The Nabesna Road is a minor highway in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...
that extends from the
Slana River to Nabesna, providing access to some interior components of
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. The entire length of the road is gravel and has few services. Flat tires and washouts are fairly common along the entire length of the road.
Route description
![Twin Lakes - DPLA - 4999d2e9031c0af046e4897dd0b3683b](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Twin_Lakes_-_DPLA_-_4999d2e9031c0af046e4897dd0b3683b.jpg)
Today, the Alaska Department of Transportation maintains the Nabesna Road and, generally, the road is passable by most two-wheel drive vehicles. However, higher clearance and/or four-wheel drive are occasionally needed beyond Mile 29 due to stream crossings. Wet conditions such as spring run-off and heavy rain can make these stream crossings impassable. The maintained portion of the road ends at
a private hunting lodge at mile 42. The last four miles (6 km) of the road are not maintained and may be deeply rutted and wet. Vehicle travel on this portion of the road is not recommended.
The
Slana Roadhouse
The Slana Roadhouse, on Nabesna Road in Slana, Alaska, in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area, is a historic site dating to 1928. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The listing included four contributing buildings ...
, a historic site dating to 1928, is located on Nabesna Road in
Slana.
Motorists may stop at the Slana Ranger Station, mile .5, to check current road conditions and to pick up a Nabesna Road Guide brochure.
History
The Nabesna Road was originally built in 1933 by the
Alaska Road Commission
The Board of Road Commissioners for Alaska, more commonly known as the Alaska Road Commission or ARC, was created in 1905 as a board of the U.S. War Department. It was responsible for the construction and improvement of many important Alaska h ...
to supply Nabesna Mine and to ship out its ore.
Major intersections
See also
*
Slana Roadhouse
The Slana Roadhouse, on Nabesna Road in Slana, Alaska, in the Valdez-Cordova Census Area, is a historic site dating to 1928. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. The listing included four contributing buildings ...
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=title,inline
Official NPS siteWorld Heritage Site
Copper River Census Area, Alaska
Gravel roads
State highways in Alaska
Transportation in Unorganized Borough, Alaska