Roundtrip Anchorage Palmer Willow Anchorage
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert René Plücken (MRA Master)
Last edit: 12-02-2021
Route Summary The roads are very different from beautiful tight highways to unpaved narrow winding country roads.
There are several motorbike rental companies in Anchorage where you can choose from different types of motorbikes. These are included as POI.
Alaska is large and quite unpopulated, but you still pass a number of small towns and settlements to have something to drink and eat.
There are a number of POI included as options to visit.
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Animation
Verdict
Duration
6h 15m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
347.33 km
Countries
RouteXpert Review Just outside the city you can visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center at RP5, which shares the heritage of 11 major cultural groups in Alaska. These 11 groups are the Athabaskan, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, Unangax (Aleut), Alutiiq people, Yup'ik, Cup'ik, Siberian Yupik and Inupiaq. In the Hall of Cultures, theater and a meeting place are the home base for activities and demonstrations. Outside are six life-sized indigenous homes around Lake Tiulana.
We leave Anchorage behind and drive via the Glenn Highway AK-1 (Highway) to Eagle River where the highway leaves to cross the Old Glenn Highway to Birchwood.
At RP7 we stop to visit the Thunderbird waterfall. For this we have to walk on the 1.5 km long path to Thunderbird Falls, this path traverses a beautiful birch forest along the Eklutna River Canyon to reach a viewing deck overlooking a 6 meter high waterfall.
At RP8 you can visit a farm where reindeer are kept. You can also go horse riding here.
At RP9 in Palmer you can visit the Palmer Museum of History & Art exhibitions. They tell the story of the Palmer area, all the way from the Ahtna times to the gold rush and finally through the Matanuska colony.
Just outside Palmer at RP11 is the Musk Ox Farm, here you can learn a nice 45-minute walk along the farm under the guidance of the staff about the project history, the natural history of musk oxen and the incredible potential that these ungulates have in the Arctic. have to offer. You see frisky calves, seasoned old bulls and the largest herd of musk oxen in the world, don't forget your camera!
After a short stop at RP13 to take a photo we take the Hatcher Pass Road. The next 9 km is enjoying a wonderfully winding road through a beautiful landscape along the Little Susitna River.
At RP16 we briefly visit the Independence Mine State Historical Park, learn what it was like to live and work in one of the largest gold mine camps in Alaska. Independence Mine was once two mines: the Alaska Free Gold (Martin) Mine on Skyscraper Mountain and Independence Mine on Granite Mountain. In 1938, the two were brought together under one company, the Alaska-Pacific Consolidated Mining Company (APC). With a block of 83 mining claims, APC became the largest gold producer in the Willow Creek Mining District.
We continue on through the Hatcher Pass, which also runs through the small but beautiful Summit Lake State Recreational Park (RP18). The view is beautiful and there are opportunities to stop for a while and to take a photo.
From RP20 we take the Willows Fishhook Road along the fast-flowing river Willow Creek, this is more than 40 kilometers of enjoying the rugged nature, beautiful panoramas and a wonderfully curvy road along this small river, note that this road is not paved.
In Houston (RP22) there is the possibility to refuel and have lunch. At RP23 you can choose to shorten this route by 80 kilometers, but the long route is again a beautiful, curvy and partly unpaved route through a beautiful area with many lakes.
Whichever route you choose at RP30, they come back together for the last part back to Anchorage.
This route contains beautiful roads, a lot of beautiful nature and a number of beautiful sights to visit. I rate this route with 4 **** Stars.
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Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
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Alaska
About this region
Alaska ( Aleut: Alax̂sxax̂; Inupiaq: Alaasikaq; Alutiiq: Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: Alaskaq; Tlingit: Anáaski) is a U.S. state at the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., it borders the Canadian province of British Columbia and the territory of Yukon to the east and has a maritime border with Russia's Chukotka Autonomous Okrug to the west, just across the Bering Strait. To the north are the Chukchi and Beaufort seas of the Arctic Ocean, while the Pacific Ocean lies to the south and southwest.
Alaska is by far the largest U.S. state by area, comprising more total area than the next three largest states (Texas, California, and Montana) combined. It represents the seventh largest subnational division in the world. It is the third-least populous and the most sparsely populated state, but by far the continent's most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel, with a population of 736,081 as of 2020—more than quadruple the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland. Approximately half of Alaska's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. The state capital of Juneau is the second-largest city in the United States by area, comprising more territory than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware. The former capital of Alaska, Sitka, is the largest U.S. city by area.
Alaska was occupied by various indigenous peoples for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. The state is considered the entry point for the settlement of North America by way of the Bering land bridge. The Russians were the first Europeans to settle the area beginning in the 18th century, eventually establishing Russian America, which spanned most of the current state. The expense and difficulty of maintaining this distant possession prompted its sale to the U.S. in 1867 for US$7.2 million (equivalent to $133 million in 2020), or approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km2). The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.While it has one of the smallest state economies in the country, Alaska's per capita income is among the highest, owing to a diversified economy dominated by fishing, natural gas, and oil, all of which it has in abundance. United States armed forces bases and tourism are also a significant part of the economy; more than half the state is federally owned public land, including a multitude of national forests, national parks, and wildlife refuges.
The indigenous population of Alaska is proportionally the highest of any U.S. state, at over 15 percent. Close to two dozen native languages are spoken, and Alaskan Natives exercise considerable influence in local and state politics.
Read more on Wikipedia
Alaska is by far the largest U.S. state by area, comprising more total area than the next three largest states (Texas, California, and Montana) combined. It represents the seventh largest subnational division in the world. It is the third-least populous and the most sparsely populated state, but by far the continent's most populous territory located mostly north of the 60th parallel, with a population of 736,081 as of 2020—more than quadruple the combined populations of Northern Canada and Greenland. Approximately half of Alaska's residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. The state capital of Juneau is the second-largest city in the United States by area, comprising more territory than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware. The former capital of Alaska, Sitka, is the largest U.S. city by area.
Alaska was occupied by various indigenous peoples for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. The state is considered the entry point for the settlement of North America by way of the Bering land bridge. The Russians were the first Europeans to settle the area beginning in the 18th century, eventually establishing Russian America, which spanned most of the current state. The expense and difficulty of maintaining this distant possession prompted its sale to the U.S. in 1867 for US$7.2 million (equivalent to $133 million in 2020), or approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km2). The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959.While it has one of the smallest state economies in the country, Alaska's per capita income is among the highest, owing to a diversified economy dominated by fishing, natural gas, and oil, all of which it has in abundance. United States armed forces bases and tourism are also a significant part of the economy; more than half the state is federally owned public land, including a multitude of national forests, national parks, and wildlife refuges.
The indigenous population of Alaska is proportionally the highest of any U.S. state, at over 15 percent. Close to two dozen native languages are spoken, and Alaskan Natives exercise considerable influence in local and state politics.
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