Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jun 3, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
10h 57m
Distance
179.4 mi
289 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$40
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Council, AK
Tima Miroshnichenko
Shishmaref, AK
Tima Miroshnichenko
Council to Shishmaref is 179.4 miles and takes about 10 hours 57 minutes via Nome-Taylor Highway and surface roads, with a fuel budget near $38 and likely requires an overnight stay. This route travels entirely within Alaska, taking you from the Council area towards the coast at Shishmaref. Expect a largely unpaved driving experience as you navigate through the region's terrain. Given the duration and road conditions, planning for a two-day trip is highly recommended to comfortably complete this drive.
Trip Pace
Best split across 2 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
3 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
89.7 miles from Council, AK
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 5h into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Nome-Taylor Highway | 106.3 mi | 6h 48m |
| Nome-Council Road | 70.8 mi | 3h 47m |
| Camp Bendeleben Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Council, AK and Shishmaref, AK.
Start on this road
Turn sharp right onto Camp Bendeleben Road
Turn left onto Nome-Council Road
Continue on Nome-Council Road
Turn right onto Nome-Taylor Highway
Turn slight left
Turn left
Arrive at destination
For this 179.4-mile drive, it's best to split it over two days. Aim to start early on your first day to cover a significant portion of the 106.3-mile stretch on the Nome-Taylor Highway. With 3 recommended stops, you can break up the drive and assess conditions. Budget around $38 for fuel, and be aware that fuel availability may be limited, so topping up whenever possible is a good idea. The surface road conditions mean you should drive cautiously, especially after any weather events.
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 39 miles or 2h 12m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 89.7 miles or 5h in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 89.7 miles or 5h
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 8h 41m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Shishmaref, AK than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Council, 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.
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Council, AK
Aim for roughly 90 miles and 5.5 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Shishmaref, AK
Aim for roughly 90 miles and 5.5 hours of wheel time on this day.
Picked by where they fit in your drive — first break, midpoint reset, final stretch.
Later in the drive, short detour
Alaska
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
4 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 178.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn sharp right onto Camp Bendeleben Road
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
Turn left onto Nome-Council Road
Navigation decision point
Turn right onto Nome-Taylor Highway
Navigation decision point
Turn left
Navigation decision point
Regular Gas
$39.78 one way
$79.56 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.95 | $42.05 | $84.11 |
| premium | $6.10 | $43.10 | $86.20 |
| diesel | $5.35 | $37.79 | $75.57 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$40
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$170–$280
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 62.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-06-01.
Driving Electric?
About $19 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 53.8 | 0 | $18.84 | $8.61 |
| Efficient EV | 44.9 | 0 | $15.70 | $7.18 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 71.8 | 0 | $25.12 | $11.48 |
Gas CO2
63 kg
EV CO2
21 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Council on Wednesday
Local time
11:05 AM
AKDT
Current temp
38°F
Partly Cloudy
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued May 31 at 9:14PM AKDT until June 2 at 8:00PM AKDT by NWS Juneau AK
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued May 31 at 2:40PM AKDT by NWS Anchorage AK
Destination
Morning in Shishmaref on Wednesday
Local time
11:05 AM
AKDT
Current temp
30°F
Mostly Clear
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued May 31 at 9:14PM AKDT until June 2 at 8:00PM AKDT by NWS Juneau AK
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued May 31 at 2:40PM 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.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
This trip features 0% highway, meaning you'll be on surface roads for the entire 179.4 miles. The longest continuous stretch without a turn is 106.3 miles on the Nome-Taylor Highway. You'll notice the change from the Nome-Council Road to Camp Bendeleben Road, transitioning to the type of surface you'll be driving on for most of this segment. The driving will feel rural, with extended periods of navigating varied road surfaces.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 4 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Camp Bendeleben Road.
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 179.4 miles you will encounter 4 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Camp Bendeleben Road): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 0.2 miles (Nome-Council Road): Navigation decision point; at 70.9 miles (Nome-Taylor Highway): Navigation decision point.
Gently rolling terrain
Total Climb
2,113 ft
Total Descent
1,714 ft
Highest Point
1,104 ft
~166.6 mi in
Elevation Range
1,104 ft
Notable High Points
Nome is a city in the Arctic region of Alaska. It is a town of about 4,000 people, about half of whom are Alaska Natives. It is the transportation and commerce center for Northwest Alaska. It is also the western terminus of the Iditarod Trail.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 3 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
10h 57m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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