Slana-Tok Cutoff

Often refered to simply as the Tok Cutoff, this highway joins the Alcan Highway to the Richardson and Glenn Highways. If you are driving between Anchorage and Canada, this is part of the most direct route. I'm including in the discussion the fourteen miles of the Richardson Highway between Glennallen and Gakona Junction that you must traverse to make the connection between the Glenn Highway and the Slana-Tok Cutoff, but the Cutoff officially starts at Gakona Junction.

Driving Time (summer)

Driving time between Glennallen and Tok is about two and half hours. The speed limit is 55 mph the entire way, including a many-miles-long straight stretch leading into Tok. It's good road with wide shoulders and good visibility where it's easy for your speed to creep up, but you're likely to find yourself with a speeding ticket. I'm not sure why the state hasn't made this a 65 mph zone. Maybe they think it's too short to have a higher speed limit than the rest of the highway.

Glennallen to Tok

Glennallen to Gakona Junction

To get from the Glenn Highway to the Slana-Tok Cutoff, you must drive north on the Richardson Highway for 14 miles to Gakona Junction. This is Mile 115 to Mile 128 of the Richardson. At Mile 127, you cross a bridge over the Gulkana River not far from where it flows into the Copper River. This is a popular fishing area.

BEWARE! This is the trickiest highway junction in Alaska when you are bound for Tok. It is not a "T" junction in this direction; you must make a right turn. There is only a green sign and a building or two to mark the spot. If you are not paying close attention, you may find yourself miles down the Richardson toward Fairbanks before you realize your mistake.

Gakona Junction to Slana

From Gakona Junction to Slana, the Cutoff parallels the Copper River which is frequently visible in the distance to the south/southeast. The road generally stays up above the floodplain on the side of nearby hills and mountains.

This part of the highway is notable for the excellent views (weather permitting) of the large volcanic peaks in the Wrangell Mountains on the far side of the Copper River. Mt. Sanford (16,237 feet, photo at right) and Mt. Drum (12,010 feet, photo near top of page) dominate this stretch of road, but Mt. Blackburn (16,390 feet) may be visible toward Slana.

Slana to Tok

At Mile 60 is the junction with the Nabesna Road, one of Alaska's wild roads. Near the junction is the community of Slana. The Nabesna Road leads south for 42 miles into the Wrangell - St. Elias National Park and Preserve. While it's a beautiful drive, the going is slow on the gravel and there are at least two stream crossings to drive through.

Beyond the Nabesna Road junction, the highway winds through the Mentasta Mountains. We were lucky enough to see a caribou run across the road on one trip (second photo from left). The Slana River, a tributary of the Copper River, meanders in great loops (two photos on right) as the highway turns away from the Copper River valley into the Mentasta Mountains. While the Mentasta Mountains are not as stunning as Mt. Sanford and Mt. Drum, they are closer and more varied and in some ways more interesting to drive through.

At Mile 103 the highway crosses the Tok River and then follows the Tok River valley to Tok (and the Alcan Highway) at Mile 125.