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By far the busiest stretch of road in Alaska is the Glenn Highway from Anchorage north to Wasilla and Palmer (in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley). It is illegal for pedestrians to be on the highway itself, so normal freeway rules apply here. (But I have never waited more than fifteen or twenty minutes for a ride, even while standing on a full speed stretch of that road).
The farther one travels from Anchorage, the less traffic there is, particularly during winter. However, the Kenai Peninsula and the Parks Highway (up through Denali, to Fairbanks) are populated roadways all year long. The good thing about this is that you're likely to find a ride that is going where you are, or maybe even farther. That being said, one trip from Wasilla to Kenai (less than three hundred miles) took me a day and a half and ten rides. The Alaska Highway from Dawson Creek in Canada runs to Delta Junction in Alaska, and then continues on to Fairbanks as the Richardson Highway. It took us a while to travel from Delta Junction and then later Tok Junction to the Canadian border, and locals seem more keen to give lifts than tourists (as a rule of thumb the more expensive the RV the worse reception you get) so you may not get very far at one go. That said, people will eventually stop and can be incredibly friendly and helpful to the point of giving you food and beds when they do.
In summer, it's not such a big deal to be caught out at some late hour. You may not even realize that it's midnight! Twenty hours of daylight is the norm, and at 'night' it still does not get dark enough even to see the stars. However, be particularly careful during the colder months, because getting stuck at the Seward Y at 10 p.m. can be very scary. Drivers are usually careful during the winter and may not drive so much at night, but it is likely that the first car that passes will stop for you.
