North Pole has all traveler services, including many fine restaurants, fast-food outlets, gas stations, supermarkets, pharmacies and other services. The post office is on Santa Claus Lane. Hotel North Pole, which has a special “Santa Suite” available, offers lodging year-round; it is located at the far northwest end of the North Pole Plaza parking lot; phone 907- 488-4800. North Pole has a wonderful library, located at 656 NPHS Blvd. (near the high school); phone 907-488-6101; visit https://fnsblibrary.org/np. Full-service camping at Fairbanks/Chena River KOA, located on Badger Road (turnoff a ..read more

Working in the extreme environment of the North, facing an urgent time line, a supply line of significant distance, and daily challenges to their engineering skills, crews still managed to punch a pioneer road through more than a thousand miles of wilderness in 8 months and 12 days. (©MILEPOST Archive Photo/Edwin Bonde) Construction of the “Alcan” Highway (ALCAN was the military acronym for the Alaska-Canada Highway) officially began on March 9, 1942. A massive mobilization of men and equipment took place in that first month following the executive order to build a military road to Alaska. The ..read more

Ferry travel to and within Alaska is provided by the state ferry system—the Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS)—which serves Bellingham, WA, Prince Rupert, BC, and 33 coastal Alaska communities from Ketchikan to Unalaska. The Marine Highway in Southeast Alaska follows the Inside Passage from Bellingham, WA, to Skagway, AK. The Southcentral/Southwest route serves Prince William Sound, Homer, Kodiak and the Aleutian Islands. The Inside Passage used by the Alaska Marine Highway is the protected waterway between the islands and the mainland of both British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. Queen Char ..read more

The MILEPOST® is excited to announce the winners of our 2023 photo contest. It was a joy viewing all the entries and a challenge selecting the winners. To everyone who entered, thank you for sharing your beautiful images of Alaska and western Canada. To see all the entries from the 2023 photo contest, visit https://themilepost.com/2023-photo-contest. Winners in each category—Adventure, Life on the Road, Scenic and Wildlife—will receive a copy of The MILEPOST® 2024 Edition. Congratulations to Sarah Koonce, winner of the grand prize—two Alaska Airlines tickets! We are currently accepti ..read more

Alaska’s towering mountains are part of what makes the state so beautiful. That also means Alaska’s highways sometimes have to cross some formidable terrain. This list of the ten highest highway passes in Alaska doesn’t include all of the high-elevation passes covered in the MILEPOST. For instance, Chilkat Pass, elevation 3,510 feet/1,070 meters, is on the Haines Highway just across the border in British Columbia. Summit Pass is the highest summit on the Alaska Highway with an elevation of 4,250 feet/1,295 meters, near Summit Lake, British Columbia. Mentasta Summit Elevation 2,434 feet at Mile ..read more

Whether contemplating a trip up the Alaska Highway, or already packed and ready to go, travelers ask The MILEPOST® many of the same questions each year about what to expect along this pioneer road. And no wonder there are questions: The Alaska Highway traverses a vast wilderness in a remote expanse of North America, from Mile 0 at Dawson Creek, BC, to Delta Junction, AK, at Historical Mile 1422, official end of the Alaska Highway (which is 96 driving miles from Fairbanks, the unofficial end of the highway at Historical Mile 1523). Such a trip requires planning. Following are the top ten most-f ..read more

The MILEPOST is excited to announce the winners of the 2022 photo contest. It was a joy viewing all the entries and a challenge selecting winners. To everyone who entered, thank you for sharing your beautiful images of Alaska and western Canada. Winners in each category — Adventure, Life on the Road, Scenic and Wildlife— will receive a copy of the MILEPOST 2023 Edition. Congratulations to Tyler Bryan, winner of the grand prize — two Alaska Airline Tickets with no blackout dates! Each ticket valued up to $1,250.00 GRAND PRIZE WINNER Tyler Bryan The Bucket List Shot – Glenn Highway, Alaska “Ever ..read more

Well, Shoot I tried to be a vegetarian once. I reasoned that if I couldn’t kill an animal myself, then I had no business allowing someone else to do it. The problem was that I hated vegetables (still do). Without meat or leafy greens, my diet consisted of cheese pizza, beer, and boxes of glazed donuts, much like it had in college. But I’m not in college. I’m a grown-ass woman who knows better. I lasted four months. But it did force me to examine my views on hunting. I grew up in Texas, surrounded by deer leases and guns. Over time, I heard every rationale for taking the life of an animal. I hu ..read more

An arctic miracle on hold Seth Kantner and I sat, leaning into our binoculars. The sandy knoll commanded a huge sweep of autumn-bright country—rolling tundra banded with willow and spruce, framed by the ragged, snow-dusted heave of the western Brooks Range. Working near to far, we scanned each crease and hummock, studied clumps of brush and jumbles of rock, searching the blue-tinted distance for shimmers of movement, anything that stood out or reflected light a bit differently.  This place was far more than a fine view in a landscape defined by countless others. Half a lifetime had passed ..read more

Communication is key I grew up in the Lower 48, and over the last decade, I’ve come to realize the differences between people who live in Alaska versus those who don’t. My clients, who I take on Alaska tours, also note these distinctions and point them out—usually with amusement, and other times with shock akin to having entered a foreign country with a different language and culture. Of course, these are generalizations—but indulge me for my years on the ground in the north and attempts at self-deprecating humor. You won’t find this Kodiak sign at any other Avis rental location nationwide. On ..read more