Prospect Creek, in the Interior, January 23, 1971. The highest is 100 degrees at Fort Yukon in 1915
Tires, spares and the studded tire dates
Alaska is the one state where the land agency tells you how many spares to carry. The BLM asks for at least two full-size spare tires mounted on rims for the Dalton Highway, and the Park Service asks for at least one and an adequate jack on the McCarthy Road, where it says sharp rocks cause flats. The state has no chain law but strict stud dates: north of 60 degrees North latitude studs are unlawful on pavement from May 1 through September 15, south of it from April 15 through September 30, and on any paved part of the Sterling Highway from May 1 through September 15.
Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.
Expect help with
01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
04A matching full-size spare
05Alignment, rotation and repairs
How to choose tires for overland travel
Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.
01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.
01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
02Lift height, if any
03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
05A budget range for five tires
Questions people ask
What does load range mean?
It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.
How big can I go?
Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.
Should I air down?
On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.
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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