The Kuskokwim ice road is closing for the season. The Native Village of Napaimute ice road crew announced April 9 that beginning Friday April 10, they will no longer be maintaining it for the 2026 season.
Signs and markers are in the process of being removed and travel by car is at the drivers’ own risk.
The Kuskokwim Ice road is funded annually by the state. Its maintenance and ice monitoring are carried out by a network of ice road crews and largely organized by the Native Village of Napaimute’s ice road team.
This year, the Kuskokwim ice road stretched one of its longest-ever paths — about 350 miles from Tuntutuliak to Crooked Creek.
Maintenance crews hadn’t plowed the extra 40 mile stretch downriver to Tuntutuliak since 2020. This year, they opted to expand the road to allow trucks to deliver construction materials for repairs following ex-Typhoon Halong.
In the coming weeks, aerial ice monitoring from the National Weather Service will begin as the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta prepares for river break up. Stay tuned to KYUK for updates.