Our plan for Day 3 was to leave DNP and drive up north to Fairbanks (about a 4 hr drive). The ultimate plan was to drive on Dalton Highway, but since the highway is mostly dirt and gravel road, only a handful of rental car companies allow you to take their cars up there for fear of windshield chips and flat tyres. Hence we needed to pick up another car, a 4WD from Fairbanks. We started out from DNP early, had breakfast and reached Fairbanks at about noon. They have a great visitor center with helpful volunteers and we highly recommend stopping by there.We picked and packed up our new and bigger car and hit the road! The trans-Alaska pipeline carries oil 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay (North) on the Arctic Ocean to the pipeline terminus at Port Valdez. The Dalton Highway was largely built to facilitate this transport and do to icy road conditions is almost always in poor condition. Just outside Fairbanks (Milepost F 8.4 on the Steese Highway), there is a Viewpoint, and a Pipeline Visitor Center. Past this point, you will only see the pipeline parallel to the Dalton Highway. So stop here and take pictures!
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| Milepost F 8.4, Steese Hwy |
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| Hilltop: The last trucker stop |
After about 60 miles driving N on Steese Hwy, we finally reached Dalton Highway...If you ever watched Ice Road Truckers, you will probably understand why we both said a silent prayer under our breaths before entering the highway. It is a lonely stretch of deserted road, with only 2 gas stations along 600 miles and no services until other than Coldfoot (~175 miles north into the Dalton Hwy! |
A truckee, unpaved road, some paved road and a brave biker! |
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| The dirt road ahead! |
There are a few things of interest to see along the road. The first thing you will see is the Alaska pipeline which runs almost parallel to the highway. It is above ground where ever the permafrost would interfere with it under ground.
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On the right is the Dalton Highway within first 60 or so miles and adjacent Alaska Pipeline.
Mile 98, The Finger Mountain Valley: Finger Mountain is called so because it points to Fairbanks in the south and was used as a guide to early travelers). Winds were very strong in this area.
Mile 115, The Arctic Circle: Dalton Hwy is the one of the 2 roads in N America that crosses Arctic Circle. Take a picture in front of the big board and prove that you made it till here!! Mile 150, The Grayling Lake: Carved out of glaciers, stop to take a pic.
Mile 175, The Coldfoot Camp:
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| Bar at Coldfoot. Pic was taken at 12AM!! |
This is the only real stop on Dalton Hwy. There is a bar, a hotel, and a campsite to crash for the night. This was originally a mining camp (old name, Slate Creek). Around 1900 it got its present name when the prospectors going up to the Koyukuk River got "cold feet" and turn around! We camped here that night.Day 2 on Dalton...
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Right (top), Post office (no longer in use), has sunk in 2 ft below ground. Bottom: Parts that might get recycled one day! |
Mile 188, Wiseman: An old historical town with only 13 residents, this is a quaint little mining town founded by prospectors who abandoned Coldfoot after finding gold in a nearby creek. The 13 residents lead a very interesting life, subsistent on hunting and gardening, makes for a great stop on your trip. They are really self-sufficient, as they also make their own electricity, and build their machines from recycled parts. The residents are very friendly and happy to have visitors. There is also a B&B (believe it or not), and they can get up to 20 visitors during a busy season. Quotes from residents:
"I used to be a vegetarian, then met my husband and settled in Wiseman. Sometimes when I don't feel like eating meat, I supplement my protein needs with pulses and lentils that I order from amazon.com!"
"When I get bored in winters (so much snow that everything is in a standstill), I just snowboard or ski with my little brother!"
" I am originally from Utah, came to Anchorage, AK to study, met my now husband, dropped out of school, and came to settle down here!"
"Once a week, when the mail man comes with mail, we all get together to welcome him with food and drinks and make an evening out of it!"
What a unique and happy little town! Be sure to visit Wiseman if you drive all the way up to Coldfoot.
Initially we had planned to turn back from Wiseman, but the beautiful landscapes motivated us to move on further N!
Mile 203, Sukakpak Mountain
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| Sukakpak Mountain Panaroma |
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| Northernmost Spruce |
We saw a beautiful view of the Sukakpak Mountain (unique because it glows in the afternoon sun and rises like a wall) Stop here to take in a view or a picture.
Mile 235, The Northernmost Spruce: As you drive along further N, we noticed fewer trees due to the extreme cold weather. Here lies the furthest north spruce tree on the highway, killed by a vandal in 2004 (~ 273 years old)!!
Mile 237-240: Chandalar Shelf/Pass
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| Chandalar Shelf, Mile 237+ |
Mile 244, Atigun Pass: The first major incline beyond this point is the Atigun pass, the highest pass in Alaska and spans across the Brooks Range. You can get stunning views of the Brooks Range and of the trucks ascending and descending the pass. Around Mile 244 there is a little pull out zone where you can stop by to take photos.
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| Two truckers driving towards each other over the Atigun Pass, |
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| Us, with a "been there, done that" smile :) |
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