distance, unless you want a token Alaskan windshield, of course.
Anchorage to Fairbanks – Points of Interest
In February this year, I drove to Fairbanks from Anchorage along the Glenn and Parks highways. It was a gorgeous day for a drive, so it was great for photos. Below is a timeline of the interesting stops along the way. Hopefully it will help you plan your visit!
10:00 am: Left Anchorage, drove North on Glenn Highway. Driving North on the Glenn Highway, you’ll pass a line of gorgeous peaks of the Chugach Range on the right. On a clear day you can see Denali in the distance on the left.
11:00 am: Stop at Wandering Cafe, or Kaladi Coffee Coffee Roasters in Wasilla, AK. If it is lunch time, stop at Lee’s Poke for some good poke.
11:30 am: Pass the turn out toward Talkeetna. It’s an additional 20 minute drive up the road to Talkeetna.
12:00 pm: Pass Trapper Creek. There is Three Bears grocery store, with a small selection of produce and groceries, and standard selection coffee, gas and liquor..
12:30 pm Pass Kesugi Ken campground, Denali State Park. A great place to camp, and an access point for the Kesugi Ridge Trail, which is a very popular backpacking route along a ridge in Denali State park, which on a clear day, has a view of the Mountain.
1:00 pm. Denali view North, pull off on the left side. A great spot for the view and for some photos. Unfortunately, it isn’t plowed so it closes in winter.
1:30 pm There is an amazing panoramic view of the Alaska range. Pull off on the ride side.
2:00 pm: Denali park road. Entrance to Denali National Park.
2:15 pm: Healy, AK. Famous for being the nearest town to the original location of the Magic Bus, where Chirs McCandless perished, as portrayed in the book and movie Into the Wild. Healy is even more known for the brewery, 49th state Brewery.
2:45 pm: Rest area with a panoramic view of tundra landscape. The landscape changes significantly north of the Alaska Range. Mountains give way to rolling hills of birch and black spruce. This region is famous for its permafrost. If you notice an area with a lot of scraggly thin black cone shaped trees (black spruce), it means that the ground is likely frozen. Black spruce thrive on permafrost soil!\
3:00 pm Nanana, small town with a gorgeous river crossing. I mostly know about this town because I love the movie Balto =).
4:10 pm Fairbanks. You have arrived. The best Thai food in town is, hands down, Sam’s Thai Food. It’s located in a small orange food truck on the outskirts of town and run by a Thai family. It’s the best!
I hope you enjoy your roadtrip!