Trip from Meadow Lakes, AK to Wasilla, AK

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

15m

Distance

8 mi

13 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

one way

EV Charging

Fair

2 stations

Best Time to Leave

4 AM

0h 14m ★

6 AM

0h 16m

8 AM

0h 19m

10 AM

0h 17m

12 PM

0h 17m

3 PM

0h 17m

5 PM

0h 18m

8 PM

0h 15m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly

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Meadow Lakes, AK

JOHN CALLERY

Wasilla, AK

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Traveling between Meadow Lakes and Wasilla is a quick, 8-mile journey that typically takes about 15 minutes to complete. Because of the short distance, this trip is easily manageable as a single-day excursion, requiring no overnight stays. You will navigate using West Seldon Road, North Lucille Street, and Beverly Lake Road to reach your destination. With fuel costs estimated at just $2, it is an incredibly economical route to traverse within the Alaskan region. Whether you are running local errands or heading into town, this transition between the two areas is straightforward and practical for any schedule.

Main Roads

Road	Distance	Duration
West Seldon Road	3.7 mi	5m
North Lucille Street	2.2 mi	4m
Beverly Lake Road	1 mi	2m
East Parks Highway	0.3 mi	<1m
Starr Road	0.3 mi	1m
Wyoming Drive	0.3 mi	1m
Windy Bottem Road	0.2 mi	<1m
Hess Lake Road	0.1 mi	<1m

Longest stretch: West Seldon Road — 3.7 mi, about 5m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Meadow Lakes, AK and Wasilla, AK.

Start on this road

225 ft · 16 sec · this road

Continue on Hess Lake Road

0.1 mi · 35 sec · Hess Lake Road

Turn left onto Starr Road

0.3 mi · 1 min · Starr Road

Turn right onto Wyoming Drive

0.3 mi · 1 min · Wyoming Drive

Turn left onto Beverly Lake Road

1.0 mi · 2 min · Beverly Lake Road

Continue on Windy Bottem Road

0.2 mi · 16 sec · Windy Bottem Road

Turn straight onto West Seldon Road

3.7 mi · 5 min · West Seldon Road

Enter roundabout onto North Lucille Street

12 ft · 0 sec · North Lucille Street

Continue on North Lucille Street

2.2 mi · 4 min · North Lucille Street

At end of road, turn left onto AK 3

0.3 mi · 46 sec · East Parks Highway

Use the left lane.

Turn left onto Main Street

15 ft · 0 sec · Main Street

Use the left lane.

Arrive at destination

Main Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 6

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in | Starr Road

Turn left onto Starr Road

Navigation decision point

0.4 mi into trip | ~1m in | Wyoming Drive

Turn right onto Wyoming Drive

Navigation decision point

0.7 mi into trip | ~3m in | Beverly Lake Road

Turn left onto Beverly Lake Road

Navigation decision point

7.7 mi into trip | ~15m in | AK 3 / East Parks Highway

At end of road, turn left onto AK 3 / East Parks Highway

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

8 mi into trip | ~15m in | Main Street

Turn left onto Main Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.73 one way

$3.47 round trip

$5.51/gal 25.4 MPG avg 3 kg CO₂

Fuel Type	$/gal	One Way	Round Trip
midgrade	$5.79	$1.82	$3.65
premium	$5.98	$1.88	$3.77
diesel	$5.61	$1.77	$3.53

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

Estimated CO2 emission: 2.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO₂

Vehicle Type	kWh	DC Fast	Home Charge
Average EV	2.4	$0.84	$0.38
Efficient EV	2	$0.70	$0.32
EV Truck/SUV	3.2	$1.12	$0.51

Gas CO2

3 kg

EV CO2

1 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.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 13, 2026

Origin

Meadow Lakes, AK

Late night in Meadow Lakes on Tuesday

Local time

2:58 AM

AKDT

Current temp

47°F

Partly Sunny

SE 0 to 5 mph 2% chance Live forecast

Winter Weather Advisory

Winter Weather Advisory issued April 12 at 10:42PM AKDT until April 14 at 1:00AM AKDT by NWS Fairbanks AK

Winter Weather Advisory

Winter Weather Advisory issued April 12 at 10:42PM AKDT until April 14 at 4:00AM AKDT by NWS Fairbanks AK

Destination

Wasilla, AK

Late night in Wasilla on Tuesday

Local time

2:58 AM

AKDT

Current temp

46°F

Partly Sunny

0 mph 5% chance Live forecast

Winter Weather Advisory

Winter Weather Advisory issued April 12 at 10:42PM AKDT until April 14 at 1:00AM AKDT by NWS Fairbanks AK

Winter Weather Advisory

Winter Weather Advisory issued April 12 at 10:42PM AKDT until April 14 at 4:00AM AKDT by NWS Fairbanks AK

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 cooler at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

15m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

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 keeps you focused rather than lulled by highway monotony. Since this route maintains a 0% highway share, you will strictly navigate local surface roads throughout the entire 15-minute duration. The longest uninterrupted stretch you will encounter is a 3.7-mile segment on West Seldon Road. Navigating these turns requires constant attention, providing a much more hands-on experience than a standard interstate commute. You should anticipate a consistent rhythm of changing roads as you transition between these two Alaskan communities.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.

12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.

Longest single stretch: 3.7 mi on West Seldon Road.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

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 0.2 miles in near Starr Road.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 15m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Starr Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (Wyoming Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (Beverly Lake Road): Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

471 ft 341 ft

Total Climb

93 ft

Total Descent

147 ft

Highest Point

471 ft

~5.7 mi in

Elevation Range

130 ft

About the Cities

Arriving in Wasilla, AK

Full guide →

Wasilla is a city of 9,000 people (2020) in Alaska. Wasilla is the last city of significant size on the Parks Highway northward; therefore, it is a frequent stopping point if traveling by car to Denali National Park, Fairbanks or other points north. It is most famous as the home town of Alaska Governor and 2008 Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who served as mayor of the city for six years.

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 15m. Total distance: 8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

15m 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 3.7 miles on West Seldon Road. 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.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Wasilla, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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Explore more options from Meadow Lakes, AK or browse trips ending in Wasilla, AK.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse AK road trips.

Trip from Meadow Lakes, AK to Wasilla, AK

Best Time to Leave

Trip Overview

Main Roads

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Heads-up: tricky spots

Fuel & Cost

Travel Intel

Meadow Lakes, AK

Wasilla, AK

Same local time

1 degrees cooler at arrival

15m on the road

What kind of drive is this?

How Hard Is This Drive?

Elevation Profile

About the Cities

Arriving in Wasilla, AK

Who Is This Route For?

Frequently Asked Questions

Which road carries most of the drive?

Is this a good trip with kids?

Will I have cell service along this route?

Where does this route get tricky?

Can I do this as a round trip in one go?

How this page is built

Explore More

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