Steese Highway, The Road That Has it All
Steese Highway is a very scenic drive with unforgettable sites, vistas and natural wonders, located in the U.S. state of Alaska running from Fairbanks to Circle.
How long is the Steese Highway?
The road, also known as the Steese Expressway, is 156 miles (251 km) long running northeast from the city of Fairbanks to Circle, a a small town on the Yukon River, 50 miles south of the Arctic Circle. It’s named for U.S. Army General James G. Steese, a former president of the Alaska Road Commission.
Is the Steese Highway paved?
The road, numbered Alaska Route 6 and Alaska Route 2, features both paved and gravel stretches. The first 81 miles (130 km) of the route are paved and the remainder is a good gravel road. The roadway was completed in 1927.
Is the Steese Highway open?
The road tops out at 1.113m (3,652ft) above the sea level, at Eagle Summit. It’s open all year round. Much of the road is narrow and winding. The highway passes through a variety of habitats, from the river bottom forest land of the Chatanika River to the higher-elevation alpine-tundra around Twelvemile and Eagle summits.