Elliott Highway Connects: Fox to Manley Hot Springs, AK
Route#: Alaska Route 2
Length: 150 miles
Road Surface: 50% Paved, 50% Gravel
Season: Open all year
Map (1 detailed pdf file available):
Fox, AK to Manley Hot Springs, AK

The Elliott Highway extends 150 miles from its junction with the Steese Highway at Fox (11 miles north of Fairbanks) to Manley Hot Springs, a small settlement with a natural hot springs, near the Tanana River. The highway is open year-round and also provides access to the village of Minto, which accounts for much of the traffic on the road, and to the Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay, which—along with Livengood—creates most of the truck traffic on this route. The highway was named for Malcolm Elliott, Alaska Road Commission president from 1927 to 1932.

This is a great summer drive to a pocket of pioneer Alaska. West from its junction with the Dalton Highway, where the pavement ends, the gravel portion of the Elliott Highway travels the ridges and hills to Manley Hot Springs. In winter, check road conditions before attempting this drive; online at 511.alaska.gov.

Despite the sometimes challenging road conditions, the panoramic views make this a worthwhile drive, as does the opportunity to see wildlife and pick berries. From Fox to the Dalton Highway junction, the Elliott Highway is a series of long upgrades and downgrades, with equally long and beautiful vistas as the road winds through the White Mountains. Watch for large trucks on the Elliott Highway between Fairbanks and the Dalton Highway junction. From the Dalton Highway junction to Manley, expect narrow, winding road with some steep grades, blind hills and curves.

Communities

   

The MILEPOST® Quick Reference Log
Miles from Fox (FX) shown.

FX 0 Steese Expressway from Fairbanks ends at junction of Steese and Elliott Highways (Alaska Routes 6 and 2); Tesoro to west is a great travel stop with gas, diesel, propane and groceries. Access west to FOX (pop. 439), which was established as a mining camp before 1905, and named for nearby Fox Creek.

FX 0.2 Easy access to Northern Moosed RV Park & Campground; full hookups with 30-amp power, dump station, laundry and showers. Open May to September. Phone 907-451-0984.

FX 5.5 Hilltop Truckstop; food, gas/diesel.

FX 10.6 Turnoff for Lower Chatanika River State Recreation Site at Olnes Pond; fishing, camping.

FX 11 Chatanika River bridge.

FX 11.1 Lower Chatanika River Whitefish Campground; riverside campsites with tables and firepits.

FX 49.5 Community of JOY. Joy was named for the late Joy Griffin, who homesteaded this land with her husband, Norman “Dick” Griffin. Joy wrote a popular book, Home Sweet Homestead (now out-of-print), about her experiences.

FX 73.1 Junction with the Dalton Highway, which leads 415 miles north to Deadhorse/Prudhoe Bay. Pavement ends, gravel begins, westbound.

FX 109.3 Junction with 10.5-mile paved access road to village of MINTO (pop. 212).

FX 149.2 Junction with Tofty–Tanana Road. This 35-mile-long side road ends 6 miles upstream (and on the opposite bank) from the village of TANANA (pop. 224).

FX 149.7 Gladys Dart School National Historic Site is located on the side road here. Established in 1958, the school was named for Gladys (1924-2019), who taught there until her retirement in 1986.

FX 150 MANLEY HOT SPRINGS (pop. 127); gas, food, bar, lodging and camping at historic Manley Roadhouse (1903) (pictured below); phone 907-672-3161.