Origin
Metlakatla, AK
Late night in Metlakatla on Friday
Local time
12:14 AM
AKDT
Current temp
41°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Metlakatla, AK to Palmer, AK
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
31h 54m
Distance
1093.9 mi
1,760 km
Drive Score
4/10
Practical drive
Same Day?
4-day trip
Fuel Cost
$237
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
31h 26m
★
6 AM
31h 55m
8 AM
32h 52m
10 AM
32h 15m
12 PM
32h 9m
3 PM
32h 18m
5 PM
32h 49m
8 PM
31h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Metlakatla, AK
Wikimedia Commons
Palmer, AK
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Metlakatla, AK to Palmer, AK covers 1093.9 miles and takes about 31h 54m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 4-day road trip than as one long push.
This route mixes long travel segments with more detailed approach driving, and the overall profile is long-distance drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $237.08 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
9 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Who Is This Route For?
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 9 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31h 54m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Long-distance drive route profile.
Drive Character
At 1093.9 miles and 31h 54m of driving, this is a route where fuel stops, weather, and timing matter more than any single turn.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
How Hard Is This Drive?
At 31h 54m, this is a long-haul route where pacing matters more than any single turn. Navigation is simple, but the total wheel time makes endurance and break timing the real challenge.
Navigation is easy, but the length (31h 54m) 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 Metlakatla, AK to Palmer, AK is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Trip Plan
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.
This drive is better paced as a 4-day trip.
Plan roughly 9 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.
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.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Metlakatla, 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 Metlakatla, AK
Aim for roughly 273 miles and 8 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Keep the middle miles efficient
Aim for roughly 273 miles and 8 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 3
Keep the middle miles efficient
Aim for roughly 273 miles and 8 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 4
Finish the approach into Palmer, AK
Aim for roughly 273 miles and 8 hours of wheel time on this day.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 220 miles from Metlakatla, AK.
This route usually feels better as a 4-day drive than as one long push.
Plan about 9 real breaks rather than only quick fuel stops.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$237.08 one way
$474.17 round trip
$5.51/gal
25.4 MPG avg
383 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.79 | $249.31 | $498.63 |
| premium | $5.98 | $257.54 | $515.08 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $241.52 | $483.04 |
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$237
Hotel (3n)
$240–$420
Meals
$100–$200
Total
$577–$857
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 382.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $115 in charging · 4 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 328.2 | 4 | $114.86 | $52.51 |
| Efficient EV | 273.5 | 3 | $95.72 | $43.76 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 437.6 | 5 | $153.15 | $70.01 |
Gas CO2
383 kg
EV CO2
128 kg (67% less)
This is a long EV road trip requiring 4 charging stops. Plan your route around charger locations and allow extra time for charging.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Palmer, AK
Late night in Palmer on Friday
Local time
12:14 AM
AKDT
Current temp
24°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
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
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
17 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
31h 54m on the road
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Metlakatla, AK to Palmer, AK covers 1093.9 miles and takes about 31h 54m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Yes. This route is usually more comfortable as a 4-day drive. A sensible stopping point is after roughly 273 miles on day one.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $237.08 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour. This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Plan about 9 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, or rest. Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Navigation is easy, but the length (31h 54m) 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.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Metlakatla, AK to Palmer, AK is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Metlakatla, AK to Palmer, AK does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
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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