Origin
Sitka, AK
Late night in Sitka on Friday
Local time
1:50 AM
AKDT
Current temp
38°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Sitka, AK to Metlakatla, AK
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
18h 36m
Distance
458.7 mi
738 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
3-day trip
Fuel Cost
$99
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
18h 19m
★
6 AM
18h 36m
8 AM
19h 10m
10 AM
18h 48m
12 PM
18h 44m
3 PM
18h 50m
5 PM
19h 8m
8 PM
18h 26m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Sitka, AK
Wikimedia Commons
Metlakatla, AK
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Sitka, AK to Metlakatla, AK covers 458.7 miles and takes about 18h 36m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 3-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on Sawmill Creek Road, Halibut Point Road, Alaska Marine Highway - Sitka-Juneau for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $99.42 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Best split across 3 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
5 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
229.4 miles from Sitka, AK
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 9h 18m into the drive .
Who Is This Route For?
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 5 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
18h 36m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 18h 36m drive with frequent turns across 458.7 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 19 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Sawmill Creek Road is one of the defining roads on this drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is simple, but the total wheel time makes endurance and break timing the real challenge.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
Navigation is easy, but the length (18h 36m) 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 Sitka, AK to Metlakatla, AK is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Sawmill Creek Road | — | — |
| Halibut Point Road | — | — |
| Alaska Marine Highway - Sitka-Juneau | — | — |
| Alaska Marine Highway - Ketchikan ↔ Juneau | — | — |
| Main Berth Ramp | — | — |
| Ketchikan Ferry Terminal Road | — | — |
| Tongass Avenue | — | — |
| Alaska Marine Highway - Ketchikan ↔ Metlakatla | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Sawmill Creek Road
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Sitka, AK and Metlakatla, AK.
1
Start on Baranof Street
220 ft
·
15 sec
·
Baranof Street
2
Turn left onto Sawmill Creek Road
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
Sawmill Creek Road
3
Enter the roundabout and take exit 2 toward Halibut Point Road
59 ft
·
1 sec
·
Halibut Point Road
4
Exit the roundabout onto Halibut Point Road
6.6 mi
·
11 min
·
Halibut Point Road
5
Turn left
0.1 mi
·
48 sec
6
Turn straight onto Alaska Marine Highway - Sitka-Juneau
154 mi
·
9 hr 30 min
·
Alaska Marine Highway - Sitka-Juneau
7
Turn sharp right onto Alaska Marine Highway - Ketchikan ↔ Juneau
277 mi
·
8 hr
·
Alaska Marine Highway - Ketchikan ↔ Juneau
8
Continue on Main Berth Ramp
197 ft
·
34 sec
·
Main Berth Ramp
9
Continue on Ketchikan Ferry Terminal Road
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
Ketchikan Ferry Terminal Road
10
At the end of the road, turn right onto Tongass Avenue
226 ft
·
7 sec
·
Tongass Avenue
11
Turn right
128 ft
·
9 sec
12
Turn left
180 ft
·
6 sec
13
At the end of the road, turn right
335 ft
·
34 sec
14
Turn straight onto Alaska Marine Highway - Ketchikan ↔ Metlakatla
19 mi
·
44 min
·
Alaska Marine Highway - Ketchikan ↔ Metlakatla
15
Continue on Ferry Terminal Roas
459 ft
·
37 sec
·
Ferry Terminal Roas
16
Turn right onto Walden Point Road
1.1 mi
·
4 min
·
Walden Point Road
17
Continue on Tait Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Tait Street
18
Turn left onto 4th Avenue
174 ft
·
8 sec
·
4th Avenue
19
Arrive at your destination
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 3-day trip.
Plan roughly 5 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 229.4 miles from Sitka, AK, or about 9h 18m into the drive.
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 101 miles or 4h 5m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 229.4 miles or 9h 18m 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 152.9 miles or 6h 12m
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 16h 10m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Metlakatla, AK than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Sitka, 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 3-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Sitka, AK
Aim for roughly 153 miles and 6.2 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Keep the middle miles efficient
Aim for roughly 153 miles and 6.2 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 3
Finish the approach into Metlakatla, AK
Aim for roughly 153 miles and 6.2 hours of wheel time on this day.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 101 miles from Sitka, AK.
This route usually feels better as a 3-day drive than as one long push.
Plan about 5 real breaks rather than only quick fuel stops.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 229.4 mi from Sitka, AK · 9h 18m into the drive
Mid-route town
Overnight candidate
229 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 Port Alexander, AKOvernight Options
Night 1
153 mi · about 6.2h in
A practical overnight split lands near Port Alexander, AK after about 153 miles or 6.2 hours of driving.
Find hotelsNight 2
306 mi · about 12.4h in
A practical overnight split lands near Juneau, AK after about 306 miles or 12.4 hours of driving.
Find hotelsPacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 101 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 229.4 miles from Sitka, 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 153 miles or 6.2 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.
Arriving in Metlakatla, AK
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.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$99.42 one way
$198.83 round trip
$5.51/gal
25.4 MPG avg
161 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.79 | $104.54 | $209.09 |
| premium | $5.98 | $107.99 | $215.99 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $101.28 | $202.55 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$99
Hotel (2n)
$160–$280
Meals
$75–$150
Total
$334–$529
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 160.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $48 in charging · 1 stop · 66% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 137.6 | 1 | $48.16 | $22.02 |
| Efficient EV | 114.7 | 1 | $40.14 | $18.35 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 183.5 | 2 | $64.22 | $29.36 |
Gas CO2
160 kg
EV CO2
54 kg (66% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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
Metlakatla, AK
Late night in Metlakatla on Friday
Local time
1:50 AM
AKDT
Current temp
41°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
3 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
18h 36m 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 Sitka, AK to Metlakatla, AK covers 458.7 miles and takes about 18h 36m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Sawmill Creek Road, Halibut Point Road, Alaska Marine Highway - Sitka-Juneau. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Yes. This route is usually more comfortable as a 3-day drive. A sensible stopping point is after roughly 153 miles on day one.
The midpoint is about 229.4 miles from Sitka, AK. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $99.42 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 5 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 (18h 36m) 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 Sitka, AK to Metlakatla, AK is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Sitka, AK to Metlakatla, 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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