Drive the Parks Highway from Anchorage to Fairbanks, Alaska
From gargantuan cabbage to reindeer yoga, this road trip serves up Alaska’s wildest—and most unexpected—summer delights.
Alaska’s vast, untamed wilderness shines especially bright in the summer. Days stretch long into the night, with some places basking in months of endless sunlight. Green aspens glimmer past the horizon. Fields flush violet with lupines and bellflowers, and exceptionally sweet berries ripen for picking. Strike out from Anchorage toward Fairbanks to discover the season’s wild bounty. Between the state’s two most populous cities lies Denali National Park and Preserve, with its promise of a combined 6 million rugged acres. Along the way, keep an eye out for burly bears foraging in the bushes, gawky moose munching on pondweed, and caribou herds grazing on willows.
Anchorage to Palmer
Anchorage spreads out from Alaska’s southcentral coast, where the Dena’ina Athabascan people have lived for over a millennium. Explore Native culture, past and present, at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. During the daily demonstrations of Alaska Native games, see the jumps hunters once used to signal to their village if they were returning home with a whale or caribou. The mind-boggling feats of strength include the two-foot high kick, where athletes jackknife both legs into the air to try to kick a suspended sealskin ball. Outside, stand next to the massive jawbones of a bowhead whale to get a sense of just how much a successful hunt could yield.
Score your own sustenance at one of several restaurants putting local ingredients to delicious use. Start your day with a red king crab omelette or Benedict at Snow City Cafe, a cheery downtown favorite. For lunch, settle into a booth or outdoor table at the cozy-cute Spenard Roadhouse, where the local spin on jambalaya includes Alaska salmon, reindeer sausage, and wild-caught shrimp. On the rooftop patio at 49th State Brewing, soak up the late summer light and shimmering Cook Inlet views while sipping a seasonal IPA featuring Sitka spruce tips.
Head north on Glenn Highway for about 43 miles to the agricultural hub of Palmer in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley (or the Mat-Su). The midnight sun has helped grow some gargantuan vegetables here, including a 63-pound celery, a 97-pound kohlrabi, and a world record–setting 138-pound cabbage. Gawk at this year’s colossal crop at the Alaska State Fair (Aug. 21–Sept. 7), and look out for the cabbage fairies, a group of women dressed in leafy layers of lace and tulle who preside over the weigh-offs. The extra sunshine also helps plants pack on the sugar: Visit the Bushes Bunches’ booth to chomp on remarkably sweet carrots.
For some outsize cuteness, nuzzle baby goats, bunnies, and mini Highland cows at the fair’s petting zoo. Then, motor over to the Musk Ox Farm (about 5 miles away) to stroke sumptuous hats and scarves woven from the herd’s downy underwool, or qiviut—one of the warmest and finest natural fibers. As you tromp through the pasture on a guided tour, you’ll meet Fenugreek, Wasabi, Cayenne, and other spicily named herd members and learn about how the warming climate is impacting these shaggy-haired survivors of the last ice age.
Pop into Poppy Lane downtown to gear up for cooler mountain temperatures ahead. Pick up cashmere-blend beanies, hoodies printed with alpine forget-me-nots, and sun shirts in vibrant patterns inspired by Alaska’s colorful wilderness—from rainbow trout to the aurora borealis.
On your way out of town, grab a tasty treat at Lekker Coffee and Baking Co. Favorites include sweet bao buns stuffed with local raspberries and lattes with house-made cardamom vanilla syrup. The whimsical mountain mural inside is worth a visit on its own.
Palmer to Denali National Park
The 3.5-hour drive north on Parks Highway to Denali National Park and Preserve meanders past black spruce forests, ponds populated by trumpeter swans, and meadows ablaze with magenta fireweed. As you approach the park, the Talkeetna Mountains give way to the Alaska Range and its celebrated summit, Mount McKinley. With a greater base-to-peak rise than Mount Everest, the mountain is massive and moody—only sporadically emerging from its own tempestuous weather.
Denali Park Road offers multiple chances to catch a glimpse of the elusive giant. Drive to Savage River to sample both the stunning scenery and the wild blueberries that thrive in the late-summer tundra. Or follow the road deeper into the wilderness on a bus tour. Your chances of spotting the park’s big five—grizzly bears, moose, caribou, Dall sheep, and wolves—increase the farther you go.
Near the museum-like visitor center, get out and hike through the boreal forest on the 2-mile Horseshoe Lake Trail. You might see moose wading in the water and beavers working on their dams. For a guaranteed animal encounter, visit the sled dog kennels to meet the Alaskan huskies that rangers rely on to guide them through winter whiteouts.
About 8 miles outside the park at Husky Homestead, cuddle pups that may grow up to be Iditarod winners: Owner Jeff King has won the famous sled dog race four times.
Denali National Park to Fairbanks
Continue on Parks Highway for 2.5 hours northeast to Fairbanks, and the Alaska Range slowly recedes in the rearview as the road flattens into the forested Tanana Valley. The former trading post, gold-rush site, and oil boom town is also where the state’s now-flourishing peony export business first bloomed. (Turns out, Alaska’s summers foster bigger, brighter flowers too.) At the Tanana Valley Farmers Market, peruse blossoms in hues ranging from blush to raspberry red, and pick up a jar of peony jelly to bring their sweet floral notes home.
About 12 miles northwest of town, wind down your journey with a walk through a birch forest with Buttercup, Margarita, and the rest of the herd at Running Reindeer Ranch. During the ranch’s yoga classes, you can flow through your asanas while adult and baby reindeer wander between the mats. If you get lucky, you might get to rest in Savasana while one snores next to you.