Journey to Alaska - Aug-Sep 2021

[M3100]

Here are some highway-related pics from a recent trip to Alaska, roughly from south to north.  The pics of bridges were taken from a train.
Roads were well maintained for the most part. 

1. Southern "End" of AK State Highway 1 at Homer, or more specifically Homer Spit.  No "End" or "Begin" sign in sight.  In fact, much of AK Highway 1 had few signs.


2. AK Highway 3 near Denali Park. Between this point and the Fairbanks area, the highway was viewed in spots from a train.


3. AK Highway 3 bridge over the Nenana River, between Denali Park and Healy.


4. Another view of the AK Highway 3 bridge.  Note the pedestrian "catwalk" on the lower frame of the bridge.


5. AK Highway 3 bridge over the Tanana River at Nenana. 


6. AK Highway 3 in the Fairbanks area.


7. AK Highway 2 in the Fairbanks area.


8. Junction of AK Highway 2 and AK Highway 6 in Fox, north of Fairbanks.


9. AK Highway 2 just north of the AK Highway 6 junction.

[Alps]

Nice seeing some of those bridges from a side view.

[triplemultiplex]

9. AK Highway 2 just north of the AK Highway 6 junction.

For some reason I find it amusing that it's more than twice as far to Manley as it is to Livengood.  Seems like a metaphor.
Like it's only an hour to Livin' Good.  But if you wanna be "Manly" you gotta go way farther.

[JayhawkCO]

Nice pics. Saw a lot of things I recognized from my trip in June.  The Parks Highway is a really pretty drive most of the way for sure.

Chris

[oscar]

For some reason I find it amusing that it's more than twice as far to Manley as it is to Livengood.  Seems like a metaphor.
Like it's only an hour to Livin' Good.  But if you wanna be "Manly" you gotta go way farther.

The highway to Livengood is paved. The rest of the way to Manley is mostly unpaved, and often was rather gnarly (more so than the Dalton Hwy) when I last drove both in 2012.

[Quillz]

Nice pics. I have been visiting Alaska nearly every year for a while now, and love driving the giant loop from Anchorage to Fairbanks, then back to Anchorage (i.e. AK-3 to AK-4 to AK-1). Earlier this year, I finally took a tour of the Dalton Highway as far as the Arctic Circle. Next year I hope to finally drive all the way to Deadhorse. For a dirt road, it was actually very smooth and in good condition. The danger is simply the remoteness, not the road in of itself. But that seems to be the case with a lot of Alaska highways, paved or not.

[M3100]

Next year I hope to finally drive all the way to Deadhorse.

We met a fellow traveler who was doing just that; he rented a Jeep that he could drive on unpaved highways up to Deadhorse and was going to tour the oil processing facility there.  He was then going to leave the Jeep and fly back.  I did not ask what a one-way rental like that would cost!

[Quillz]

Next year I hope to finally drive all the way to Deadhorse.

We met a fellow traveler who was doing just that; he rented a Jeep that he could drive on unpaved highways up to Deadhorse and was going to tour the oil processing facility there.  He was then going to leave the Jeep and fly back.  I did not ask what a one-way rental like that would cost!

It's about $500 or so, last I checked. The rental companies arrange it all. I might do that next year if I don't take the tour bus.

[edwaleni]

You want to drive remote, go up to Eagle or Circle City on the Yukon River. I don't think you can even drive to Fort Yukon, its a fly in only.

If you are really brave, you can drive your Corvette up the Dempster Highway in the NT. Someone did (successfully) a few years ago.

He had to install a special rack on his roof just to carry his spare tires.

[Quillz]

You want to drive remote, go up to Eagle or Circle City on the Yukon River. I don't think you can even drive to Fort Yukon, its a fly in only.

If you are really brave, you can drive your Corvette up the Dempster Highway in the NT. Someone did (successfully) a few years ago.

He had to install a special rack on his roof just to carry his spare tires.

My impressions of the Dalton Highway were that in of itself, it's really not that bad. Was actually a pretty solid road as far as dirt roads go. The issue is more just not having any nearby services if you run into trouble (flat tire, etc.) So obviously taking your personal car is always a risk, but they've got a few companies that will rent you out a car, satellite phone, etc. I'm hoping next year to maybe drive the whole thing, lots of pretty scenery along the way. I've read about the Dempster Highway and it seems to be a very similar character. I don't have a passport, so I can't get into Canada at the moment. But driving that is also something I'd like to do. In general, I just really like remote roads in polar regions. Kind of give you that "end of the world" feeling.