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George Parks Highway
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As
the most sparsely populated state in the U.S., one would expect Alaska to be
almost devoid of highways. Fortunately for you and me, such is not the case. The
Alaskan interior and Southcentral Alaska are well-served with highway routes
which lead to all but where nature intended (islands, the inland wilderness, and
the remote Arctic & Bering coasts). The highways work their way around the
two major mountain ranges: Brooks and Alaska.
Fairbanks is
the main population center of the interior region, serviced by the Alaska
Highway. The George Parks Highway runs south from Fairbanks almost to Anchorage
where it joins the Glenn Highway for the final approach. It provides access to
Denali National Park, and the park's chief attraction, Mt. McKinley.
Along the Way
Read
the Highway Log: |
Fairbanks to Anchorage
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Many visitors to Alaska
make Denali National Park their major destination, and this route takes you
there quickly, as well as farther south to Anchorage. This is the latest in the
network of Alaskan highways, having opened in the early 1970s. If you intend to
make the grand tour through Anchorage and back to the Alaska Highway, this is
the first route on a counter-clockwise loop drive, which begins from the Alaska
Highway (in Fairbanks), to Denali and Anchorage on the George Parks and Glenn
highways (into Anchorage), through the Kenai Peninsula, and then returning north
to the Alaska Highway (at Tok), via the Glenn Highway. |
Nenana & Tenana Rivers
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Leaving Fairbanks,
heading south, the Parks Highway passes through rolling hill country covered
with spruce and birch. After 53 miles (85 km), you'll reach Nenana, at the
confluence of the Tenana and Nenana rivers. The town is home to a sizable tug
and barge fleet, which services Alaskan villages located along the Tanana and
Yukon rivers. |
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The docks are located to
the left side of the highway (southbound). A historic tug, the Taku Chief, sits
behind the town's information center. The barges move down the river as soon as
the ice is gone, taking enough supplies to outfit the villages for the next year.
Moving down the river, they travel at about 12 miles-per-hour. On the way back,
fighting the current, they slow to about five or six m.p.h. The Nenana Ice
Classic celebrates the day each year when enough ice disappears to move a metal
tripod set over the river, connected with a cable to a clock. A lottery is held
to determine the best guesser, who wins close to $200,000 for the most accurate
prediction. The ice leaves sometime between mid-April and mid-May.
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Alaska Range -- North Slope
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After leaving Nenana,
passing the turnoff to the small coal-mining town of Healy (Spur Road), the
route begins to climb across the Alaska Range. Healy, only 109 miles (175 km)
from Fairbanks, is only 15 minutes north of the entrance to Denali National
Park. There are several places to stay in the town, including the historic Healy
Hotel. Before reaching Denali, the highway crosses a deep canyon, carved by the
Nenana River. There's a turnout on the south side of the bridge for
gorge-viewing and picture-taking. |
Denali National Park
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The boundary of the park
is at the north end of Crabb's Crossing Bridge, the second bridge over the
Nenana River. The highway runs through the park for another 6.8 miles (11 km)
before coming to the main entrance road. As you get closer to the en trance road,
more lodges and restaurants are seen. The turnoff to the main park road is 120.7
miles (194.2 km) from Fairbanks.
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The park visitor center
is a half-mile along the entrance road. Campsites in the park are allocated on a
first-come, first-served basis, with sign-up forms available at the visitor
center. For details, click on the park link at the bottom of the page.
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Past the park road,
another few miles of rustic motels, cabins, restaurants, RV parks, and assorted
tourist traps assail the traveler. Because accommodations within the park are
limited, you may choose to stay in one of these highway places. |
Broad Pass & Salmon Country
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After leaving the Denali
area, the Parks Highway continues to climb, to the unsigned summit at Broad
Pass, a beautiful mountain valley with fine vistas. The pass is on the divide
between the Cook Inlet and Yukon River watersheds. Rest areas with picnic tables
are located at East Fork (52 miles from the park road), where a half-mile loop
road leads to the picnic area and overnight park ing lot, and at the Hurricane
Gulch Bridge, 8 miles past East Fork.
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The highway then drops
out of the Alaska Range, into the broad Matanuska/Susitna Valley. In this area
are found the most impressive salmon runs accessible by car. When the salmon
aren't in the streams, anglers set their hooks for rainbow trout.
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