Beaver Creek to Anchorage: Welcome to Alaska!
After many long days of travel, the Eco Womb Tour made it to the border of Alaska!
49th state in the books!
We took some pictures at the Alaska sign, and checked out the displays before heading into the border crossing station. We made it through the checkpoint with little problems, the only issue being our tipi poles. After clarifying that they were not carrying invasive species, we were on our way again.
For the first stretch of highway between the border and Tok, AK (pronounced Toke), the terrain was hilly with lots of bumps in the road. This stretch of road is located in one of the coldest parts of the state. Temperatures can reach -45 degrees in the winter, staying below freezing for weeks at a time. The soil freezes solid, and when it melts in the spring, it shifts underneath the road, causing huge bumps and potholes.
After passing through the small town of Tok, we said goodbye to the Alaska Highway after 1,250 miles of travel and turned south on the Tok Cutoff. The Wrangell Mountains loomed in front of us, with huge snowy 16,000 foot Mt Sanford being the most prominent.
The Eco Womb takes a break.
After a quick pull off to stretch our legs, we kept moving but ran into some construction on the way. It quickly got pretty hairy as the road changed to dirt/gravel and twisted and dipped its way over the mountains.
This section of the road was a bit crazy!
At the end of the construction zone we cruised into Glennallen, a little town at the junction of the Glenn and Richardson highways. We considered stopping here for the night, but instead decided to continue driving.
As we headed west, the road began to climb up, up, up into the mountains. The day had been relatively sunny, but dark clouds now loomed and i saw lightning flash over the peaks. At the summit of Eureka Pass, it began to rain, lending a moody cast to the stunning scenery.
Headed west on the Glenn Highway, with Gunsight Mountain in the distance.
At the end of the day we landed at Grand View Cafe & RV Park, a roadside stop with great views of the Chugach Mountains. We logged 324 miles on the day, a 8-hour trek across a chunk of America’s largest state.
The next day most of us went to check out the trail at the edge of the campground. Turned out to have great views!
Views from the bluff!
We stayed an extra day for work needs, and me and my brother decided to hike up Lions Head, a nearby peak. It was a extremely steep and muddy trail, but the views from the top were worth it!
Matanuska Glacier, 27 miles long, emerges from the Chugach Mountains.
Yeah, it was definitely worth it.
Looking down at the Caribou River. The Eco Womb is parked right along that road!
The next day we packed up and headed towards Anchorage. The drive had good roads and better views!
Took a break at the Matanuska Glacier SRA(State Recreation Area) and walked a quick interpretive trail about the glacier.
The Matanuska Glacier from a different angle.
As we got closer to Anchorage, the road got up to 4 lanes. Quite a difference from the two-lane road we had driven for so long.
We arrived at Eagle River Campground, located along (where else) the raging Eagle River. The campground was quite nice, with spacious sites. However I was a bit shook to see signs warning about agressive bears, including one that had just killed a whole moose calf on the trail just outside our campsite! (We didn’t see any bears while we were there lol)
And thats that! We made it to Anchorage, and planned to spend at least a week there while exploring the city and taking care of stuff. My next blog will be about our Anchorage adventures, and where we plan to go next!
Happy Travels,
Connor Malson