Originally Posted by
kingsubbu
One thing I am still unclear about is the route from Denali to Chitina - is the road that goes via Wasilla and Girdwood the Denali Highway?
fti answered your question, but I wanted to make a couple of points.
Yes, the Denali highway looks like the most direct method, but going via the Parks and Glenn highways (i.e. Denali-->Wasilla-->Palmer-->Matanuska Glacier-->Glennallen) really doesn't take any more time despite going slightly out of the way because they're good, solid, paved 55/65mph roads (excepting RV road train delays), whereas the Denali Highway is unpaved for most of its length, meaning it takes a bit longer to travel.
Also, the Parks/Glenn route doesn't go through Girdwood, which is on the opposite side of Anchorage from the route you'll take.
If you drive either the Denali Highway or the McCarthy Road, it will make the car absolutely filthy. Inside and out, doorjams, you name it. If you don't spend close to an hour cleaning the car and running it through a car wash, there is no way in the world you can hide that you drove on such roads.
Sounds like the words of experience!
