More about Alaska

Back roads

Routes take the adventurous into scenic areas

Alaska.com

These roads lead into scenic areas where wildlife and fish may be abundant. Hiking and camping are often allowed, and lodging of some sort probably is available.

Some of these roads are paved, but others are rough and require high clearance or four-wheel drive. Services such as gas stations and tire repair may not be handy, but local color will be. Some rental-car agencies discourage their customers from driving on the Dalton, Denali and other gravel highways.

The emergency number is 911, although cell-phone service may be spotty.

Here are descriptions of many of Alaska's back roads.

Highway name (region)	Start / finish / mileage	Towns, attractions along the route	Notes
Chena Hot Springs Road (Interior)	Fairbanks / Chena Hot Springs / 56 miles.	Two Rivers; Chena River, Chena River State Recreation Area, with fishing, canoeing and kayaking, camping, hiking, picnicking, mushing.	Paved road heads through a popular recreation area, ending at Chena Hot Springs Resort.
Denali Park Road (Interior)	Denali National Park entrance at mile 237 Parks Highway / Kantishna / 92 miles.	Grizzly bears and other wildlife, scenery, Eielson Visitors Center, views of 20,320-foot Mount McKinley.	Public travel is limited to the first 14 (paved) miles; thereafter most travel is by tour bus. Hiking and cycling are permitted the length of the road.
Hatcher Pass Road (South- central)	Glenn Highway east of Palmer (mile 49.5) / Parks Highway near Willow (mile 71) / 49 miles.	Independence Mine State Historical Park, Summit Lake at Hatcher Pass (3,886 feet), Little Susitna River, Little Willow Creek, berry picking, hiking, winter sports such as snowmachining, skiing.	Snow closes the road over the summit in winter. The road from the Glenn Highway to Independence Mine is paved, but the road over the pass and the first few miles down toward the Parks Highway at Willow is gravel. The few steep miles over the pass have many potholes and sharp turns. Also known as Palmer-Fishhook and Willow-Fishhook.
Hope Highway (South- central)	Seward Highway near mile 56 / Hope / 18 miles.	Hope, an old mining town on the northern Kenai Peninsula, and Sunrise; views of Turnagain Arm, fishing, rafting and kayaking, hiking and camping.	Winding road.
Knik-Goose Bay Road / Point McKenzie Road (South- central)	Wasilla at mile 42 of the Parks Highway / Little Susitna River or Point McKenzie dock.	Knik; Knik Museum and Mushers Hall of Fame, Goose Bay State Game Refuge, dairy farm country, golf, fishing at various lakes and at Little Susitna Public Use Site (Burma Landing). (See the Road Alaska page to read about the Parks Highway.)	Knik-Goose Bay Road runs 19 miles to the refuge. Point McKenzie Road heads west from Knik-Goose Bay to the Port McKenzie dock on Knik Arm. The Little Su Access Road is west of the Point McKenzie-Ayshire junction. Most of the road to the Little Su Access is paved, but be ready for gravel, sand and dust near the river.
Lake Louise Road (South- central)	Mile 159 of the Glenn Highway, a half-hour's drive west of Glennallen / 19 miles.	Fishing for grayling and lake trout, boating, hiking and camping, berry picking, cross-countrying skiing, snowmachining.	The road is open all year.
Kodiak Island roads (Western)	Chiniak Road / 42 miles Larson Bay Road / 11 miles Pagashak Road / 16 miles Rezanof-Monashka Bay Road / 11 miles.	Fishing for salmon, hiking, camping, Fort Abercrombie State Historic Park.	The roads are open all year. Visitors can reach Kodiak by ferry from Homer and Seward.
Nabesna Road (Interior/ South- central)	Slana, mile 60 of the Tok Cutoff / Nabesna in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park / 45 miles.	Fishing, hiking and camping.	Four miles of pavement, then the road turns into a sometimes rough gravel road to the old mining town. High water may restrict even four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Nome- Council Highway (Western)	Nome / Council / 73 miles.	Solomon; Ghost Train to Nowhere, birding, wildlife, fishing.	The stretch along Norton Sound follows the path of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which ends in Nome.
Nome- Taylor Highway (Kougarok Road) (Western)	Nome / Taylor / 87 miles.	Pilgrim Springs, Serpentine Hot Springs in Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, mining ditches, birding.	Lingering winter conditions, remote.
Nome- Teller Highway (Western)	Nome / Teller / 72 miles.	Wildlife, mining, scenery, birding.	Storms blow in off the Bering Sea; no services.
Prince of Wales Island roads (Southeast)	-- / -- / 1000+ miles.	Coffman Cove, Craig, Hollis, Hydaburg, Kasaan, Klawock, Thorne Bay, Whale Pass; Tongass National Forest, fishing, hiking.	Extensive road system on the nation's third largest island.
Petersville Road (South- central)	Parks Highway (mile 115, near Trapper Creek) / old Petersville mining camp / 19 miles.	Views of Mount McKinley and Denali National Park, fishing.	The road is mostly gravel.
Skilak Lake Loop Road (South- central)	Two junctions with the Sterling Highway at mile 58 and mile 75 / 19 miles.	Kenai River, Hidden Lake, Skilak Lake, Skilak Wildlife Recreation Area, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge; fishing, camping, hiking, wildlife, snowmachining, skiing, boating.	The gravel road is well traveled.
Stewart- Hyder Access Road / Salmon Glacier Road (Southeast)	Access road: Hyder sits 2.3 miles from Stewart, British Columbia, at the end of a spur from the Cassiar Highway. Salmon Glacier Road: 23 miles from Hyder.	Bears, timber, mining, salmon fishing.	This is the southernmost highway entry point in Alaska.
Talkeetna Spur (South- central)	Meets Parks Highway, mile 98 / 14 miles.	Talkeetna; fishing, camping, hiking, flightseeing, wildlife, snowmachining, skiing, boating.	Lots of accommodations in a resort area that caters to mountain climbing.
Whittier- Portage Glacier Road (South- central)	Meets Seward Highway, mile 79 / 5 miles to Begich, Boggs Visitor Center at the glacier, 6 more miles to Whittier on Prince William Sound.	Salmon streams, hanging glaciers, Byron and Portage glaciers, visitor center, icebergs, tunnels, fishing, rafting, sea kayaking, camping.	After passing Forest Service-operated visitor center, road goes through two tunnels to reach Whittier. 2.5-mile-long main tunnel (toll charged) is continent's longest highway tunnel and is shared with the Alaska Railroad.