The best motorcycle roads in Alaska

The twistiest paved roads in Alaska, from Palmer-Fishhook Road in Matanuska-Susitna Borough on down. Distances, how twisty each one is and how to string them into a ride.

Straight roads are for commuting. We checked 3 named paved roads in Alaska to find the ones that twist, wind and keep you busy.

The headliners

Palmer-Fishhook Road

In Matanuska-Susitna Borough. 8.7 miles, about 15 minutes at a relaxed pace.

Twistiness: ●●○○○ Flowing and curvy

East End Road

In Kenai Peninsula Borough. 8.7 miles, about 15 minutes at a relaxed pace.

Twistiness: ●●○○○ Flowing and curvy

Old Glenn Highway

In Matanuska-Susitna Borough. 7 miles, about 10 minutes at a relaxed pace.

Twistiness: ●●○○○ Flowing and curvy

How we picked them

We looked at the shape of every named paved road in Alaska and measured how much each one bends along its length. Then we ranked them by bends per distance, so a short hairpin road and a long mountain highway are compared fairly. Gravel, tracks, residential streets and anything under about 6 miles are left out.

What this does not tell you: how nice the scenery is, how good the surface is, how busy the road gets, or whether it is closed for snow. Check before you go, especially in the mountains and in winter. Then ride it and see for yourself.

Turn it into a ride

Open the MotoRidez planner and link a few of these into a loop, or hit Surprise Me and let it pick a twisty route from wherever you are. Every ride you record is remembered, so next time it can send you down roads you have not tried yet.

Questions riders ask

What is the twistiest motorcycle road in Alaska?

Palmer-Fishhook Road in Matanuska-Susitna Borough. It is 8.7 miles long and bends more for its length than any other named paved road of that size in Alaska.

How do you work out which Alaska roads are twisty?

We measure how much each road bends along its length from its shape on the map, then rank roads by bends per distance. Gravel, tracks and residential streets are left out.

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