Taylor Highway
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Taylor Highway |
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Length: | 171 mi (275 km) | ||||||||
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South end: | Tetlin | ||||||||
Major junctions: |
Alaska Route 2 (Alaska Highway) in Tetlin Junction | ||||||||
North end: | Eagle | ||||||||
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The Taylor Highway (numbered Alaska Route 5) is a highway in the U.S. state of Alaska that extends 160 miles (258 km) from Tetlin, about 11 miles (17 km) south of Tok on the Alaska Highway, to Eagle.
It was built in 1953 to provide access to Eagle, Chicken, and the historic Fortymile Mining District. It connects to the Top of the World Highway 96 miles (155 km) from Tetlin, at Jack Wade Junction, allowing road access to Dawson City, Yukon during parts of the year. It is 79 miles (127 km) from Jack Wade Junction to Dawson City.
The first 60 miles (96 km) of the highway are paved; the rest are gravel. The highway is closed to automobile traffic from October through April, but is used by snowmobiles in the winter.
The large Fortymile caribou herd roams near the highway. The highway also provides access to the Fortymile River National Wild and Scenic River system.
[edit] Towns and places along the Taylor Highway
- Tetlin, mile 0 (km 0)
- Chicken, mile 66 (km 106)
- Jack Wade Junction (Top of the World Highway), mile 96 (km 154)
- Eagle, mile 160 (km 258)