Origin
Girdwood, AK
Evening in Girdwood on Saturday
Local time
6:47 PM
AKDT
Current temp
26°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Girdwood, AK to Anchorage, AK
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
51m
Distance
38.5 mi
62 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 48m
★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 0m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 54m
3 PM
0h 55m
5 PM
1h 0m
8 PM
0h 49m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Girdwood, AK
Wikimedia Commons
Anchorage, AK
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are traveling between Girdwood and Anchorage, you are looking at a quick 38.5-mile journey that typically takes about 51 minutes. This route is perfectly suited for a single-day trip, as it connects two points within Alaska without requiring an overnight stay. You will primarily navigate via the Seward Highway before transitioning onto A Street and West 9th Avenue as you enter the city. Budgeting roughly $8 for fuel should comfortably cover your transit costs for this short run. Because the distance is so manageable, you have the flexibility to plan your departure around your own schedule rather than rushing to beat the clock.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Seward Highway | 35.7 mi | 44m |
| A Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| West 9th Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| East Fireweed Lane | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| I Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Dawson Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Gold Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Seward Highway
— 35.7 mi, about 44m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Girdwood, AK and Anchorage, AK.
1
Start on Dawson Street
432 ft
·
21 sec
·
Dawson Street
2
Turn right onto Gold Street
326 ft
·
19 sec
·
Gold Street
3
Turn left onto Main Street
505 ft
·
24 sec
·
Main Street
4
Turn right onto AK 1
36 mi
·
44 min
·
Seward Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Turn left onto East Fireweed Lane
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
East Fireweed Lane
6
Turn right onto A Street
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
A Street
7
Turn left onto West 9th Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
West 9th Avenue
8
Turn right onto I Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
I Street
9
Turn left onto West 4th Avenue
120 ft
·
9 sec
·
West 4th Avenue
10
Turn left
85 ft
·
6 sec
11
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 38.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Gold Street
Turn right onto Gold Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Main Street
Turn left onto Main Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
AK 1 / Seward Highway
Turn right onto AK 1 / Seward Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
37.5 mi into trip
|
~49m in
|
West 9th Avenue
Turn left onto West 9th Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
38.4 mi into trip
|
~51m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.34 one way
$16.69 round trip
$5.51/gal
25.4 MPG avg
14 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.79 | $8.77 | $17.55 |
| premium | $5.98 | $9.06 | $18.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.50 | $17.00 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 62% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.5 | 0 | $4.04 | $1.85 |
| Efficient EV | 9.6 | 0 | $3.37 | $1.54 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15.4 | 0 | $5.39 | $2.46 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (62% 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.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Anchorage, AK
Evening in Anchorage on Saturday
Local time
6:47 PM
AKDT
Current temp
27°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
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
1 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
51m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention behind the wheel. While the majority of your time is spent on the Seward Highway—which accounts for your longest uninterrupted stretch of 35.7 miles—the remainder of the trip involves navigating local streets. The transition from the open highway to the urban layout of Anchorage creates a distinct shift in driving dynamics. Since the route does not involve a significant highway-heavy grind, you will find the pace changes once you leave the Seward corridor. Staying alert for these shifts in road type is key to a smooth arrival.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 35.7 mi on Seward Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Gold Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 51m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Gold Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (AK 1 / Seward Highway): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Anchorage, AK
Full guide →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.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 51m. Total distance: 38.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
51m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 35.7 miles on Seward Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
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: at 0.1 miles (Gold Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (AK 1 / Seward Highway): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Anchorage, AK before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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