Nome Extension: 3 Days 3 Roads

Since you can't drive to Nome from Anchorage, hop a flight; it's just 1 hour and 45 mins by jet. Here you can pick up your rental car and acquaint yourself with the town. You'll be spending the next 3 days on magical road trips in the surrounding countryside.

Your first drive is the Nome-Council Highway, which runs east of Nome 72 miles to the town of Council and takes 2 hours one-way without stops. Check out coastal flats, grasslands, and wide beaches (get out and beachcomb!) as you follow the Bering Sea coast. Bird-watch and see the last stop on the Iditarod, as well as the remnants of a train that’s been around for more than 100 years! While you won’t find many people in Council, you will see some old log cabins, making it fun to walk around.

Next up is the Nome-Teller Road, which travels 73 miles northwest and also takes about 2 hours one-way without stops. One cool thing about this drive: You’ll end up farther west than nearly everyone in the U.S.—just 55 miles from Russia! You’ll also be close to the ancient migration route of the Bering Strait Land Bridge. Take in the spectacular scenery and explore Teller, which used to be a boomtown but is now home to fewer than 300 people. Be sure to pick up some handcrafted Native souvenirs!

On your final full day up north, you’ll take the Nome-Taylor Road—about 85 miles long, this drive also takes around 2 hours one-way without stops. Look for old mining remnants from Gold Rush days as you cruise through the spectacular landscape, stopping for a short hike to a waterfall and at expansive Salmon Lake. You can even take a side trip to a hot springs, which makes for one of the most stunning views along the entire Nome road system.

Say goodbye to the Alaskan Arctic as you fly back today from Nome. In under 2 hours, you'll be back in Anchorage.