Alaska
Alaska Byways
Alaska began its Scenic Byways Program in 1993 to help showcase the state’s most memorable and spectacular landscapes. Alaska is home to five national scenic byways, two of which—the Alaska Marine Highway and the Seward Highway—are designated as All-American Roads, the gold standard of national scenic byways. Alaska is one of the country’s top destinations for natural beauty, and scenic byways play an important role in emphasizing the state’s scenic, historic, and cultural appeal, playing an integral role in supporting Alaska’s tourism industry.
Key Points
- Alaska is home to five national scenic byways and 10 state scenic byways.
- The Alaska Marine Highway alone netted Alaska approximately $16 million in 2017.
- National parks, accessible via byways, generated $2.2 billion in total economic output in gateway communities in 2019, supporting 19,600 jobs and $730 million in labor income.
Alaska Byways
Map Key:
- All-American Roads
- National Scenic Byways
- State Scenic Byways
All-American Roads
National Scenic Byways
State Scenic Byways
Byways Provide Access to Public Lands
Alaska byways provide access to the state’s most spectacular public lands, including eight national parks, four state parks, 22 national wildlife refuges, two national forests, and two national monuments.
About the National Scenic Byways Program
The National Scenic Byways Program, established by Congress in 1991, recognizes historic, scenic, and culturally important roads, all of which promote economic development and tourism in communities around the U.S. There are more than 1,200 byways in all 50 states.
All scenic byways exhibit one or more of six core intrinsic qualities — scenic, historic, recreational, cultural, archaeological, or natural. For a road to be named a national scenic byway, it must first be designated a state, tribal, or federal agency scenic byway. Once achieving that, a road may apply for national scenic byway designation, but its intrinsic quality must be of regional significance. All-American Roads are the very best of the national scenic byways, demonstrating at least two intrinsic qualities of national significance.