SR 8 (Denali Highway)

Travelled it last year. Stayed at Tangle Lakes and enjoyed it. When we crossed it, it was very rough. I'm sure the scenery would have been beautiful but the smoke from the Funny Fire was thick!

I want to do it again the next we're up north!

Drove it in 2012. Much the same recollection of the road as fer2005. You should not have any problem with your rig. Road will have a lot of washboard sections and can be muddy if it rains. Plenty of good boon docking spots all the across Hyway 8.

One piece of advice is to NOT drive Hyway 8 during caribou season unless you want to see hundreds of camo wearing, 4wheeler driving, rifle toting, beer drinking, city dudes that are camped in every opening along the road. We made that mistake and saw at least 300 hunters and 2 caribou on our journey along the Denali Highway. In spite of all the hunters the scenery was well worth the drive.

The views across the Denali Highway are some of the best in the state. The road surface follows ridge lines that allow excellent views in all directions, not just a road through a forrest of trees. It does have a washboard surface, but if you go fairly slow, it's not bad. I drive it nearly every year in July with a camper and ATV trailer. Many free camping pullouts along the entire length of the road, not much for developed campgrounds if that is what you are looking for.

MORSNOW wrote:
The views across the Denali Highway are some of the best in the state. The road surface follows ridge lines that allow excellent views in all directions, not just a road through a forrest of trees. It does have a washboard surface, but if you go fairly slow, it's not bad. I drive it nearly every year in July with a camper and ATV trailer. Many free camping pullouts along the entire length of the road, not much for developed campgrounds if that is what you are looking for.

x2 (except I don't go every year :()


As pointed out, the views from the Denali Highway are some of the best in the state certainly from any primary road. Do avoid hunting season when the area is populated with so-called "hunters" and so-called "subsistence hunters"

Everyone that posted on this topic about the Denali Highway is spot on, as I will also add a couple of pointers...

1 - I would wait out on travelling thru there during real potential bad rain and stormy weather particularly on the east half portion, as upon my experiences along the entire route thru there during May 1993 (perfect cloudless no wind for 2 days), and in the camper during June 1996 and July 2001, the east half of the route seems to always be the windiest and weatherfront magnet areas.

In 2001 I got fogged in so fast while I was driving thru the Maclaren Summit portion it wasn't funny and never saw it coming...this weather day started out drivable with the intermittent hard rain, gusty winds and high clouds from Tangle Lakes-westbound, to all of a sudden wham-o zero visibility at Maclaren Summit upon getting fogged in with no warning while raining even harder as I was so glad to see Maclaren Lodge (also fogged in) a few miles later when I arrived and waited there for the storm to pass on the following day.

2 - Since mentioned upon travelling westbound via Paxson to Cantwell : During times while the sun is out I would avoid travel on the road between the hours of give or take 700pm thru 1000pm during June thru the first week of August as the sun could be potentially staring at you making it much harder to see.

Brushkana Creek and Tangle Lakes are nice campgrounds with a handful of nice boondocking spots in between, as I would also avoid Tangle Lakes campground during 4th of July holiday unless you like confined dense crowds and an overfull campground.

The Denali Highway route is generally a peaceful route as well as taking your sweet time thru there for a minimum of two days is the way to do it.

Thanks, everyone! Very helpful. BTW, when is hunting season up there?

mockturtle wrote:
Thanks, everyone! Very helpful. BTW, when is hunting season up there?

There's other seasons, but for the Caribou season at issue, generally mid-August to late September (8/10 - 9/20 or something like that IIRC).

Small game and other seasons happen otherwise, but caribou season tends to attract the sxxb hunters.

I took the 21 mi paved portion from the east in late August 2012. Stayed at Tangle Lakes campground. Checkout the 8/27/12 entry in my blog here for pictures of the area.

Have fun! :)

PA12DRVR, I appreciate the info. I should be on the Denali Highway well before caribou season.

Ralph, thank you. I look forward to reading your report. Starting to get excited about my Alaska trip! :)

We stayed in the Tangle Lakes and Brushkana BLM campgrounds but our favorite was boondocking in between the two. We had this view on June 7 last year. The road was fine.


-