Origin
Palmer, AK
Late night in Palmer on Friday
Local time
2:25 AM
AKDT
Current temp
24°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Palmer, AK to Eagle River, AK
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
28.8 mi
46 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Good
7 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 34m
★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Palmer, AK
Wikimedia Commons
Eagle River, AK
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short, 28.8-mile drive from Palmer to Eagle River in Alaska is easily manageable in about 36 minutes. It's perfect as a day trip, requiring just one day to complete. You'll primarily be on the Glenn Highway, with some transitions onto local roads like West Evergreen Avenue and Artillery Road. The estimated fuel cost for this journey is around $6. Given the minimal distance and time, you won't need an overnight stay, offering plenty of flexibility for your schedule. This route stays within the Alaska region, making for a straightforward local excursion.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 28.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a drive with a 'turn-heavy local' profile, meaning you'll navigate several intersections and changes in direction. While the longest uninterrupted stretch is a solid 27.8 miles on the Glenn Highway, the overall character involves more frequent adjustments than a pure highway cruise. There's no highway percentage to speak of, indicating it's more of a local road experience. This route will likely feel like a series of connected local journeys rather than a single, continuous highway passage.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Glenn Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 27.8 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West Evergreen Avenue.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 36m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West Evergreen Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.3 miles (AK 1 / Glenn Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 28.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
7
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Evergreen Avenue
Turn left onto West Evergreen Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
AK 1 / Glenn Highway
Turn left onto AK 1 / Glenn Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
28.1 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Take the exit toward Eagle River
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward Eagle River
4
28.4 mi into trip
|
~35m in
|
Artillery Road
Turn left onto Artillery Road
Navigation decision point
4
28.7 mi into trip
|
~36m in
|
Monte Road
Turn right onto Monte Road
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Glenn Highway | 27.8 mi | 33m |
| West Evergreen Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Artillery Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Old Glenn Highway | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| East Parks Highway | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Monte Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Artillery Rd (DETOUR) | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Colony Way | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Glenn Highway
— 27.8 mi, about 33m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Palmer, AK and Eagle River, AK.
1
Start on South Colony Way
12 ft
·
8 sec
·
South Colony Way
2
Turn left onto West Evergreen Avenue
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
West Evergreen Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Turn left onto AK 1
7.0 mi
·
10 min
·
Glenn Highway
Use the left lane.
4
Merge onto AK 3
516 ft
·
6 sec
·
East Parks Highway
5
Continue on AK 1
21 mi
·
23 min
·
Glenn Highway
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
Toward Eagle River
7
Turn left onto Artillery Road
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
Artillery Road
8
Continue on Artillery Rd (DETOUR)
362 ft
·
10 sec
·
Artillery Rd (DETOUR)
9
Continue on Old Glenn Highway
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
Old Glenn Highway
10
Turn right onto Monte Road
414 ft
·
14 sec
·
Monte Road
11
Arrive at destination
Monte Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.24 one way
$12.48 round trip
$5.51/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.79 | $6.56 | $13.13 |
| premium | $5.98 | $6.78 | $13.56 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.36 | $12.72 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.02 | $1.38 |
| Efficient EV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.52 | $1.15 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.5 | 0 | $4.03 | $1.84 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
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
Eagle River, AK
Late night in Eagle River on Friday
Local time
2:25 AM
AKDT
Current temp
41°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
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 warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
36m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Palmer, AK to Eagle River, AK covers 28.8 miles and takes about 36m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Glenn Highway, West Evergreen Avenue, Artillery Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 14.4 miles from Palmer, AK. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.24 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a straightforward 36m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West Evergreen Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.3 miles (AK 1 / Glenn Highway): Lane positioning matters here; at 28.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
The route from Palmer, AK to Eagle River, 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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