Healy to Wrangell Park via Richardson Hwy or Denali Hwy? (and beyond) (Anchorage: rental car)

[Globe199]

We want to go from Healy to the Wrangell National Park area. Which is better -- via Fairbanks and the Richardson Hwy (route 2/4) or via the unpaved Denali Hwy (Route 8).

Google Maps says Healy to Paxson via Denali Hwy is 173 miles; apparently 134 miles are unpaged. Via Richardson Hwy is 288 miles. Is it worth the extra 115 miles to drive on a paved road? How bad/good is the condition of the Denali Hwy? Is Fairbanks worth seeing?

Ultimately, the day's route would be from Healy to Anchorage via Wrangell. This is something like 600-800 miles in one day. We'll be starting the vacation in Anchorage, and I don't want to backtrack routes, so this is why I'm thinking this crazy route. Is this too much in one day? There are almost 20 hours of daylight, and I want to make the most of it. Am I nuts?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

[Moose Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Globe199

Is this too much in one day? Am I nuts?

Yes!

What's the rush?

That much driving, you won't get to "see" much of anything other than the inside of your windshield. Let alone have time to stop and take pictures, eat, smell the flowers, pee, etc.

Any one of the legs on your proposed route is more than adequate to fill a single day's adventure - 20 hrs of daylight or not.

Also, travelling at this time in Alaska you will encounter numerous construction delays, slow poke RV's, Tour Busses, rubber neckers, etc. Your plan sounds like a one way ticket to a padded cell. It's stressing ME out just reading about it! And, it's a better than 50% chance that some or all of the route will be in the rain. Do you really want to spend that much time driving, on that tight of a schedule, on wet roads?

Finally, you sound like you are from out of state, so you will be renting a vehicle? 99% chance they won't allow you to drive it on the Denali Hwy anyway.

Just my 2 centavos.

[tigre79]

What you're wanting to do sounds like a very bad day to me. Way too much driving, way too little actually doing anything fun. I'd break it up into multiple days for sure. Given that, I think the drive around Fairbanks takes about the same amount of time as the Denali Highway, and there are more services and it's more pleasant overall. The Denali Highway is fun, but like Moose said your car rental may not allow it. The Alaska Range off the Richardson is pretty amazing as well, so you're certainly not missing out on scenery by going that way. The Glenn is amazing too, so doing the whole loop from Anchorage is worthwhile. I will say though, that you can't exactly go to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park by staying on the Richardson Highway. You can go to the visitor's center, but that's not the same thing.

How long is your trip, what are you really wanting to do and see, and how are you getting around?

[Globe199]

This is part of the itinerary: Denali NP Tuesday, staying in Healy Mon/Tue Night. Staying in Anchorage Wednesday night. Seward/Kenai Thursday/Friday. The original plan was to drive straight back to Anchorage Wednesday (going back the way we came on Hwy 3), but the adventurer in me dreamed up this alternate plan. The farthest I've driven in one day was 630 miles, but that was on interstate highway with a 75mph speed limit.

I've got a rental car reserved, but my brother-in-law is offering his 99 Jeep Cherokee if I want it. However, with that much driving, and going to those remote places, I don't know that I trust it. He says it's OK.

[tigre79]

If you really just want to see scenery, go around Fairbanks and Glennallen and back to Anchorage. Those are both amazingly scenic drives, for the most part. Plan on a bare minimum of ten hours of straight driving time, and that's going a little above the speed limit. That's without any stops for pictures, lunch, flat tires, slow motor homes in front of you, bad weather, etc. It's a long drive. I wouldn't really consider it much of an adventure, either. It's just driving.

If you'd rather have a nice day, spend a little more time in Denali (one day is kinda ridiculous), visit Talkeetna, take a hike at Eklutna Lake or the Eagle River Nature Center, or go to the Native Heritage Center in Anchorage. Or just go straight to Seward and spend another night there. Or drive out the Glenn an hour or so and hike to Matanuska Glacier. There's lots to do that doesn't entail driving all over heck and back.

Keep in mind that there's more traffic on our highways than in more remote parts of some other states, because there aren't very many roads here. Nowhere you're talking about going is at all "remote" in terms of vehicular traffic, especially in the summer. Compare the cost of renting vs. borrowing the Jeep (those things get maybe 19mpg, compared with ~35 in a small rental car), but if it's in good shape and saves you a decent amount of money I'd drive it instead. I drive a rattly 99 Tacoma and I'd take it just about anywhere in the state, in the summer at least.

[Globe199]

Well, by "remote," I was thinking that AAA might not come get me if my car breaks down in the middle of Denali Hwy.

I suppose we could spend part of the next day at Denali NP. But I figured we'd hit up most of the sights on the one-day bus tour. There's only one road in the park. One of my goals is to visit all the national parks; that's sort of why I thought driving to Wrangell would be cool. But if you guys are saying it's a crazy drive, then maybe I won't.

Have you been to Kobuk Valley and/or Gates of the Arctic?

[Dakster]

I am driving to and around AK this summer so this thread is yet another one that has given me ideas on what to do and not to do. I will be in the areas you are mentioning. FWIW, I have a nice, new, large truck and I am renting a car for this trip because 18 mpg in a truck vs. 25-30 in a car, the car MORE than pays for itself in just fuel savings - not to mention maintenance and wear and tear I will save on the truck. This works out because I will be driving around 12k miles and the rental car cost $650 and includes unlimited miles.

Longest I have driven in a 24 hour period is 1300 miles and the longest straight without stopping for the night is 27 hours and 1600 miles. (I did stop for a bit at a rest area to catch a powernap) And I can tell you that unless you have another driver to help you, you will be wiped out after that and will need a day to sleep and recover. Just keep that in mind.

[Frostnip]

As others have pointed out, you might want to do little research on Wrangell-St. Elias. It's not really a place to just drop by for a brief visit. The visitor center is a nice visitor center, but that's a lot of driving to do just take a look at a NPS visitor center and absorb some nice views from the road.

If you are not a big outdoorsperson a day in Denali to take the bus in and out might be fine for you. Personally I love the park, but there is a lot to see and do in Alaska so I can see why you wouldn't necessarily want to linger long in one place. But keep in mind that the weather may not cooperate on that one day. This, and the inherent unpredictability of a road trip, are good reasons to make a conservative & flexible vacation plan rather than one that requires you to go-go-go.

To me one of the things that makes Alaska lovely is the more relaxed pace of life. I find I see the most wildlife, meet the most interesting people, enjoy the sensory experiences, much more when I am not moving on a strict schedule. When I am planning a road trip I like to make a base route that is less demanding, and keep a list of little tangents off of it that are optional - places to detour to if time, weather and the travelers' moods make them appealing the day you happen to be there.

Unless there is something you really want to see or do in Anc you might just skip it and give yourself some extra time on the Kenai Pennisula and/or in Denali. Anc isn't a bad city but IMO why come all the way to Alaska to spend time in a city?

It might be worth looking at going to Valdez instead of the Kenai Penninsula if you would really like to stop at Wrangell-St. Elias. As far as scenery goes IMO you can't beat Valdez, and the stuff to do there as a visitor is similar.

As far as the Richardson vs. the Denali Hwy go, both are pretty and the Denali Hwy isn't as half as grim as people make it out to be.