Anchorage to Homer is 222.1 miles and takes about 5h 2m via AK 1, with a fuel budget near $48 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip takes you south out of Alaska's largest city and into the Kenai Peninsula. The majority of the drive stays on AK 1, also known as the Seward Highway for a significant portion, offering a straightforward path to your destination. With a recommended one-day drive, this route is ideal if you're looking for a direct connection without needing an overnight stay.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
111.1 miles from Anchorage, AK
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 2h 21m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
AK 1
132 mi
3h 10m
Seward Highway
87.9 mi
1h 45m
Gambell Street
1.2 mi
2m
West 4th Avenue
1 mi
2m
Greatland Street
<0.1 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
AK 1
— 132 mi, about 3h 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Anchorage, AK and Homer, AK.
1
Start on this road
85 ft·8 sec·this road
2
Turn right onto West 4th Avenue
1.0 mi·2 min·West 4th Avenue
3
Turn right onto Gambell Street
1.2 mi·2 min·Gambell Street
4
Continue on AK 1
88 mi·1 hr 45 min·Seward Highway
5
Take the exit onto AK 1
132 mi·3 hr 10 min·AK 1
6
Turn left onto Greatland Street
326 ft·16 sec·Greatland Street
7
Turn left
266 ft·19 sec
8
Arrive at destination
Trip Plan
Leaving Anchorage in the morning is your best bet to maximize daylight for the 5h 2m drive. You'll want to plan for at least one stop along the way to break up the 132-mile stretch on AK 1. Keep an eye on your fuel gauge, as the estimated cost is $48 for the 222.1-mile trip, and it's wise to refuel before heading into more remote sections. Since this is a manageable one-day drive, you have flexibility to depart when you're ready and enjoy the scenery without rushing.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 111.1 miles from Anchorage, AK, or about 2h 21m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 132 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 49 miles or 1h 2m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 111.1 miles or 2h 21m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 4h 4m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Homer, AK than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
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Open the route before leaving Anchorage, AK so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Anchorage, AK
This is one driving day of about 222.1 miles and 5h 2m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 49 miles from Anchorage, AK.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on AK 1 for about 132 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 5
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 222.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip|~0m in|West 4th Avenue
Turn right onto West 4th Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
1 mi into trip|~3m in|Gambell Street
Turn right onto Gambell Street
Navigation decision point
3
90 mi into trip|~1h 51m in|AK 1
Take the exit onto AK 1
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
4
222 mi into trip|~5h 1m in|Greatland Street
Turn left onto Greatland Street
Navigation decision point
5
222.1 mi into trip|~5h 1m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$43.42 one way
$86.85 round trip
$4.97/gal25.4 MPG avg78 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$5.28
$46.15
$92.30
premium
$5.46
$47.70
$95.40
diesel
$4.80
$41.94
$83.87
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$43
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$68–$93
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 77.7 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.
Driving Electric?
About $23 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
66.6
0
$23.32
$10.66
Efficient EV
55.5
0
$19.43
$8.88
EV Truck/SUV
88.8
1
$31.09
$14.21
Gas CO2
78 kg
EV CO2
26 kg (67% less)
Plan for 0 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Forecast as of Jul 18, 2026
Origin
Anchorage, AK
Late night
in Anchorage on Sunday
Local time
12:16 AM
AKDT
Current temp
60°F
Light Rain Likely
W 0 to 10 mph58% chanceLive forecast
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued July 18 at 12:11AM AKDT by NWS Anchorage AK
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued July 17 at 9:56PM AKDT by NWS Anchorage AK
Destination
Homer, AK
Late night
in Homer on Sunday
Local time
12:16 AM
AKDT
Current temp
60°F
Light Rain Likely
SE 5 to 15 mph62% chanceLive forecast
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued July 18 at 12:11AM AKDT by NWS Anchorage AK
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued July 17 at 9:56PM AKDT by NWS Anchorage AK
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
5h 2m on the road
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
You'll spend 59% of this 222.1-mile drive on highways. The longest continuous stretch on AK 1 is 132 miles. Expect a mix of highway cruising and potentially more rural surface roads as you approach Homer. This transition from highway to surface roads is a notable change in driving conditions.
59% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
8 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 132 mi on AK 1.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West 4th Avenue.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 5h 2m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West 4th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (Gambell Street): Navigation decision point; at 90 miles (AK 1): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska, in the Southcentral region. Anchorage is a cosmopolitan port city with a population of 291 247 (2020). It is a consolidated city-borough referred to as a municipality. The urbanized city is defined by Muldoon Road to the east, Rabbit Creek Road to the south, and Cook Inlet to the north and west. Several small suburbs are within the Municipality of Anchorage while physically outside what most Anchorageites would call the "Anchorage" proper area. These include Eagle River and Chugiak to the north and Girdwood to the south.
Top landmarks
•Fort Richardson National Cemetery — United States National Cemetery in Anchorage, Alaska
•Alaska Native Heritage Center — cultural center in Anchorage, Alaska, United States
•Crow Creek Consolidated Gold Mining Company — historic gold mine near Girdwood, Alaska
See Trojan War for the ancient epics.
Homer is a city on the Kenai Peninsula in Southcentral Alaska and is long known as the "Halibut Fishing Capital of the World." It is also known as the "End of the Road". The most westerly point on the North American contiguous highway system is in nearby Anchor Point. There the road (AK 1) turns southeast and ends at the tip of the Homer Spit, a natural sandbar stretching some four miles into Kachemak Bay, at the End of the Road Park.
Top landmarks
•Pratt Museum — natural History Museum in Homer, Alaska
The longest stretch is about 132 miles on AK 1. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 3 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 1 meaningful breaks. There are 3 rest areas along the route for bathroom stops.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through AK can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West 4th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (Gambell Street): Navigation decision point; at 90 miles (AK 1): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Not recommended in a single day. At 5.0 hours each way, a round trip means 10.1 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at Homer, AK before the return drive.
