The most dangerous roads in Alaska
Why these roads are considered dangerous
Tips for driving on these roads
Conclusion
The most dangerous roads in Alaska
If you are moving to Alaska or staying there for an extended period of time, odds are that you will need to do some longer distance driving. That means that there is a chance that you will need to drive on one of Alaska’s more dangerous roads.
The most dangerous roads in Alaska are:
- Dalton Highway – At the top of the list you have Dalton Highway which is infamous for its reputation as the “loneliest road in America” due to the lack of places you can stop along the extremely long 414-mile-long road. It is often plagued with cold temperatures as well as with snow and ice. The visibility on the road can often be pretty bad. The road also has large commercial oil trucks traveling on it with pretty aggressive speed, so pay attention. You can even have animals randomly wandering out on the road. Do not try to travel this road at night.
- Seward Highway – This road is infamous for the amount of car accidents that occur on it. These accidents are a result of the winding path of the road, only two lanes total (one lane for each travel direction), and the high amount of traffic the road has during warmer weather months. Tourists flock to this road for the legendary sight-seeing which leads to denser traffic in an area where passing can be an extremely dangerous move.
- Sterling Highway – Sterling Highway suffers some of the same issues as Seward Highway in terms of congestion from tourists and sightseers. However, the road also has the unique issue of being plagued by nearby wildfires. Depending on the time of year, this can make travel on the road very dangerous and there are no alternate routes either.
- Richardson Highway – Night travel is not a good idea on the more dangerous roads of Alaska during the winter months. Unfortunately, there is a period for a certain area of Alaska where it barely gets light out for a couple of hours a day and this is an area that the Richardson Highway cuts through. The road is ripe with black ice and difficult-to-navigate terrain in the winter months. So, try to avoid the Richardson Highway during the winter at all costs.
Why these roads are considered dangerous
As you now know, each of these roads has it’s own unique challenges. However, they also have a lot in common when it comes to the level of danger they present. In the winter months, these roads can all have extremely poor visibility which can make travel nearly impossible. Wildlife crossings are also another dangerous part of the Alaskan road ecosystem. Animals can dart out onto roads without warning at times.
During the summer, some of these roads suffer from congestion due to tourists. This leads to more multi-vehicle accidents each year. Finally, many of these roads have stretches that are over an hour away from any sort of emergency service, so if you get stuck, you could be waiting a while.
Tips for driving on these roads
These roads can be very treacherous, however, sometimes you will have no choice but to travel on them. Use the following tips if you find yourself needing to drive on these dangerous Alaskan roads:
- Check the forecast – Before you leave for the trip, make sure that you see what the weather will be like for the duration of your time out on the road. If the weather seems like it might get bad, consider holding off on traveling that day.
- Be prepared for an emergency – You should be ready for a situation where you get stuck or stranded. This includes having emergency supplies such as gravel or kitty litter to help get your tires un-stuck, spare food, water, road flares and a fully charged cell phone to call for help.
- Get your car ready for the trip – If you are traveling during the winter, make sure that you have the car winterized before you head out on the road. This includes having snow tires and a full tank of gas. You should even consider having some spare gas with you because if you get stuck, you will need to run your car for heat.
- Drive with extreme caution – Do not speed or drive aggressively when you are driving on these roads. Doing so can much more easily lead to a serious accident on roads like these.
- Avoid using these roads if possible – If you can avoid taking these roads, we recommend that you do so. You can always plan alternate routes using Google or an app like Waze.
Conclusion
If you find yourself driving in Alaska, do whatever you can to avoid the highways mentioned above during the times of the year that were mentioned. Thankfully, these roads usually just grant access to the more remote parts of Alaska. If you are staying in an area like Anchorage, you won’t need to worry about these roads unless you plan on venturing far out of that area at some point.
