Alaska--Anchorage to the Arctic Circle
Date: 2004-11-14
Driving the length of Alaska north to south is not a proposition for the faint-hearted. We'll take it in three stages. Start
off easy in Anchorage, and take Rte. 3 north. You'll experience the grandeur
of the state with a selection of fine scenery. Plan to spend some time at
Denali National Park, home of Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North
America. A pit stop in Fairbanks will end this run for most beginners. If
you want to push the limits a bit more, pick up Rte. 2 to the Dalton Highway
north out of Fairbanks for the next destination: the Arctic Circle. Once
you get out of town, the road turns to gravel, but when you take a vehicle
to Alaska, you've already made the decision to forsake such luxuries as
a nice paint job. A marker at the Arctic Circle makes a great turnaround
point for a round trip out of Fairbanks, and a photo-op to show your friends
back home. One word of warning about Alaska: it's pretty touristy. While
it is "the last frontier," you'll find the highways choked with rented RVs
all summer, and an extensive infrastructure of gift shops pandering to that
crowd.
With this in mind, once you cross the Arctic Circle you are, as they say, "out there." Before setting off across the tundra, we implore you to check with local authorities regarding road conditions and services, if any. Reports vary on whether private vehicles are allowed through. In other words, don't expect a nice warm motel bed at the end of a hard day's drive. But if you're up for a few hundred miles of gravel, once you cross the Continental Divide and the Brooks Range in Northern Alaska, it'll definitely change your definition of "scenic route" forever.
Starting Point:
Anchorage, AK
Distance of Drive:
865 Miles
Must Eat:
Sea Galley
4101 Credit Union Drive, Anchorage, AK 99503
Phone:907-563-3520
Call ahead to confirm hours of operation.
Good Stop For:Crab
Legs
Best Time of Year for Drive:
Late spring to early fall (It's a must to check with locals for road conditions).
Points of Interest on Drive:
Denali National Park
Mount McKinley
The Arctic Circle
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