State ends maintenance on the Taylor and Top of the World highways and McCarthy Road until May

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities ends regular maintenance Thursday on the Taylor and Top of the World highways, McCarthy Road and Rampart Road. The department expects maintenance to resume when crews reopen the routes in May 2027, according to its announcement.

Until then, travel on the routes is primarily limited to snowmachines, dog mushers and other recreational users with specialized equipment, the department said. It strongly discourages travel in conventional vehicles, citing "the potential for impassable conditions, the lack of emergency services, and limited to no cellular coverage." The routes are subject to accumulating snow, ice and drifting, along with washouts and soft spots caused by freeze-thaw cycles, the department said.

The 60-mile gravel McCarthy Road, built along the grade of the old Copper River and Northwestern Railway, is the only road into McCarthy and Kennicott and the gateway to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska News reported in May. The Taylor Highway is the road to Chicken and Eagle, and the Top of the World Highway branches off it toward Dawson City, Yukon.

This year the Taylor Highway and Rampart Road reopened April 9 and McCarthy Road reopened May 8, after crews started clearing snow and thawing culverts in March. A $1.25 million federal grant paid for this spring's clearing on the Taylor, Top of the World and Denali highways and about a dozen other remote routes, Alaska News reported in August.

The department ended maintenance on the Denali Highway Oct. 1 and plans to reopen it May 15, 2027.

The department tells travelers on remote roads to carry food and water, first-aid kits, seasonally appropriate clothing, spare tires and communication devices at any time of year. Conditions are posted at Alaska 511 and on the Alaska 511 app.