Seward Highway (Alaska)
127 miles (205 km), 2 hr 45 min, beginner
Photo: Frank K, CC BY 2.0, resizedMotorcycle ride in Alaska
Thompson Pass and Keystone Canyon, to Valdez (Alaska)
83 miles (133 km), 1 hr 50 min, intermediate
The Richardson Highway reaches the port of Valdez by crossing the Chugach Mountains over Thompson Pass, at about 855 m, among glaciers. Worthington Glacier, described as one of the most accessible in Alaska, can be seen from a car park along short surfaced paths, and walkers extend the stop on the Goat Trail, about 5 km there and back, above Keystone Canyon. After the pass, the road plunges into this narrow canyon, where Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls can be seen from roadside lay-bys. Parking at Worthington is charged, the weather can turn fast on the pass, and Valdez is the end of the road: plan to return the same way.
Stops along the way
- SStart: Tonsina
- 1Glacier Worthington, after 49 miles (80 km)
- 2Thompson Pass, after 53 miles (85 km)
- 3Chutes Horsetail et Bridal Veil, after 65 miles (105 km)
- 4Canyon de Keystone, after 66 miles (106 km)
- FFinish: Valdez, after 83 miles (133 km)
Download the GPXTrack and stops as a GPX file, for a sat nav or another app.
Photos along the route
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Roads change: passes close in winter, roadworks, rockfalls, local restrictions. Check the road before you set off. MotoLert does not replace road signs or the Highway Code.
Route planned by MotoLert with Valhalla on © OpenStreetMap contributors data (ODbL). Photos from Wikimedia Commons, with the author and licence under each image.