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Highway
Routes
Question: Which route
is best from Delta to Copper Center?
Question: How rough is
the Denali Highway?
Question: Best time of
day for wildlife viewing on Denali Highway
Question: Is driving
scary in Alaska? Do cell phones work?
Question: Which
route is best from Delta to Copper Center?
We will
be in Alaska in June
and have (for
no particular good reason) decided to spend a night at Kelly's in Delta
Junction. We are going on to Copper
River from
there and have a
question about routing from Delta Junction. Which would afford the more
scenic
drive - to Copper
River via the Richardson
Hwy or to Copper
River via Tok
via Gakona
via Richardson
Hwy?
We have
devoured the
material in Frommer's 2002 Alaska guide
and thank you
so much for the information. It's a long way from Texas to Alaska, but the
weather
appears comparable. There is an old adage in Texas that
"...if you
don't like the weather now, stick around for a hour or so!" From what
you've written, Alaska adds a
whole new
dimension to that adage. Thanks!
Answer:
I've
heard that line
about the weather said about Alaska many
times, too--I
wonder where it started out. Coming from Texas, be
ready for some
ribbing. People like to warn Texans, "Watch out, or Alaska will
split in half
and make Texas the
third largest
state."
When you say Copper
River I think
you must mean Copper Center. From
Delta Junction,
going straight south on the Richardson
Highway is by
far the most
scenic and the most direct route to Copper Center, or to
any point
south of Glennallen (which is at the intersection of the Glenn and
Richardson
highways). The drive from Delta to Glennallen on the Richardson is one
of the most
beautiful in Alaska.
Question: How
rough is the Denali
Highway?
We are
planning 11
days this June and had planned to cut across on Denali Hwy coming
up from Valdez to Denali Park
(stopping overnight
at Tangle River Inn). I have read Denali Hwy is near
impassable in
past year. Whta's the scoop? Should we drive it - the scenery we hear
is
beautiful - and we have rented a van allowing for gravel travel.
Thanks!
Answer:
According
to the
Alaska Department of Transportation the road is rough but passable. You
can
check their hotline (511) or their road website
http://511.alaska.gov
closer to your trip, or call one of the lodges out on the road, such
the inn
where you are staying or the MacLaren River Lodge (907) 822-7105 for a
report
from the road. You hear conflicting things because people have
different
definitions of what is passable. Just use caution and if it looks like
you
might get stuck turn around and go the other way.
Question:
Best time of day for wildlife viewing on Denali
Highway
Had it
not been for
the Frommer's Alaska travel
guide, I would
not have even considered the Denali
Highway in my
trek from Denali National
Park to Valdez. Thank
you for
mentioning it.
If the Alaskan wildlife is like that of Colorado, the
most activities
is in the early morning. Am I likely to experience any fog that would
make driving
and wildlife viewing impossible at
5:00 AM around
July 25th? I
plan to spend the whole day on the highway but want to get an early
start.
Also can the Pipeline be seen from this highway? I believe that they
should
intersect but it is not noted on the map that is on the BLM's website.
Answer:
The early
morning
start is a good idea, and I wouldn't worry about fog. I can't remember
clearly
what the pipeline looks like from the highway, but I think you are
right that
it does cross. Certainly, you can see the pipeline from lots of places
on the
Richardson
Highway on your
way to Valdez.
Question:
Is driving scary in Alaska? Do cell
phones work?
My
husband and I want
to rent a car and travel on our own. My only concern is that we are
from Louisiana and are
not too familiar
to driving in mountains (though we have driven in Yellowstone and
other national
parks). Are the highways real scary with dropoffs, etc? Also do cell
phones
work in Alaska and if
so with which
companies?
Answer:
The main
roads are
paved and have guardrails, and you can always slow down if it seems
scary. The Glenn
Highway between
Palmer and
Glennallen has the scariest spots. No special skills required with an
automatic
transmission car, just normal caution.
Cell phone coverage extends over all the towns and most of the
highways. Your
phone should automatically work with whatever system is present,
although using
it may cost an arm and a leg in roaming charges. The main company here
is a
local outfit called ACS. It can’t hurt to find out how much you will
pay in
roaming charges.
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