Originally Posted by
Reindeerflame
I would expect purists about rental car contracts to have turned back upon reaching lengthy unpaved portions of the construction zone on Alaska Route 3 north of Denali Park. However, their efforts to reach Anchorage entirely via pavement on Alaska Routes 4 and 1 would also have been thwarted, due to unpaved portions in construction zones on that routing.
I agree with you about the way some car rental companies restrict driving to "no unpaved roads" which would mean not even traveling the Parks Highway or Seward Highway in spots. Some companies name specific roads that are forbidden (Avis in Fairbanks comes to mind) and when they do this, roads like the McCarthy Road are always listed.
Best to use the names of the roads, not the numbers. Only visitors use the numbers and most Alaskans have no idea which road number is which. I have no clue myself about many of them either.
In the end it is up to each person to decide their comfort level when violating the car rental contract.