6 Fantastic Fall Road Trips

A road trip with my husband from Fairbanks, Alaska, down through the Kenai Peninsula and on to Anchorage in late August 2017 changed my life in ways I could never have imagined. It fostered a love for a place so different from the rest of the U.S. and so far away from home. Although my husband had traveled to Alaska several times before, it was my first trip to the state known as The Great Land. During our 10-day adventure, I was overcome by the boundless beauty and wilderness. We drove along extensive stretches of nearly empty roads, flew across remote lands and stopped at almost every turn to take photos.

I had never seen fall’s brilliant colors, which show up in mid- to late-August in Alaska, set against rugged mountainous landscapes like these — some still snow-capped from the previous winter. A kaleidoscope of colors was painted across the valleys and tundra, from yellows and golds to reds and purples. I also learned that a fall trip to Alaska brings much more than autumn colors and a brisk chill in the air. We discovered the rapid change in seasons from summer to fall with early closures of major attractions, lodges and outfitters, visiting them on the last few days of their summer season. We also had the opportunity to view the northern lights, one of the highlights of our trip.

In the early morning hours in Fairbanks and in the small village of Copper Center, we were treated to magical displays of the aurora borealis dancing across the clear night sky. It was early in the aurora season in Fairbanks, which extends from Aug. 21 to April, but the stars seemed to align for us to witness the phenomena for the first time during our last night in Fairbanks and again as we headed toward Anchorage.

In Alaska, “road trips” frequently involve bush planes, helicopters, ferries or boats to reach remote destinations, as most of the state’s communities (approximately 80 percent) are inaccessible by road. From Copper Center, we flew by small plane to the small village of McCarthy, located outside of Kennicott.

We were mesmerized by the scenery during the flight as we flew through the mountains and over glaciers into Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve, the largest national park in the U.S., to visit the Kennicott Glacier Lodge. Hiking the Root Glacier, one of the few that are easily accessible in Alaska, was another first as we strapped on crampons (traction devices you attach to your hiking boots to walk on ice and snow) and set out for a 4-mile round-trip hike to see the eerily blue ice caverns. I also explored the Kennecott Copper Mine, which ceased operations in 1938, and became a National Historic Landmark in 1986.

The Alaska Marine Highway from Valdez to Whittier was another off-road side trip, taking the ferry ride aboard MV Aurora with the car across the rainy, foggy and very choppy Prince William Sound. While not a perfect sunny fall day, we were still able to view some of the marine life, including a few whales, sea otters and Steller’s sea lions perched along the rocky coastline. After disembarking, we hit our last stretch of roadway by car from Whittier, which afforded impressive views of the Chugach Mountains and Turnagain Arm along the Seward Highway en route to Anchorage.

My road trip to Alaska in 2017 inspired a fascination with and love for the state, resulting in many return trips during every season throughout the last eight years. After these visits and gaining an appreciation for this special place, I can see myself living there — and have an undeniable connection to this great land, its natural beauty and the people who call Alaska home.

Gwen Pratesi is a James Beard Award finalist in journalism and an award-winning travel journalist based in Florida. Her work appears in many publications, including U.S. News & World Report, The Points Guy, Cruise Critic, Travel + Leisure, Garden & Gun, Frommer’s and others.