The Denali Highway was the only road to Denali National Park until the Parks Highway opened in the 1970s, and losing that job was the making of it. What is left is a 135-mile gravel road across the south flank of the Alaska Range, with eskers, glacial valleys and open tundra on both sides, and a maximum recommended speed of 35 mph.
Two agencies publish on it: Alaska DOT&PF, which maintains the road for part of the year and closes it for the rest, and BLM’s Glennallen Field Office, which manages the land and the only two developed campgrounds along it. This page carries what they state, and nothing else. BLM’s blunt instruction about the rest of the year is worth reading twice: do not attempt to travel the road at any other time, as snowdrifts can block your way.
What the Denali Highway is
DOT&PF dates the road to 1957 and describes it as historic and scenic, a favourite for travellers who want a quieter and more immersive route than the Parks Highway. It runs 135 miles from Paxson, on the Richardson Highway, to Cantwell Junction, on the Parks Highway. BLM puts a loop from Fairbanks at 436 miles and one from Anchorage at about 600, and says to allow several days for either.
BLM’s own line is that the highway is often overlooked by motorists, yet offers some of the most spectacular scenery and recreational opportunities in Alaska. Both agencies name the same rewards: sweeping views of the Alaska Range, glacial valleys and open tundra, with moose, caribou, fox, wolf, marmot, ptarmigan, trumpeter swan and other waterfowl along the way.
The land is old in human terms as well. From milepost 16 west to milepost 38 the road crosses the Tangle Lakes Archaeological District, where more than 500 recorded sites show people living here for at least 10,000 years. It is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the rules inside it are tighter than on the rest of the road.
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The road, in the order you drive it
BLM numbers its points of interest from Paxson, and so does this list. Pavement runs to milepost 21. A state wayside with a picnic area, vault toilet and interpretive panels looks north to the Alaska Range at milepost 6.5, and a viewpoint at 13 looks southeast to the Wrangell Mountains. The east boundary of the Tangle Lakes Archaeological District is at 16.
Tangle Lakes Campground is at milepost 21.5, just as the pavement ends, with the Delta Wild and Scenic River wayside beside it, which is day use only and has no camping. Landmark Gap comes into view at 22.5. At 37 the road reaches about 4,000 feet, a short distance from Maclaren Summit at 4,086 feet, with the Maclaren River and Glacier below; the Maclaren River bridge and glacier viewpoint follow at 42.
Crazy Notch, at milepost 46, is a cut a glacial stream made through a moraine, and BLM says it acts as a natural snow catchment that closes the highway in winter with huge snowdrifts. Waterfowl Lakes are at 49.5, a wayside with an outhouse at 55.5, and eskers, which BLM calls some of North America’s most outstanding examples, at 59. The Susitna River crossing is at 79.5 and the Valdez Creek mine viewpoint at 85.
Brushkana Creek Campground is at milepost 104.5. Taiga closes in at 111.5, the Nenana River is crossed at 116.5, and from about 124 to 130.5 the road gives views of Denali in clear weather. Pavement begins again at 132, and the Parks Highway junction is at 135, with Cantwell about 2 miles west.
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Surface, speed and what your vehicle needs
The road is paved for the first 21 miles west of Paxson and for three miles east of Cantwell Junction. The rest, more than 100 miles, is graded gravel, and DOT&PF adds high float sections to the description. Both agencies give a maximum recommended speed of 35 mph, DOT&PF as an advisory limit because of soft spots and rough patches, and BLM with a warning that one small flying rock can break a windshield, so slow down when passing another vehicle.
Neither agency requires four-wheel drive or high clearance. What BLM requires is that the vehicle be in good working order before you start, with the spare tire checked and a jack and lug wrench aboard, and that you carry extra water and enough food for an emergency, because you cannot predict how long it will take to get help if you become stranded. DOT&PF asks for the same kit in different words: food, water, a first aid kit and a spare tire, plus weather-appropriate gear, and it flags seasonal weight restrictions.
Check the rental agreement before you book. Both agencies say many rental car companies do not allow their vehicles on this road.
Do not skipCell phone coverage is limited. BLM’s instruction is direct: do not depend on a cell phone for your safety.
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Camping and permits
Tangle Lakes and Brushkana Creek are, in BLM’s words, the only developed public campground facilities along the 135-mile road. Both are first come, first served, and as of September 2026 BLM lists $20 per site per night at each.
Tangle Lakes, at milepost 21.5 on the north side of the road, has 45 campsites and 4 walk-in sites, water pumps, six double vault toilets, bear-proof trash receptacles and food lockers, parking for vehicles and trailers, a paved boat launch and picnic areas. It sits inside the Delta Wild and Scenic River corridor and the Tangle Lakes Archaeological District, and the boat launch is the designated put-in for the 30-mile Delta float trip. A hiking trail out of the campground climbs the ridge for a view over the lakes.
Brushkana Creek, at milepost 104.5, has 22 units on three compacted gravel loops with fire rings and picnic tables, three double accessible vault toilets, bear-proof trash and food lockers, potable water from a hand pump, trails and a picnic shelter. BLM notes there is no cell service at the site. Both campgrounds are weather dependent at each end of the season, with Memorial Day to the first week in September the usual window.
Beyond the campgrounds, BLM requires no permit for non-commercial camping on its public land here, and limits all camping to 14 days within a 60-day period.
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Fuel, water and services
Plan the fuel before anything else. BLM states that gas is available at Cantwell and that there is no gas at Paxson, which makes the west end the place to fill up and the east end a poor place to arrive empty. Along the road itself BLM says limited services are available 20 to 55 miles apart, and warns that commercial visitor services between Paxson and Cantwell change from year to year, so check with local communities and visitor centres for current information. DOT&PF counts four lodges on the highway.
Water is what you bring or what you pump. The two BLM campgrounds have potable water from hand pumps, and BLM’s general Alaska advice is to treat anything taken from a creek or lake. There are no grocery stores, no fuel and no repair services between the ends of the road.
Do not skipTreat the 135 miles as self-supported. With limited services 20 to 55 miles apart, no gas at Paxson and unreliable phone coverage, arrive with a full tank, water, food and the means to change a tire yourself.
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Season, hazards and wildlife
The two agencies describe the season slightly differently, and both are worth knowing. BLM says the highway is generally open from mid-May to October 1, and tells travellers not to attempt the road at any other time because snowdrifts can block the way. DOT&PF says the road is maintained from mid-May to mid-September and closed throughout the winter, when snowmachines, dog mushers and others use it for winter recreation.
How it reopens says something about the country. In 2025 DOT&PF crews started work in mid-April from Cantwell and Paxson, clearing snow and thawing culverts, and met in the middle on May 5. Its advice at the opening was to use caution and reduce speed for soft spots and rough patches, to watch for maintenance crews, and to check 511.alaska.gov before travelling.
Expect weather to change the driving. DOT&PF says conditions vary with weather and time of year and may become difficult. BLM tells travellers to expect subsistence hunting and harvesting along the highway from the beginning of August until the road closes, and to watch for moose, bears and fox. Carry bear-aware habits into the campgrounds, where BLM supplies food lockers for the purpose.
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Leaving it as you found it
Inside the Tangle Lakes Archaeological District, from milepost 16 west to milepost 38, off-road vehicle travel is limited to designated roads and trails, in order to protect the archaeological record. Collection of artifacts is illegal anywhere in the district.
The rest is the ordinary discipline of a road with almost no infrastructure. There are two vault-toilet campgrounds and a handful of waysides with outhouses, at milepost 6.5, 21.5 and 55.5, and nothing else, so carry out your rubbish and deal with waste properly between them. Use the bear-proof receptacles and food lockers where BLM has provided them, and keep a clean camp where it has not.
The land either side of the road is public, and BLM asks that camping not damage it. Camp where people have camped before, keep vehicles on established routes, and leave the tundra unmarked.
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Before you go
Check Alaska 511 for road conditions, closures and seasonal weight restrictions. DOT&PF points travellers there both in its highway page and in its opening announcements, and it is the state system of record for what the road is doing.
For the land, the campgrounds and the Delta Wild and Scenic River, BLM’s Glennallen Field Office is the office to call, on 907-822-3217. It manages 4.3 million acres of public land in southcentral and southeast Alaska, including both campgrounds on this road.
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Questions people ask
Is the Denali Highway paved?
Only at the ends. BLM says it is paved for the first 21 miles west of Paxson and for three miles east of Cantwell Junction, and that the rest, more than 100 miles, is graded gravel. The maximum recommended speed is 35 mph.
When is the Denali Highway open?
BLM says it is generally open mid-May to October 1 and tells travellers not to attempt it at other times because snowdrifts can block the way. DOT&PF says it is maintained mid-May to mid-September and closed throughout the winter. Check 511.alaska.gov before you go.
Do I need four-wheel drive on the Denali Highway?
Neither agency requires it. BLM asks for a vehicle in good working order with a checked spare tire, a jack and lug wrench, and extra water and food. Many rental car companies do not allow their vehicles on the road, so check your agreement.
Where can I get fuel on the Denali Highway?
BLM says gas is available at Cantwell and that there is no gas at Paxson. Along the road, limited services are 20 to 55 miles apart and change from year to year, so fill up before you start and confirm before you go.
Where can I camp on the Denali Highway?
BLM runs the only two developed public campgrounds: Tangle Lakes at milepost 21.5, with 45 sites plus 4 walk-in, and Brushkana Creek at milepost 104.5, with 22 units. Both are first come, first served. Elsewhere on BLM land no permit is needed and camping is limited to 14 days in a 60-day period.
Is there cell service on the Denali Highway?
Coverage is limited and BLM says not to depend on a cell phone for your safety. BLM also notes there is no cell service at Brushkana Creek Campground and poor reception at Tangle Lakes.
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