Alaska Routes are both numbered and named. There have been only twelve state highway numbers issued (1 through 11 and 98), and the numbering often has no obvious pattern. For example, Alaska Route 4 (AK-4) runs north and south, whereas AK-2 runs largely east and west, but runs north and south passing through and to the north of Fairbanks. The Klondike Highway, built in 1978, was unnumbered until 1998, when it was given its designation during the centennial of the Klondike Gold Rush. However, many Alaskan highways of greater length than the Klondike Highway remain unnumbered.

Mileposts, frequently used for road markers and official addressing in rural areas, are also more commonly reckoned by landmark names.

Within Alaska, roads are almost invariably referred to by name or general destination, and not by number(s).^{[citation needed]}

Numbered routes often span multiple highway names. For example, AK-1 can refer to any of the Glenn Highway, Seward Highway, Sterling Highway, or Tok Cut-Off; meanwhile, portions of the Seward Highway are numbered AK-1, AK-9 and Interstate A3 (A-3).

The Alaska Marine Highway and several other Alaska highways or routes are recognized as "highways" eligible for federal funding by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).^[2] The Marine Highway was declared a National Scenic Byway by the FHWA on June 13, 2002;^[3] and later declared an All-American Road on September 22, 2005.^[4]

The system is divided into different regions of service: Southeast, Cross-Gulf, Prince William Sound, South-Central, and Southwest.^[5][6][7]

• The Glenn Highway, eastbound near Glennallen, is part of Interstate A1.
• An interchange between the Richardson Highway, part of Interstate A2, and Badger Road in Fairbanks.
• The Sterling Highway, westbound near Homer, is part of Interstate A3.
• The George Parks Highway, which comprises the entirety of Interstate A4.
• The Denali Highway has only 23 miles (37 km) of pavement, the remaining 123 miles (198 km) is gravel. The road is closed in the winter months.
• The Sterling Highway is a typical example of what is considered a highway in Alaska; four lane restricted-access routes are not used outside of the largest cities.
• Anchor Point claims the distinction of being the most westerly point on the contiguous highway system in North America.
• Alaska Peninsula Highway approaching "downtown" Naknek.

• List of British Columbia provincial highways
• List of Yukon territorial highways
• The Milepost