5 Tips for Driving Between Anchorage and Fairbanks

Driving between Anchorage and Fairbanks isn’t your mother’s road trip! While the drive between Alaska’s two largest cities is truly spectacular, there are unique considerations to take while making the drive. The views are far and wide, but resources are scarce. After all, this is the last frontier! Here are 5 tips for driving between Anchorage and Fairbanks, Alaska!

1. Watch the gas tank

Before you begin your road trip, the most important thing to do is make sure you have a completely full gas tank! Take some time the morning of your trip to top off the tank, even if it’s pretty close to full already. Along the drive between Anchorage and Fairbanks, there will be gas stations, but they are few and far between. Take advantage of opportunities to fill up, especially if you start creeping below a half a tank.

We ended up stopping for a fill up here, in the town of Cantwell. We found it to be the perfect halfway stop and looked more modern than other stations along the way. It gave us that extra juice to drive through Denali National Park and up to Fairbanks. Don’t push your luck and fill up when you have the opportunity to do so!

2. Download maps and music beforehand

Believe it or not, our Verizon phones had pretty decent service between Denali and Anchorage (but was much more limited between Denali and Fairbanks). Sometimes as many as 5 bars and LTE! However, it did cut in and out, often at random times (and always when we needed it most). Learn from our mistakes and make sure you download all your maps and entertainment before you hit the road. Download several playlists so you have options along the 6+ hour drive, or consider entire podcast series to entertain you. It’ll be worth it!

To download a region on Google Maps, open the app on your phone and click your profile image in the top right. Then click on “Offline maps” and then “Select your own map”. You can then choose the region to download so even when you have zero service, you can search for routes, streets, gas stations, you name it!

3. Have a snack stockpile handy

Snacks on snacks on snacks. The drive between Anchorage and Fairbanks is long, and there are very few restaurants to stop at along the day. Best to manage your expectations and plan on grazing all day, rather than having proper meals.

When we stopped to fill up the gas tank first in the morning (another plug for this important tip!), we hit the convenience store hard. Chips, candy, and sweets- oh my! While that was super fun, make sure to also grab some substantive food like beef jerky or those prepackaged protein bars. Leftover pizza from the night before was also our saving grace. Don’t forget the drinks either! There aren’t many places to fill up water bottles along the drive, so make sure you have enough for the day.

4. There is a lot of nothing

In case it wasn’t clear from all of the above, there is a lot of nothing on this drive. Yes, scenic views for miles, but very few amenities. Sure, you’ll drive through plenty of small towns, but they’re not the small towns you’re used to. They usually consist of a gas station and maybe a small convenience store. And that’s about it. While many classic American road trips consist at bopping through tiny towns to do some shopping and eat at cute restaurants, don’t expect this here. This drive is the definition of rural but is oh-so-scenic!

5. Take time to enjoy the views

Driving between Anchorage and Fairbanks may not fill you of small towns and conveniences, but you will get plenty of mind blowing views! Take time to soak them all in, or even have impromptu photo shoots. There are plenty of pull offs or scenic viewpoints along the drive, and I’d encourage you to stop at as many as you can. The views are ever changing as you drive up into and back down out of the mountains, and each one is different from the last. It would be a shame to do this whole drive without stopping to appreciate everything it has to offer.

Our absolute favorite viewpoint was here, at Denali View North. This stop is about one hour south of the main entrance to Denali National Park and has spectacular views of the mountain range, including Mount Denali. There are plenty of informational signs to help you identify the mountains you’re looking at, as well as give a brief history of the park. There are even restrooms (but don’t expect running water). Just north of Denali National Park was our second favorite scenic stop. I can’t place exactly where we put the car into park, but it was around here. You’ll have large mountains exactly to your one side, and the rushing river to your other. There isn’t a bad view along this entire drive, so if you miss these two, do not fret. Alaska’s Parks Highway has you in good hands.

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