Origin
Eagle River, AK
Late night in Eagle River on Friday
Local time
12:17 AM
AKDT
Current temp
41°F
Unavailable
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
49h 32m
Distance
968.6 mi
1,559 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
4-day trip
Fuel Cost
$210
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Eagle River, AK
Wikimedia Commons
Metlakatla, AK
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Eagle River, AK to Metlakatla, AK covers 968.6 miles and takes about 49h 32m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 4-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on Old Glenn Highway, Artillery Road, Glenn Highway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is long-distance drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $209.93 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Best split across 4 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
14 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
484.3 miles from Eagle River, AK
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 24h 46m into the drive .
Solo Traveler
49h 32m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
Scenic Drive
Long-distance drive route profile.
At 968.6 miles and 49h 32m of driving, this is a route where fuel stops, weather, and timing matter more than any single turn. The main roads are Old Glenn Highway and Artillery Road.
At 49h 32m, this is a long-haul route where pacing matters more than any single turn. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
Navigation is easy, but the length (49h 32m) means fatigue is the real challenge. The route is 0% highway with very few tricky spots, so this is more about pacing than navigation skill.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Eagle River, AK to Metlakatla, AK is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Old Glenn Highway | — | — |
| Artillery Road | — | — |
| Glenn Highway | — | — |
| East 5th Avenue | — | — |
| Gambell Street | — | — |
| Seward Highway | — | — |
| Portage Glacier Road | — | — |
| Portage Glacier Highway | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Step-by-step road directions between Eagle River, AK and Metlakatla, AK.
Start on Monte Road
At the end of the road, turn left onto Old Glenn Highway
Continue on Artillery Road
Take the ramp slight right
Merge slight left onto Glenn Highway
Continue on East 5th Avenue
Turn left onto Gambell Street
Continue on Seward Highway
Turn left onto Portage Glacier Road
Continue on Portage Glacier Highway
Continue on West Camp Road
Turn right
Turn left
Turn straight onto Alaska Marine Highway - Whittier-Yakutat
Turn sharp right onto Alaska Marine Highway - Juneau-Yakutat
Turn sharp right onto Alaska Marine Highway - Ketchikan ↔ Juneau
Continue on Main Berth Ramp
Continue on Ketchikan Ferry Terminal Road
At the end of the road, turn right onto Tongass Avenue
Turn right
Turn left
At the end of the road, turn right
Turn straight onto Alaska Marine Highway - Ketchikan ↔ Metlakatla
Continue on Ferry Terminal Roas
Turn right onto Walden Point Road
Continue on Tait Street
Turn left onto 4th Avenue
Arrive at your destination
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 213 miles or 10h 53m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 484.3 miles or 24h 46m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 242.1 miles or 12h 23m
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 46h 28m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Metlakatla, AK than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Eagle River, AK so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Treat this as a 4-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Eagle River, AK
Aim for roughly 242 miles and 12.4 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Keep the middle miles efficient
Aim for roughly 242 miles and 12.4 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 3
Keep the middle miles efficient
Aim for roughly 242 miles and 12.4 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 4
Finish the approach into Metlakatla, AK
Aim for roughly 242 miles and 12.4 hours of wheel time on this day.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 484.3 mi from Eagle River, AK · 24h 46m into the drive
First major stop
Coffee and fuel
320 mi into the route
Best for: Coffee, fuel, and an easy first stretch
This is a natural early stop once the first hours of the drive are behind you.
Second major stop
Overnight candidate
639 mi into the route
Best for: Hotel check-in, dinner, and a fresh start
This lines up well with a realistic day-end stop if you are breaking the drive into stages.
Find hotels in Palmer, AKNight 1
242 mi · about 12.4h in
A practical overnight split lands near Anchorage, AK after about 242 miles or 12.4 hours of driving.
Find hotelsNight 2
484 mi · about 24.8h in
A practical overnight split lands near Anchorage, AK after about 484 miles or 24.8 hours of driving.
Find hotelsNight 3
726 mi · about 37.2h in
A practical overnight split lands near Bear Creek, AK after about 726 miles or 37.2 hours of driving.
Find hotelsA short stop after about 213 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 484.3 miles from Eagle River, AK, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Overnight split
Hotel stopFor a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 242 miles or 12.4 hours on the road.
Final-third reset
Rest stopPlan one more short stretch-and-water break in the final third of the drive so the last arrival window feels easier.
The final approach into Metlakatla, AK usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Metlakatla, AK.
On a multi-day trip, keep the last day a little lighter so you reach Metlakatla, AK with some flexibility left in the schedule.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Regular Gas
$209.93 one way
$419.85 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.79 | $220.76 | $441.51 |
| premium | $5.98 | $228.04 | $456.08 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $213.85 | $427.71 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$210
Hotel (3n)
$240–$420
Meals
$100–$200
Total
$550–$830
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 338.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $102 in charging · 3 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 290.6 | 3 | $101.70 | $46.49 |
| Efficient EV | 242.2 | 2 | $84.75 | $38.74 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 387.4 | 4 | $135.60 | $61.99 |
Gas CO2
339 kg
EV CO2
113 kg (67% less)
Plan for 3 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Eagle River on Friday
Local time
12:17 AM
AKDT
Current temp
41°F
Unavailable
Destination
Late night in Metlakatla on Friday
Local time
12:17 AM
AKDT
Current temp
41°F
Unavailable
24°F
Palmer, AK
639 mi in
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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