# Road trips in Alaska > 4 road trips and 13 hand-picked places in Alaska, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. Source: https://camping-spirit.com/roadtrips/alaska/ 4 road trips and 13 hand-picked places in Alaska, with routes, stops and practical tips for driving and camping. ## Road trips through Alaska - [Alaska’s Seward Highway](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/seward-highway/): Turnagain Arm, Girdwood and a glacier you can walk to, on the way to Resurrection Bay. - [Alaska’s Richardson and Denali highways](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b8-richardson-denali/): From Valdez past waterfalls and a roadside glacier, along the Wrangell Mountains, then across the gravel Denali Highway to Denali National Park. - [Kenai Peninsula to Homer on the Sterling Highway](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-kenai-homer/): From Anchorage past Portage Lake and the turquoise Kenai River to salmon falls, a Russian Orthodox chapel and the end of the road at Homer Spit. - [Glenn Highway and Hatcher Pass](https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b17-glenn-hatcher/): From Anchorage to a glacial lake and a waterfall, up to a gold mine at Hatcher Pass and along the Glenn Highway past the Matanuska Glacier. ## Places worth the detour in Alaska - [Worthington Glacier](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b8-worthington-glacier/): A glacier that comes down almost to the Richardson Highway near Thompson Pass, with a short paved path to the viewpoint. - [Maclaren Summit](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b8-maclaren-summit/): At about 4,086 feet, one of the highest road passes in Alaska, on the gravel Denali Highway. Tundra, kettle lakes and the Alaska Range spread out all around. - [Denali Visitor Center](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b8-denali-visitor/): The starting point for Denali National Park, with exhibits, trails and the bus depot for the park road, which private cars can drive only for the first 15 miles. - [Russian River Falls](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-russian-river-falls/): A cascade where sockeye salmon leap upstream from late June to August, watched from a viewing platform. The trail is about 2.3 miles each way from the Russian River campground; brown bears fish here too. - [Homer Spit](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-homer-spit/): A 4.5-mile gravel spit running into Kachemak Bay, lined with a harbour, beaches and campsites. Views take in the glaciers across the bay; the end of the Sterling Highway is at the tip. - [Independence Mine State Historical Park](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-independence-mine/): The buildings of a 1930s hard-rock gold mine high in the Talkeetna Mountains below Hatcher Pass. The road from Palmer is paved to the mine; beyond it, the pass road is gravel and open only in summer. - [Matanuska Glacier](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-matanuska-glacier/): A glacier 27 miles long whose white tongue reaches the Glenn Highway valley. See it from the Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Site; walking on the ice is only possible through a private access point for a fee. - [Exit Glacier](https://camping-spirit.com/places/exit-glacier/): A glacier you can walk toward, with signs showing how far the ice has retreated. - [Wrangell-St. Elias Visitor Center](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b8-wrangell-visitor/): The main visitor center for the largest national park in the United States, with views of Mount Drum and the Wrangell volcanoes on clear days. - [Begich, Boggs Visitor Center](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-begich-boggs/): A visitor center on Portage Lake, where icebergs once drifted from Portage Glacier. The glacier has retreated out of sight, but summer boat tours reach its face; the center is open in summer. - [Ninilchik Holy Transfiguration Church](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-ninilchik-church/): A white Russian Orthodox church from 1901 on a bluff above Cook Inlet, with views of the Redoubt and Iliamna volcanoes on clear days. It is a short drive off the Sterling Highway; respect the cemetery. - [Eklutna Lake](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-eklutna-lake/): A glacial lake in Chugach State Park, 10 miles up a winding road from the Glenn Highway. A lakeside trail is open to bikes and walkers; there is a campground and a parking fee. - [Thunderbird Falls](https://camping-spirit.com/places/b17-thunderbird-falls/): A waterfall in a forested gorge reached by a trail of about a mile each way from a parking lot off the Glenn Highway near Eklutna. The easy path makes it a good first stop out of Anchorage. ## FAQs **What are the best road trips in Alaska?** Popular routes include Alaska’s Seward Highway, Alaska’s Richardson and Denali highways, Kenai Peninsula to Homer on the Sterling Highway and Glenn Highway and Hatcher Pass. CampingSpirit has 4 trip guides that pass through Alaska, each with a stop-by-stop itinerary and a route map. **Which places in Alaska are worth a detour?** Our editors recommend Worthington Glacier, Maclaren Summit, Denali Visitor Center, Russian River Falls, Homer Spit and Independence Mine State Historical Park.