Alaska Car Rentals

Why Rent A Car?

• It’s easy. Our roads are in good condition and easy to navigate. Simple, two-lane highways connect Anchorage, Fairbanks, Denali, towns in between, and points further east and north. Read more: Current Driving Conditions, Alaska Driving Maps – Near Anchorage
• Cheaper and faster than the train. With 2 or more in your party, it can be cheaper than the train. Alaska car rentals are also faster. You’ll average 50-60 mph in a car versus 30-40 mph on the train. Read more: Average Driving Speed By Highway
• Go at your own pace. Spend more or less time where you want. Stop for photos or wildlife. Visit small towns and out of the way places. Do your own discovering. 
• It’s breathtaking and meditative. Renting a car in Alaska isn’t like highways of the Lower 48. Alaska's highways are more like thin ribbons of civilization winding through wilderness. Read more: Alaska Driving

Is Renting A Car Safe?

• Keep your headlights on at all times. Most roads are two-lane. 
• Pull over if five or more cars are trailing you; it's the law.
• Don't drive fast. If you’re like me, a wide open road can tempt you to put the pedal to the floor. I seldom do, for reasons you may not have thought of:
1. You never know when a caribou or moose will wander into the road. A 1200 pound moose coming through your windshield at 75 mph is not a pretty scene.
2. You may encounter jarring dips and bumps known as frost heaves. Hit them at high speeds and your head will slam into the ceiling. 

Can I Drive Rental Cars On Gravel Highways?

• The Denali Highway (Hwy 8), an east-west highway between Cantwell and Paxson. The gravel surface is smooth and fast. (Note: Many people think the “Denali Hwy” is the route from Anchorage to Denali. It’s not. That route is Hwy 3, the Parks Hwy, paved and fast.)
• The road from Chitina to McCarthy. The gravel surface is slow—2.5 to 3 hrs to travel 60 miles. For $200 per person round-trip, you can fly from Chitina to McCarthy with Wrangell Mt. Air. They offer 3 daily scheduled flights in summer.  
• The only Alaska car rental agency that does not have a specific clause which prohibits driving on gravel is E-Z Rental (907) 272-0639 or (907) 272-0636. However, if you break down on a gravel highway, they won’t pay to have it towed. You’re responsible to get it to a place to get it fixed. 

What’s The Speed Limit?

• Alaska Highway. Route 2 from the border to Delta Junction. 55-65 mph
• Glenn Highway. Route 1 from Anchorage to Tok. 55-65 mph, except 45 mph on Matanuska Glacier section
• Parks Highway. Route 3 from near Anchorage to Fairbanks. 60-65 mph
• Richardson Highway. Route 4 from Valdez to Delta Junction, Route 2 from Delta Junction to Fairbanks. 50-60 mph, except 45 mph in Thompson Pass section
• Seward Highway. Route 1 from Anchorage to Tern Lake, Route 9 from Tern Lake to Seward. 45-60 mph, depending on traffic
• Sterling Highway. Route 1 from Tern Lake to Homer. 50-60 mph, except 45 mph near Cooper Landing

Why Drive Alaska?

Beyond the glaciers, the magnificent waterways, and abundant sea life lies an Alaska even more rugged, more remote, and more personal. It’s Alaska on the road – the open road.

Alaska’s rugged network of highways beckons travelers into its heart. Unlike any road trip in the lower 48 states, you’ll journey into a wilderness that completely surrounds you on all sides. Rabbits, foxes, eagles, and other wildlife appear before you then fade into the landscape. Moose browse alongside creeks. Bears forage in the distant hills. Scene after scene unfolds as a movie projected onto your windshield.

Driving in Alaska is not about getting from point A to B, it’s about experiencing what’s in-between. Our best advice is simple: Take your time. Let your attention – and the steering wheel – wander.

Explore side roads that often lead to rivers where you can pull out collapsible chairs, write in your journal, contemplate the music of the river, or even have a campfire. Other roads lure you into small towns where the pace of daily life slows dramatically, especially in summer, a timeless period when light lingers pretty much around the clock. Take this opportunity to meet local characters, hear their stories and learn how the Alaskan wilderness fuels their imaginations and lives.

In Alaska, the adventure happens while you’re getting there. Step into the car and back in time, and enjoy the freedom, adventure, escape, and even self reflection offered by driving Alaska’s open roads.