Off the Beaten Path Alaska
Adventure abounds when you take Alaska’s roads less traveled.
Off the Beaten Path Alaska
Adventure abounds when you take Alaska’s roads less traveled.
Off the Beaten Path Alaska
Adventure abounds when you take Alaska’s roads less traveled.
Off the Beaten Path Alaska
Adventure abounds when you take Alaska’s roads less traveled.
Off the Beaten Path Alaska
Adventure abounds when you take Alaska’s roads less traveled.
Off the Beaten Path
Looking at a map of Alaska, much more of the state appears off the beaten path than on it. There are few enough highways that they're known by nickname rather than number, and even the state capital is only accessible by boat or plane.
All that considered, what exactly do we mean by off the beaten path in Alaska? We're talking anywhere off the railbelt, the mainland thoroughfare from Seward to Fairbanks that includes well known destinations like Kenai Fjords National Park, Anchorage, and Denali National Park. That path links international airports and cruise terminals by both train track and highway, and the towns along it account for nearly half the population of Alaska. You could easily spend weeks exploring these popular places, and most visitors do.
Beyond the railbelt a whole array of new destinations await. Some, like Homer and Cooper Landing on the Kenai Peninsula, aren't that much farther down the main road. Cooper Landing is just 10 minutes off the Seward Highway, tucked along the Kenai River in an especially beautiful mountain valley. If you keep going, the road will eventually end in Homer, a fishing town with a distinctive artists' vibe on the bluffs overlooking Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park. In both these small communities getting out onto the water is essential, whether it's rafting the Kenai or kayaking in Kachemak.
Looking east of the railbelt across a few mountain ranges and glacial icefields you'll find the outlying destinations of Copper Center, McCarthy, and Valdez. Copper Center's handful of roadhouses were frequented by prospectors during the Klondike gold rush. Today a single resort-style lodge provides comfortable accommodations to travelers passing through. It sits near the famously salmon-rich Copper River and famously immense Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Valdez is about 100 miles south down the Richardson Highway. In winter avalanches regularly render this road impassable, but come summer it is a scenic drive over mountains and through a canyon draped in waterfalls. From this harbor town travelers can take a Columbia Glacier day cruise into Prince William Sound for a chance to spot wildlife and see one of the largest tidewater glaciers in Alaska.
Heading north, Denali National Park isn't often included as an Alaska off the beaten path destination, but given its size the park's vast interior is plenty isolated. This includes Kantishna, an old mining settlement at the end of the park's only road. Travelers seeking a backcountry experience can stay in Kantishna at one of Denali Park's remote lodges.
And then there is, of course, Alaska above the Arctic Circle. It doesn't take long to find yourself in pure wilderness when venturing north beyond Fairbanks. It's a huge land, stark and secluded, but one that's teeming with life if you know where to look. Because of this, it is best experienced on a fly-and-drive tour with a local guide.
The best way to travel off the beaten path in Alaska is by a premium 4x4 rental car. These rentals have no road restrictions, so you can take them on Alaska's many unimproved roads like the Denali Highway or the McCarthy Road into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
Alaska Tour & Travel offers several off-the-beaten-path vacation packages that include all transportation, accommodations, and day tours. They're ideal for a second or third visit to Alaska, or for the adventurous spirit who wants to go farther afield on their first trip. These packages are entirely customizable, too, so we can easily add activities or destinations to build your best Alaska vacation.
