Parks Highway

The Parks is the newest of Alaska's main highways. It is a joy to drive with broad shoulders, gentle curves and fairly easy grades. It passes through not one but two beautiful mountain passes. With the exception of a short stretch in the Susitna River Valley, it offers sweeping vistas to enjoy as you drive. Weather permitting, you can see Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet. The Parks Highway also offers access to Denali State Park and Denali National Park and Preserve. (You might logically think that's why it's called the Parks Highway, but no -- it is named after George Parks.)

The Parks Highway generally follows the same route from Anchorage to Fairbanks as the Alaska Railroad, except that the railroad follows the Susitna River to the west of Curry and Kesugi Ridges while the highway follows the Chulitna River valley to the east.

Driving Time (summer)

For most of the way, the speed limit on the Parks Highway is 65 mph and it's such a lovely highway you can make good time. People who are simply trying to get from Fairbanks to Anchorage make the drive in as little as six hours. However, I don't think you've done this highway and the wonderful sights and stops along the way justice if you drive it in less than eight or nine hours. Better yet, stay overnight somewhere and enjoy some of the recreational possiblities the Parks Highway has to offer.

Anchorage to Fairbanks

Anchorage to Trapper Creek

Anchorage is Mile 0 on the Parks Highway, which ends in Fairbanks at Mile 362. From Anchorage, the Parks and Glenn Highway run together to the Matanuska Valley, where the Glenn splits off toward Palmer and Glennallen. The Parks continues to Wasilla at Mile 42, now famous as the home of former governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Once out of the greater Wasilla area, you'll only pass small towns and roadhouse/gas stations until you reach Fairbanks.

The stretch of road from Wasilla to the Susitna River bridge at Mile 104 is the only boring part of the drive. While you catch occasional glimpses of distant views, it is mostly "green tunnel" driving through birch forest. Crossing the big Susitna is interesting and before you know it you're in Trapper Creek at Mile 114, after which you should keep watch down the straight stretches for views of McKinley.

Denali State Park and Broad Pass

Once you cross the Chulitna River at Mile 132, the road climbs westward to the Denali Viewpoint South (see picture above taken from here) rest area at Mile 135. This is a MUST STOP unless the weather is bad. This is the best view of Mt. McKinley from the main highway.

Now things are really getting interesting! The highway follows the wide Chulitna River valley with continuous scenic views of the Alaska Range.You might want to stop at Mile 174 to look down the 260 foot drop into Hurricane Gulch. At Mile 194, you cross the middle fork of the Chulitna and enter Broad Pass. You're in Broad Pass for about the next 20 miles; the summit at Mile 201 is 2,409 feet. This far north, that's above tree line so you have unimpeded views in all directions. Mt. McKinley may be visible to the south and several other snowcapped peaks of the Alaska Range may be visible to the northwest. When traveling with an RV, we always try to make a lunch or dinner stop in Broad Pass.

The summit of Broad Pass is also the divide between the south-flowing Chulitna-Susitna watershed and the Nenana-Tanana-Yukon drainage which flows north at this point but turns west and southwest before reaching the sea. At Mile 215, the highway crosses the Nenana River and follows its valley to Nenana (Mile 304) where it flows into the Tanana River.

Cantwell to Nenana

This next section of highway follows the Nenana River through the Alaska Range and Windy Pass. This is another favorite area. The mountains press in closely here unlike Broad Pass. The entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve is at Mile 237 and there are a number of visitor-related businesses through this area, including a concentration known as "Glitter Gulch" from Mile 238 to 239. Rafting trips are available on the Nenana.

From here through the Moody Bridge at Mile 243, the highway winds through a narrow canyon. The Alaska Railroad is visible on the opposite side of the river. The bridge crossing is quite exciting, with a 174 foot drop. Be prepared for strong gusty winds in this area. Once out of the canyon, you pass Healy at Mile 249 and the landscape widens and flattens on the north side of the Alaska Range. After all the fun of driving through the mountains, this stretch of road might be boring were it not for the fact that it is subject to strong frost heaving and gives you a right roller coaster ride.

Nenana to Fairbanks

The highway crosses the Tanana River at Nenana. On the north side of the Tanana are a series of rolling hills which might be mountains elsewhere but are simply called "domes" here. For the last hour of the drive, the highway winds across the tops of a series of domes before dropping into Fairbanks near the University of Alaska.

Personal Historical Note

Driving the Parks Highway wasn't alway the picnic that it is today. My husband (boyfriend at the time) and I attended the University of Alaska in Fairbanks, graduating in 1973. Each year we would drive home to Anchorage for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Spring Break holidays. I transferred to UAF in midwinter of freshman year (having gotten homesick for Alaska at college Outside) and I'll never forget that winter drive up the Richardson Highway (the Parks Highway wasn't open yet). It took 12 hours. Along about Eureka Summit, I put the heater fan to full blast in my 1967 Mustang and left it there for the rest of the drive to Fairbanks, which was registering 40° below zero.

I think it was our junior year that we made the last trip up the Richardson. A new 100 mile stretch of road had been built to connect older highways leading south from Fairbanks to Cantwell and north from Anchorage to Trapper Creek. Come Christmas, we set out from Fairbanks for our first trip down the Parks Highway. Heavy snow was falling. South of Healy, the pavement ended. There was only one set of tracks running through the snow ahead of us on this winding section of dirt road through the mountains. We met no oncoming traffic and saw no one. At one point we looked at each other and asked, "Do you suppose we got off the highway onto some old mining road?" We were relieved to arrive at Cantwell, where we stopped at a cafe for food.

Leaving Cantwell we saw this ominous warning sign: "CAUTION: No food, phone, gas, or lodging next 100 miles." Again we saw no one as we churned through the snow for the next 100 miles. But despite the wildness of it, it was a great thrill to drive through Broad Pass and down the Chulitna River valley for the first time, and the new shortcut saved three or four hours of driving time.