At mile 116, you ll experience the thrill of crossing the Arctic Circle. Amenities are limited, but expansive vistas, blooming tundra, and abundant wildlife combine to make this a spectacular journey. Public access is allowed to Disaster Creek at Mile 216. Traveling south from Fairbanks, the Richardson Highway parallels the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, winding through mountain passes and over rushing rivers, extending 368 miles south to the port city of Valdez, and beautiful Prince William sound. Founded as a railroad construction camp in 1915, it has grown into a bustling metropolis with links to Europe and Asia.
Anchorage offers big-city life only minutes away from Alaska wilderness.
The contrast is seen even in the heart of town, where a log cabin with a sod roof serves as a visitor center amid steel and glass skyscrapers. Rising above it all, the 500,000-acre Chugach State Park provides a magnificent backdrop. Heading south from anchorage, the Seward Highway hugs the steep flanks of the Chugach Mountains along the scenic waters of Turnagian Arm. Simply drive your car onto the train, take a short rail trip through the mountain tunnels to Whittier, then drive onto a ferry for a ride across Prince William Sound, past Columbia Glacier to Valdez, where you return to the highway system. Southwest of Portage another playground awaits you.