The Denali Highway, Alaska, U.S.A.

The Denali Highway

                     

This two hundred and seventeen kilometer long highway, officially known as Alaska Highway 8, is located between the two small east Alaskan towns of Paxson and Cantwell.

The highway makes it’s way westwards through the foothills of the Central Alaska Mountain Range passing through vast boreal forests, the area known as Tangle Lakes, through the drainage basins of the Copper, Tanana and Susitna rivers and along some of the course of both the Nenana and Delta rivers, both of which are popular haunts for canoe-ists. 
The highway also links with Alaska Route 3, also known as the George Park's Highway, which accesses Alaska's  highest point, Mount McKinley, located in the Denali National Park.   

Services are few and far between along the highway although there are established camp sites located at Tangle Lakes and Bushkana Creek.   
Due to local weather conditions the road is closed to all but snowmobiles and dogsled between the months of October and May.  
The road, which is little used and generally poorly maintained, is renowned for it's wash board effect gravel surface and for being susceptible to Summer dust storms.     
                    

The highway's nearest city is Anchorage, about five hours drive away or visitors can fly into the Ted Steven's International Airport where car hire services can be found. 
The highway's nearest large town is Fairbanks, about two hours drive away or visitors can fly into the Fairbanks International Airport where car hire services can also be found.   
Other nearby large settlements include the two coastal towns of Cordova and Valdez located along the picturesque Prince William Sound, where car ferries from the town of Whittier on the Kenai Peninsular can be taken. 
Ferries from Whittier to Cordova take around three hours.    
Ferries from Whittier to Valdez have a slow crossing which takes upwards of six hours and a fast crossing which takes around two hours forty five minutes.  


All the above mentioned towns have gas / petrol stations. There is also one gas / petrol station located in Paxson where the highway intersects with the Richardson Highway near Paxson Lake and four gas / petrol stations located in Cantwell, which is the location of the western most terminus of the Denali Highway, where the highway then links with Alaska Route 3 or the George Park's Highway, linking the town of Gateway with the town of Fairbanks via the access road to the Denali National Park. 
There are also gas / petrol services located at the park entrance.  
  
Mobile phone and internet coverage throughout the area is somewhat variable due to the mountainous terrain, although satellite navigation and satellite phones are problem free.  




                     Find Hotels In Anchorage, Cordova, Fairbanks, Valdez & Whittier  

  

Mount McKinley and the Denali National Park