Alaska Route 7

Route 7, or AK-7 as the locals begrudgingly call it, is less a highway and more a collection of disconnected asphalt whispers across the Alaska Panhandle . It’s maintained by the Alaska DOT&PF , which, let’s be honest, probably has better things to do, like contemplating the existential dread of potholes. The total length is a rather ambitious 144.62 miles, though this figure is somewhat misleading, as it’s scattered across four distinct sections. Think of it as a road that’s been broken up and distributed like party favors.

The “highway” is comprised of several segments, each with its own peculiar charm: the South Tongass Highway and North Tongass Highway near Ketchikan ; the Mitkof Highway and Nordic Drive serving Petersburg ; the rather grandly named Egan Drive and Glacier Highway around Juneau ; and finally, the Haines Highway , which valiantly attempts to connect Haines to the civilized world, or at least the Canadian border. There’s also mention of Old Glacier Highway , which is apparently “Out the road,” a phrase that conjures images of forgotten dreams and questionable survival skills.

The Alaska Marine Highway plays a crucial role here, acting as the glue that attempts to hold these fragmented pieces together. Ferries, those majestic, lumbering vessels, dock in the connected cities, offering a watery reprieve from the terrestrial disappointments. However, the ports aren’t always conveniently located at the end of each segment, leading to a delightful abundance of dead ends. It’s a system designed for efficiency, I suppose, if your definition of efficiency involves a lot of backtracking and existential contemplation at the edge of the world.

Route description

This section, according to the Federal Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices supplement for Alaska, is a masterpiece of bureaucratic nomenclature. AK-7, from south to north, snakes through:

• The South Tongass Highway and North Tongass Highway in Ketchikan . This is the southernmost segment, a 37.1-mile stretch that begins at a dead end near Ketchikan and reaches its northern limit at another dead end in Ward Cove . Within Ketchikan itself, it morphs through various street names – Tongass Avenue, Water Street, Front Street, Mill Street, and Stedman Street – before reclaiming its highway moniker. The ferry, of course, stops in Ketchikan, because that’s how you get to places that are otherwise inaccessible by road.

• Nordic Drive and Mitkof Highway around Petersburg . This section is 34.21 miles long, originating at a dead end on Mitkof Island and terminating at Sandy Beach Road in Petersburg. Petersburg, naturally, boasts its own ferry terminal, because why wouldn’t it?

• Glacier Highway and Egan Drive in Juneau . This is the longest continuous piece, spanning 39.01 miles. It starts at Franklin Street in downtown Juneau and marches north, traversing the Juneau-Douglas Bridge and eventually reaching a dead end near Berners Bay . The Juneau International Airport is conveniently located along this route, and the ferry docks at Auke Bay. There were once grand plans to extend this north of Berners Bay, a phantom called the Lynn Canal Highway , but the state’s budget woes, a tale as old as time, have put that on indefinite hold. It’s a shame, really. Imagine the possibilities.

• The Haines Highway . This 39.7-mile segment begins on Front Street in Haines , another port of call for the Alaska Marine Highway , and heads northwest. It’s the road that actually goes somewhere, culminating at the Dalton Cache–Pleasant Camp Border Crossing near Mosquito Lake . From there, it seamlessly transitions into Hwy 3 in British Columbia , eventually linking up with the Alaska Highway at Haines Junction in the Yukon Territory . It’s the closest AK-7 gets to feeling like a real highway.

Major intersections

The following table attempts to map out the chaos, though “intersection” feels like a generous term for some of these connections.

| Borough | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes