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Kayakers on a lake with mountains in Alberta
Photo Credit: Travel Alberta, Mike Seehagel
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Rockies Route

Rockies Route

Starting Location: Calgary, Alberta
Ending Location: Homer, Alaska

Best For:

  • Seeing the Canadian Rockies and traveling the entire distance of the Alaska Highway
  • Travelers starting from the mid-west and eastern United States and Canada

Top Sights:

Two people walk along the Columbia Parkway Skywalk in Alberta, Canada
COLUMBIA ICEFIELD SKYWALK, ALBERTA. Photo Credit: Travel Alberta - Pursuit Collection, Mike Seehagel

Driving the Rockies Route

The Rockies Route from Alberta to Alaska offers visitors a seemingly limitless stretch of one of the world’s most beautiful protected wild areas. Drivers can expect jaw-dropping scenery, frequent wildlife sightings, and historic communities. The route follows the Canadian Rockies, starting in Calgary, Alberta. Along the way, stops include everything from world-renowned parks like Banff and Jasper, to quirky towns and insights into the region's colorful history. The natural beauty of this region has led to its protection in a series of national and provincial parks that line the drive.

The Peace Bridge in Calgary, Alberta
CALGARY, ALBERTA. Photo Credit: Travel Alberta

The drive follows an extension of the Rocky Mountains known as the North American Cordillera (a chain of mountain rages) that provides a dramatic backdrop for much of the journey. While the Rockies officially end at the Laird River in BC, the cordillera continues all the way through the Yukon and Alaska. 

The drive from Calgary, Alberta to Dawson City, BC travels about 560 miles/900 kilometers along the beautiful Canadian Rockies with their jagged peaks, turquoise lakes, and endless recreation opportunities – including the must-see Banff and Jasper National Parks. The Rockies Route allows you to travel the entire length of the Alaska Highway, starting at the official “Mile 0” in Dawson Creek. Your Alaska Highway journey will take you through BC and the Yukon before crossing the border into Interior Alaska to end at Delta Junction, 1,387 miles/2,232 kilometers later.

A man plays golf in Banff, Alberta
BANFF, ALBERTA. Photo Credit: Travel Alberta

Once in Alaska, you can head south from Tok on the Glenn Highway, or the Richardson Highway if you drove to Delta Junction. Either way, you’ll be heading toward the towns of Glennallen and Copper Center, gateway to Wrangell St. Elias National Park – the largest national park in the United States. Your journey will continue on the scenic Glenn Highway, where you can stop for a guided glacier trek on the Matanuska Glacier, one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska. Next stop is the Mat-Su Valley, the agricultural center of Alaska, and then on to Alaska’s largest city – Anchorage – for some fantastic seafood, cultural attractions, and an extensive trail system. If you’re traveling all the way to Homer, the “Halibut capital of the world,” you’ll head south along the scenic Turnagain Arm to Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, home to world-renowned fishing and recreation opportunities.

An RV drives down the Glenn Highway in Alaska
GLENN HIGHWAY, ALASKA. Photo Credit: ATIA, Michael DeYoung

Rockies Route Highlights

Calgary, Alberta embraces its rich heritage while buzzing with art, culture, and a vibrant food scene. Less than 80 miles away, Banff National Park beckons as the gateway to the Canadian Rockies. Lake Louise—known for being both the hiking capital and the romance capital of Canada—is the jewel of the Rockies. Dazzling nature rushes by, eagles soar overhead, and wildlife such as caribou, wolves, bears, mountain goats, deer, and moose make appearances along the way.

The scenery never lets up. The Icefields Parkway in Alberta has been named one of the most stunning drives in the world by National Geographic. Jasper National Park provides a first glimpse of the spectacular glaciers along the route. The Miette Hot Springs offer relaxation surrounded by nature. Kayak lovers paddle in Muncho Lake, and Alaska’s Matanuska Glacier impresses with its neon blue ice, guided ice treks, and nearby river rafting.

The drive is also loaded with unique sites. Travelers will meet people whose ingenuity, creativity, and humor has created the personality of the north. Visit BC's Fort Nelson Heritage Museum with its unusual and eclectic collections, add your own sign to the 72,000 currently hanging in the Yukon's Watson Lake Signpost Forest, and visit the Yukon's Carcross Desert, the smallest desert in the world.

Learn more about Indigenous cultural experiences along the route.

Watson Lake Signpost Forest
WATSON LAKE SIGNPOST FOREST, YUKON. Photo Credit: Government of Yukon, Michelle Holihan

 

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Rockies Route Map

North to Alaska - Rockies Route

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