Driving the Denali Highway and the Dalton Highway in Alaska

The Denali Highway and the Dalton Highway are two highways that lead to different destinations in Alaska. The Denali Highway is south of Fairbanks and connects Richardson Highway and Parks Highway, just miles away from the Denali National Park. The Dalton highway heads north from Fairbanks and is known as the 'haul road' and made famous by the show Ice Road Truckers. Even though these roads have different sight seeing opportunities and different destinations, there are enough similarities and rules to follow when traveling each to have a safe and enjoyable journey.

Denali Highway
The Denali Highway is a dirt highway that connects Richardson Highway at Paxson to Parks Highway at Cantwell. This road is closed from October to May due to no winter road maintenance, but is used every so often by tourists and Alaskans. The Denali Highway is a 135 mile road that winds through mountain ranges and taiga and offers great photo opportunities of mountains and wildlife. There is an archeological site, many glaciers, and various points of interest to stop and check out. Maclaren Summit seems to be one of the most popular at 4,086 feet high. There are sites to camp for the night all along the road, but the Brushkana Creek Campground is the only one that offers bathroom facilities and has marked campgrounds. The Denali Highway is best when done in two days- a loop trip from Fairbanks will put 436 miles on your odometer.