Payless Car Rental
Alaska

After collecting your luggage at baggage claim, look for signs directing you to the airport's Rental Car Center. Ted Stevens International Airport operates a convenient and frequent shuttle service that transports travelers between the terminal and the rental facility. The shuttle pickup points are clearly marked just outside the baggage claim area. The ride is short, and the shuttle will drop you off directly at the building where the Payless service counter is located.

You can expect a smooth process even with a late-night arrival at ANC. The airport's rental car shuttle service is synchronized with flight schedules and continues to operate to accommodate all passengers, including those on the last flights of the evening. The Rental Car Center is well-lit and designed for 24/7 access. The procedure for picking up your vehicle remains the same, ensuring you can get on your way to your accommodations without any issues.

The safest and easiest approach is to set up your navigation while you are still parked in the rental lot. Before pulling out, mount your smartphone securely and input your first destination, such as your hotel. It's also highly recommended to download offline maps for the Anchorage area and any planned travel routes through your preferred navigation app. Cell service can be unreliable in some parts of Alaska, and having offline maps ensures you'll have guidance even without a signal.

The drive from Anchorage International Airport to the downtown area is typically about 15 to 20 minutes in light traffic. However, if you arrive during the afternoon rush hour, you should plan for the trip to take closer to 30 or even 40 minutes. The main congestion occurs on International Airport Road and Minnesota Drive as you get closer to the city center. Checking a real-time traffic app upon landing can give you the most accurate travel time estimate.

For a simple drive to Midtown, take International Airport Road eastbound from the airport. This road will naturally curve and become Minnesota Drive. Continue heading north on Minnesota Drive, which is a major artery through the city. You can then make a right turn onto either Benson Boulevard or Northern Lights Boulevard, two primary east-west streets that run through the heart of the Midtown business and hotel district. This route is direct and avoids the more complex highway interchanges near downtown.

A frequent point of confusion for visitors is navigating the junction of the Seward Highway and the Glenn Highway shortly after leaving the airport area. When heading toward downtown Anchorage or north to areas like the Mat-Su Valley, you need to follow signs for AK-1 North, which becomes the Glenn Highway. It's easy to accidentally continue onto AK-1 South (the Seward Highway), so pay close attention to the large overhead signs to ensure you're on the correct path.

To enjoy a less crowded drive with spectacular views, plan your trip to Girdwood for mid-morning or early afternoon on a weekday. This helps you avoid the morning and evening commuter traffic between Anchorage and the Turnagain Arm communities. The lighting during these times is also excellent for photography along the scenic Seward Highway. Driving outside of peak hours allows for a more relaxed pace, making it easier to stop at the numerous pullouts.

The drive to Seward is dotted with excellent places to stop and stretch. Girdwood is a popular early stop, offering cafes, restaurants, and restrooms. Further south, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a fantastic destination for a longer break with guaranteed wildlife viewing. For a quick stop, the town of Moose Pass has basic services, and there are numerous well-marked scenic viewpoints and rest areas all along the highway.

It is highly advisable to leave Anchorage at least four hours before your scheduled cruise check-in time in Seward. The drive itself takes about 2.5 hours without any stops. This four-hour buffer gives you ample time for unexpected summer road construction delays, a quick photo stop along Turnagain Arm, and the time needed to find parking near the busy Seward small boat harbor. Arriving early ensures a relaxed and stress-free start to your excursion.

The Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel is a single-lane tunnel that alternates between vehicle and train traffic, operating on a very strict schedule. Before you leave Anchorage, you must look up the official schedule online for your travel date. The tunnel typically opens for traffic heading into Whittier for a 15-minute window once per hour. Missing this window will result in a significant delay, so planning your entire drive around the tunnel opening time is absolutely critical.

For an early morning cruise, you'll need to aim for one of the first tunnel openings of the day. This requires leaving Anchorage very early, often well before sunrise, to reach the tunnel staging area in Bear Valley. Check the schedule the night before and give yourself more than enough driving time. Arriving at the tunnel entrance 15-20 minutes before its scheduled opening is a good strategy to ensure you are in line and ready to go through.

An efficient route for this popular day trip is to drive south from Anchorage on the Seward Highway directly to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC). After your visit, get back on the highway and continue south for just a few more miles to the turnoff for the Portage Glacier Highway. Drive this road to its end to see the glacier area, then simply return to the Seward Highway and head north back to Anchorage. This creates a simple out-and-back trip that hits both spots logically.

The drive from Anchorage to Talkeetna is a pleasant and straightforward 2.5-hour journey north on the Parks Highway. The road is well-paved and offers beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. Many travelers make a stop in the town of Wasilla for supplies or coffee. Further north, there are several large, safe pullouts that offer fantastic views of Denali on a clear day, making for a perfect photo opportunity before you reach Talkeetna.

A comfortable plan for the 4.5 to 5-hour drive to Denali is to break it up with a significant stop. Leave Anchorage in the morning and plan for a lunch break in the charming town of Talkeetna, which is roughly the halfway point. This allows you to stretch your legs, explore the town, and recharge before continuing the second half of the drive. This pacing gets you to the Denali area in the late afternoon, with plenty of time to settle in before your park adventures.

During the summer, you will share the Parks Highway with numerous RVs and tour buses, which often travel at a slower speed. The key is to be patient and enjoy the scenery. The highway is designed with frequent, clearly marked passing lanes on uphill sections and long straightaways. Wait for these safe, designated areas to pass, and never attempt to pass on a blind curve or a solid yellow line.

The most reliable strategy is to begin your drive with a full tank of gas from Anchorage. While there are gas stations in towns like Wasilla, Willow, and Cantwell, their operating hours can be limited, especially later in the evening. A good plan is to top off your tank in Wasilla during the day. This ensures you have more than enough fuel to comfortably reach the Denali area without any concern for finding an open station.

Summer is peak road construction season in Alaska, so it's wise to build extra time into any driving itinerary. You will likely encounter zones where traffic is reduced to a single lane. In these areas, you'll be stopped by a flagger and will have to wait for a pilot car to guide your line of traffic safely through the work zone. These delays can last anywhere from a few minutes to over 30 minutes, depending on the project's length.

The downtown Anchorage street grid can be tricky for newcomers, primarily due to the one-way street system. The main east-west thoroughfares, 5th Avenue and 6th Avenue, are both one-way and move a lot of traffic. Additionally, the transition from the Glenn Highway into downtown via these avenues can feel abrupt. Using a GPS is the best way to navigate the downtown core confidently and avoid unexpected turns.

For hassle-free overnight parking downtown, your best options are the public parking garages, such as the 5th & B Garage or the J.C. Penney Garage. These offer paid daily rates and are a secure, convenient choice that frees you from worrying about on-street time limits or morning parking restrictions. Many downtown hotels also provide parking for their guests, so be sure to inquire about their specific options and availability.

The Anchorage Museum has a large, convenient parking lot right next to the building, which is the easiest place to park. This lot can fill up during peak times, especially on summer weekends or during special events. To secure a spot easily, it's best to arrive in the morning, before the midday crowds. If the main lot is full, there are several public parking garages located within a short walking distance.

Accessing these popular outdoor spots is very easy with a car. The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail has several dedicated parking areas along its route, with large lots at major access points like Westchester Lagoon and Elderberry Park. For Kincaid Park, a large central parking lot near the Kincaid Outdoor Center serves as the main hub for most trails. Parking is generally plentiful, though on a sunny weekend, arriving earlier in the day is always a good idea.

The drive to the Alaska Native Heritage Center is very straightforward. From central Anchorage, you'll take the Glenn Highway (AK-1) north for about 15 minutes and then take the North Muldoon Road exit. The route is well-marked with clear signage directing you to the center. You won't have to worry about parking, as the center provides a very large, free parking lot with ample space for all visitors.

The drive to the popular Flattop Mountain trailhead involves taking Glen Alps Road up into the Chugach Mountains. The road is paved but becomes steep and winding as you ascend. The main parking lot at the Glen Alps Trailhead is sizable but frequently fills to capacity on sunny summer evenings and weekends. To ensure a spot, try to visit on a weekday or arrive earlier in the day, and be prepared for the possibility of using overflow parking along the road.

If you encounter a moose on or near the road, the first and most important step is to slow down significantly and give it a wide berth. Never honk your horn, as it can agitate the animal and cause it to act unpredictably. Be patient and wait for it to move out of the way on its own. Always be aware that a cow moose may have a calf nearby, so proceed with extra caution.

Frost heaves are bumps and dips in the road caused by the seasonal freezing and thawing of the ground beneath the pavement. They are a common feature on many Alaska highways. These areas are often marked with small orange flags or warning signs. When you see these indicators, it's important to reduce your speed to navigate the uneven surface smoothly and avoid a jarring bump that could be hard on the car's suspension.

While cell service is generally strong within Anchorage, it can become intermittent or completely unavailable on stretches of highways like the Seward and Parks Highways. This is especially true in more remote or mountainous sections. Your best backup plan is to download offline maps of your planned routes onto your smartphone's navigation app before you leave the city. This ensures your GPS will continue to function perfectly even without a cellular connection.

Driving during the low-light hours of dawn and dusk offers incredible scenery but requires extra caution. This is the time when wildlife, especially moose, are most active and harder to see. Always use your headlights to be more visible to others and to better illuminate the road ahead. Reduce your speed to give yourself more time to react to animals that may step out from the side of the road.

A round trip to Seward in one day is a long but rewarding day. To make it comfortable, start from Anchorage no later than 7 a.m. to maximize your time in Seward. The trip feels rushed if you try to fit in a long, scheduled activity like a 6-hour boat cruise. A more relaxed pace would involve visiting the Alaska SeaLife Center, walking the harbor, and enjoying a leisurely lunch, leaving plenty of time for scenic stops on the drive back.

The key to a successful one-way drive is to be selective with your stops. Instead of trying to see everything, choose two or three high-priority destinations, such as the Talkeetna scenic viewpoint and the Denali National Park entrance visitor center. Allocate a specific amount of time for each stop in your plan. This structured approach allows you to experience the highlights while ensuring you keep moving toward your final destination and arrive at a reasonable hour.

After picking up your car, a great first stop is one of Anchorage's large grocery stores, like a Fred Meyer or Carrs-Safeway. This gives you a chance to get out of the car, stretch your legs, and use the restroom. You can also stock up on water, snacks, and any other provisions you'll need for your road trip. It's a perfect, low-stress way to transition from air travel to your Alaska driving adventure.

The most efficient method is to plan a shopping stop immediately after leaving the airport's rental car facility. There are several large supermarkets and outdoor recreation stores located just a short drive from the airport. This allows you to purchase bulky items like a cooler or necessary supplies like bear spray and load them directly into your vehicle before you head to your hotel or out on the highway.

Use your best judgment when approaching an unpaved road. A well-maintained, graded gravel road leading to a major public trailhead is often manageable if you drive slowly and carefully. However, you should avoid roads that appear deeply rutted, have large potholes, or look like they require high clearance. If a road seems questionable or unmaintained, it's always the safest decision to turn back and not risk potential damage to the vehicle.

Heavy rain can make driving in Anchorage more challenging, primarily by reducing visibility and making road surfaces slick. Be aware that lane markings on some older roads can be difficult to see when wet. Reduce your speed to prevent hydroplaning, especially in areas where water might pool. Increase your following distance from the vehicle in front of you and always use your headlights to ensure you are as visible as possible to other drivers.

During the spring and fall shoulder seasons, the most underestimated hazard is black ice. This is a thin, transparent layer of ice that can form on the pavement, especially on bridges, overpasses, and in shaded areas, even when the air temperature is above freezing. Be extra cautious in the early mornings. A telltale sign can be a glossy sheen on the road surface or seeing other drivers braking cautiously ahead of you.

When you spot wildlife or a scenic view, signal your intention to pull over well in advance. Slow down and enter the designated paved pullout, ensuring your vehicle is completely off the highway. After you've enjoyed the view, use your turn signal before re-entering the road. Wait for a safe, clear gap in traffic, as cars on the highway are moving at high speeds. Never stop in the travel lane itself.

Returning a car after midnight due to a delay follows the standard after-hours drop-off procedure. The rental car return area at Anchorage International Airport is open and accessible 24/7. You will drive to the designated return lane for your rental company, gather your belongings, and deposit the keys and contract in the secure drop box. The airport shuttle to the main terminal also runs 24/7 to accommodate late-arriving passengers and rental returns.

To ensure a smooth and stress-free return, plan to refuel your vehicle at a gas station near the airport before you head to the rental center. Take a moment to dispose of any trash and give the floor mats a quick shake to remove excess dirt or sand. Most importantly, do a final, thorough check of the entire vehicle—including the glove compartment, door pockets, and trunk—to make sure you haven't left any personal belongings behind.