Prospect Creek, in the Interior, January 23, 1971. The highest is 100 degrees at Fort Yukon in 1915
What to carry in Alaska
The BLM’s list for the Dalton Highway is the best packing list in the country, and it works for the Denali Highway, the Taylor and the Steese too: two full-size spares on rims, jack and tools, flares, extra gasoline, motor oil and wiper fluid, a CB radio, drinking water, ready-to-eat food, camping gear including a sleeping bag, warm clothes with hat and gloves, first aid, insect repellent and a head net. A good outfitter will also ask what you will cook on, since a campfire under 3 feet across needs no burn permit and anything larger does.
An outfitter is the difference between reading reviews and opening the tent yourself. The good ones stock what works, install what they sell, and will tell you what they took off their own trucks.
What they carry
01Roof tents, awnings and shelter
02Fridges, kitchens and water systems
03Racks, drawers and storage
04Recovery gear and compressors
05Power stations, batteries and lighting
How to choose an outfitter
Look for people who use what they sell.
01Ask whether they install what they sell, and whether the installer is on staff.
02Ask what they run on their own vehicles, and what they stopped running.
03Compare weight as well as price. It all rides on your suspension.
04Ask about returns and exchanges on large items such as tents and fridges.
05Check that they know your vehicle. Fitment is where online orders go wrong.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Dimensions prevent returns.
01Vehicle, and rack or bed dimensions if you know them
02How many people travel and sleep
03The kind of trips you take, and how long
04What you already own
05A budget range
Questions people ask
What gear should I buy first?
A way to sleep well, a way to keep food cold, water storage and basic recovery gear. Everything else can wait until a few trips show you what you miss.
Is it worth buying from a local outfitter instead of online?
For anything that has to fit your vehicle or be installed, yes. Fitment mistakes on racks, tents and fridges are expensive to ship back, and an installer who sold you the part will stand behind the install.
Can I try before I buy?
Some outfitters rent roof tents, fridges and even vehicles. Say so in the form if that is what you are after.
How high is Alaska?
From Valdez at 20 feet to Mount McKinley at 20,310.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
CantwellOn the Parks Highway at the west end of the Denali Highway.2,212 ft
ChickenOn the Taylor Highway in the historic Fortymile gold mining district, between Tetlin Junction and Eagle.1,700 ft
TokOn the Alaska Highway, 64 miles north of Slana on the Tok Cutoff by the Park Service’s reckoning. The Taylor Highway leaves at Tetlin Junction nearby.1,638 ft
GlennallenOn the Richardson Highway. The Park Service tells Nabesna Road travelers to fill up here, 76 miles south of Slana.1,414 ft
Delta JunctionOn the Richardson Highway between the Denali Highway junction at Paxson and Fairbanks.1,168 ft
ColdfootDalton Highway milepost 175, with the last tire and repair service before Deadhorse and the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center.1,058 ft
EagleEnd of the Taylor Highway on the Yukon, 160 miles from Tetlin Junction.877 ft
CircleEnd of the Steese Highway at mile 162, on the Yukon River. The BLM notes the town sits about 50 miles south of the Arctic Circle.585 ft
ChitinaEnd of the Edgerton Highway and the start of the McCarthy Road, off the Richardson 30 miles south of Glennallen.570 ft
FairbanksThe hub for everything north. The Richardson and the Parks both end here, the Steese leads northeast out of town, the Elliott begins at Fox on the Steese, and the Dalton starts 84 miles up the road.445 ft
PalmerOn the Glenn Highway where the byway turns up the braided Matanuska River toward the canyon.250 ft
AnchorageWhere the Glenn and the Seward highways meet. The Glenn Highway National Scenic Byway starts downtown.104 ft
HomerWhat the state’s byway page calls the end of the road on the Sterling Highway.101 ft
SewardThe southern end of the 127-mile Seward Highway, an All-American Road, on the Kenai Peninsula.89 ft
DeadhorseThe north end of the Dalton at milepost 414. Public access stops here, about 8 miles short of the Arctic Ocean.45 ft
ValdezSouth end of the Richardson Highway on Prince William Sound. The road out of town climbs straight into Thompson Pass.20 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Mount McKinleyThe highest point in North America, in Denali National Park and Preserve. No road goes near it20,310 ft
Atigun PassDalton Highway milepost 244, where the road crosses the Continental Divide4,739 ft
Atigun PassDalton Highway: Livengood, 84 miles north of Fairbanks, to Deadhorse at Prudhoe Bay4,739 ft
Eagle SummitSteese Highway: Fairbanks to Circle on the Yukon River3,668 ft
Thompson PassRichardson Highway: Valdez on Prince William Sound to Fairbanks2,794 ft
Broad PassGeorge Parks Highway: Anchorage to Fairbanks, by the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve2,400 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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